_Legs and Feet._ The leg consists of an upper and lower part and a foot.
These three parts may be made of cloth or of wood. If made of cloth, cut
and sew and stuff according to the illustration. For a dancer a long
silk stocking should be drawn over the entire leg to conceal the
mechanics of the knee. This was done with the marionette dancers in the
ballet _Petrouchka_. It is sometimes necessary to have a barefoot
character, as in the play of _Tom Sawyer_. In that case the foot is made
in much the same way as the wire and tape hand was made, as you can see
in the illustration. If you prefer to carve the leg and foot out of
wood, there are several ways of doing this. A very simple way is shown
in the illustration. When forming the upper and lower leg, keep in mind
the fact that the marionette’s lower leg works just like your own, which
goes backward but never forward or sidewise. The attaching of the cloth
legs to the hip piece requires thought and judgment. Two tacks should be
used to fasten each leg securely. If these tacks are well placed, the
legs will hang evenly and the feet will point forward.
[Illustration: [Head]]
_Attaching the Head._ When the arms and legs are attached to the body,
take the head and place the screw eye in the hole that is in the center
of the shoulder piece. A brad driven through from front to back will
secure the head and allow free movement in any direction.
_Painting._ For this type of marionette you will have better results if
you paint the face and hands with oil paints, rather than with water
colors or tempera. Remember that there is a tinge of yellow-orange in
the white man’s skin, deep red and orange in the red man’s skin, brown
in that of the Negro, and yellow in that of the Oriental.
You might think that you were now ready to costume your marionette. Not
so. The reason for this is that if you costumed your marionette without
consulting the group, you might find that your marionette would not fit
into the stage picture at all. Therefore the next step is group
discussion of the background, and of the colors of the costumes seen on
the stage together.