Shadow figures require careful planning, because they present but one silhouette throughout the play. Naturally this silhouette must be the most characteristic one. The shape of the nose, chin, and head, of the hands, the feet, and the body, all must be closely studied. Let us see how a shadow figure is made. Let us begin with the Donkey. He looks old, thin, and neglected, but he still has spirit enough to start out into the world. His thin body and neck show that he is old and misused. His strong jaw shows his will and determination. Before you draw him on a piece of paper you should decide on his size. The scale is determined by the size of the shadow screen. Let us suppose that this is 21 inches by 28 inches and that your scale is two inches to the foot. The Donkey is made about 8½ inches high by 10 inches long, the robbers 11 and 12 inches high, the Dog four inches high by 4½ inches long, and the Cock 3 inches high by 4¼ inches long. After you have drawn the Donkey to scale, cut him out and hold him behind a sheet of paper near the light and study his silhouette. Are you satisfied? If not, draw another donkey. [Illustration: _Moving parts are pivoted with paper fasteners (a). Wires running up the sticks_ (_f_) _to move the tail, neck and jaw are looped through the eyelets_ (_c_). _Thumb tacks_ (_b_) _or glue may be used to fasten the figure to the sticks. Pivot points should be eyeletted before inserting the fasteners; for greater ease in working, it is sometimes well to let the head of a fastener come between two parts as at_ (_e_). _The movement of the jaw piece blinks the eye which is cut at_ (_d_). ] [Illustration: [Cut-outs]] What is the Donkey expected to do? Move his jaw when he talks, move his tail and ears and his legs when he walks. How can this be done? The illustration may look very complicated at first. Study it carefully and follow the directions and your donkey will be able to walk, open and close his mouth, blink his eyes, and move his tail and ears. The materials that you will need are black construction paper or any heavy paper, thin sticks about 2 inches long and ⅜ inch wide, eyelets, and long-pronged brass paper fasteners, thumb tacks, and light-weight wire. Not all shadow animals are as complicated as this donkey. Here are a deer, a cock, and a dog, each made of just three pieces of paper. The illustrations of the farmer, fairy queen, and elf (see end of chapter) will show how the human figures are made. [Illustration: [Cut-outs]]