Build Your Best Beast Using the Dragon Pattern
Animals from a Dragon Pattern?
What do these sketches have in common? They are based on the dragon pattern head shape! Perhaps you aren’t interested in making a wearable dragon puppet character, but you like the head shape. Perhaps you DO want a snouted animal character with the more standard puppet body. If so, the dragon head pattern can be combined with a standard puppet torso. You can use the head portion of the dragon pattern at 80% scale and match it with the Project Puppet Simple Series Alternate Body pattern at standard scale. With this combination, you can design an endless variety of characters. I’ve sketched a few to inspire you. What would you make using this head shape?
Design Sheets to Use the Dragon Pattern for Other Animals
To help you explore this idea, I’m offering a free design sheets you can use to sketch character ideas. You can use a printed version of this template along with tracing paper, or use your favorite graphic design software and sketch digitally. My favorite way to sketch is using Procreate on my iPad. It’s easier to explore shape and color ideas without starting from scratch. If you don’t like how your sketching is progressing, you can use the back button to undo the previous step. You can also work in layers. This saves me SO much time and frustration. I can explore ideas quickly and land on the best option faster.
You can also use tracing paper over the template to explore multiple ideas without reprinting the template page. The template gives you reference lines for drawing that make character design faster and more professional looking.
If you want a little more detail on ProCreate and character design, visit my blog post on Puppet Character Design. https://www.lapuppets.com/puppet-character-design/
How to Modify the Dragon Pattern for Other Animals
To scale the dragon pattern to fit the Project Puppet Alternate Torso, print the foam, fleece, and fur pattern pages for head and mouth plates at 80%. This includes pages 47-49, 53-54, and 59-60. You can tape the fur and fleece head covering pattern pieces along the “Fur to fleece seam” edge designated on the pattern to make a full fleece-only pattern piece to cover the head. At this 80% scale, the head will now match the torso at 100% scale. You may need to widen the neck opening on the dragon head at this reduced scale.
Ready to explore some ideas using the Dragon Pattern Alternate Template? Subscribe to my newsletter in the box above to get a free design guide and drawing templates for all my published patterns. Dream and explore your ideas on paper or using a drawing tablet!
Click here for the dragon pattern
Click here for the Project Puppet Torso Pattern
