This hands-on course explores a range of topics on how to design and fabricate a posable needle felted puppet that’s perfect for stop motion animation. Felting is easy to pick up, versatile, and accessible- it’s a wonderful way to dip your toes into a new craft, or expand your existing skill set!

From initial sketch to posable puppet, participants will explore the entire process of how to plan and fabricate using their own unique design. Participants will be guided through how to analyze their design and animation plans, breaking it down for effective technical construction. They will be introduced to a variety of construction tools and techniques based around felting, from felt build up and wire armature to costuming and repairs. This course will also cover how to approach facial expressions and dialogue mouth shapes through replacement parts, so your creations can really come to life through animation! By the end of this course, participants will have their own little felted friend ready to be animated, and an understanding of how to approach fabrication for future puppets.

About the Instructor:

Meaghan Hettler is a Toronto based artist who specializes in stop motion with a passion for fabrication, animation, and cats! She takes a lot of joy translating 2d designs into the real world, breathing life into them through texture and colour. Having always loved storytelling, character design and fabrication, she happily fell head over heels for the entire stop motion process while attending Sheridan’s Bachelor of Animation program, graduating in 2020.
Meaghan has worked on various stop motion projects in both fabrication and animation, ranging from children’s television to short films. Her student and professional work has been screened at film festivals around the world. On Stoopid Buddy Stoodios’ recent television series “Ultra City Smiths”, she worked as a puppet fabricator and wrangler. Most of all, she’s looking forward to meeting more stop motion enthusiasts and sharing her love of it with them!
meaghanhettler.com / @stop_mo_mea