PUPPET MECHANISMS
and how to make them
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the book about?
It’s a practical guide to designing and building puppet mechanisms, covering the principles, techniques and design processes I use in my own work. I tried to create the book that I’d have found useful myself when I first started designing more complex puppets.
Who wrote it?
I’m Jimmy Grimes. I’m a puppet designer, director and maker. I’ve designed puppets for over ten years, for both stage and screen, and wrote the book having noticed that there weren’t really many opportunities for makers to learn mechanism design. Having never trained formally, I’ve been lucky enough to learn from some amazing makers over the years, so I hope this book is a way to share my experience in a way that’s useful to others.
Is the book suitable for beginners?
Yes. It starts with some context and foundation principles, before progressing through more advanced mechanical components. No engineering background is required to begin reading.
What types of mechanisms are covered?
This isn’t the whole list, but the book includes;
- Traditional puppet joints
- Simple approaches to structure
- Basic triggers and sprung joints
- Creating movement on different lines and axis
- Linkages and multi-joint combinations
- Brake trigger/cable set-ups
- Harness and larger structural approaches
If you want to make a puppet component that opens, closes, folds, flaps, rotates or is activated by a trigger in any way, this book will help you in your design and making process.
Does it include digital files or templates?
A pdf pattern sheet for a selection of linkage joints comes with the book.
You can print this out and use it to build some of the examples illustrated in the book.
Do you ship internationally?
International orders are available for certain regions.
If your shipping location isn’t listed please get in touch and I can look into delivery options.
Can I get free shipping?
Unfortunately the shipping cost are mostly dictated by the company that prints my book, but I try to keep costs to a minimum. Whilst most UK orders are sent directly from my studio, others are fulfilled by the printers in order to manage international shipping more effectively. The cost also covers the time to process orders and manage the tracking and admin costs behind the scenes.
How long will my order take to arrive?
Delivery within the UK is usually within 7-10 days.
International orders can take up to 30 days. There’s also an online version of the book that is viewable until your order arrives, in case you want to get started right away! Do get in touch if you need your copy more speedily and I can look into fast track delivery options. Or if you want to arrange an in-person collection, get in touch before you order at jimmy@jimmygrimespuppetry.com
Orders aren’t available, what’s going on?
To manage delivery of orders I sometimes have to limit availability. The book has been a bigger success than I ever expected so please forgive my limitation in fulfilling need, whilst I continue my broader work and projects! If you really can’t wait, please email me and I’ll try to help!
Why does it cost so much? It seems expensive for a book!
This book is a project of my own creation. It took 3 months to write and illustrate, pulling together years of experience. Copies are printed in small batches or on demand, so it doesn’t benefit from the scale that big publishers are able to offer.
However, as a teacher, I’m confident that the book offers content and learning that would be far more costly if sought through workshops or courses. A one-day design workshop can cost more than double the price, yet the book offers weeks of learning and educational material. With that in mind the price is comparable to other educational resources.
I’m looking into setting up a cheaper ebook version as well as discussing broader publication, but for now it’s only available in the format offered on my website. I’m confident it’s worth it!
Where’s my order?
If you haven’t received your order as expected, please email jimmy@jimmygrimespuppetry.com Some deliveries that slipped between a gap as the project grew beyond initial expectations, so please get in touch if you were left hanging! My sincere apologies of this was the case!
Returns, Replacements & Issues
If you aren’t happy with the book, please return it in suitable condition within 30 days for a full refund. If your copy arrives damaged, get in touch with evidence of delivery so it can be replaced. Any other issues, please email jimmy@jimmygrimespuppetry.com
Can I use the book in teaching or coursework?
This book has been created to share with makers at all levels, whether you are a teacher using it to support your work, or a designer creating your own puppets. If you are able to credit or share the book as source material or research input, please do; it helps support the ongoing availability of the book and other educational work.
Are you available to teach, or do you run workshops or courses?
Yes, I occasionally run workshops myself and am available to teach when my schedule allows. Do get in touch if you are a university, festival, arts or educational organisation interested in further opportunities or bespoke training.