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Classes
A portion of all sales support student scholarships!
Welcome to the The Puppetry Institute online store!
- Classes fit for every age and skill-level!
- Learn VAPA and STEAM skills through creative fun!
- Learn with us in-person or order an online kit!
Drop-by Family Fun!
Whether you're a local or just visiting the Santa Cruz seaside for a day -
join us for a creative class! Drop by for a single class 60-90 minutes long,
and leave with an amazing one-of-a-kind art piece you create in our workshop!
Drop-by classes are perfect for a family day out!
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Make an appointment with us!
Monday- Saturday, 10 Am -4 Pm
Family
Workshops!
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Call for appointment: (831) 601 9822
Drop-by Family Engagement Experience - 60 minute class
$60 for up to 4 people! +$20 per each additional student
Create 9 puppets in 6 different styles!
Make a paper-pocket family, a paper-bag super hero and nemesis, a paper plate theater, a paper plate big-mouth critter, a jointed dragon shadow puppet, and a sock puppet design!
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Drop-by Make-A-Muppet Experience - 90 minute class
$100 per student
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Take one of our beautiful hand-made blank muppets, add your own creative flair, then get a crash course in performance. What do you get? A colorful character that is positively uniquely you - inside and out!
Drop by to select a base color muppet, and decorate at our accessory and glue-gun table!
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Drop-by Cricut Design Experience - 90 minute class
$150 per student
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Create a 12x12 custom decal sticker sheet, a T-shirt iron-on, shadow or finger puppets,
or a custom mug or water bottle! Our class includes professional instruction to create your own digital design that will then be applied to any of the above projects! Print high-quality vynal stickers, custom T-shirt iron-ons and so much more!
Drop-by for an hour and a half, leave with something one of a kind!
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For Beginner Artists
Projects for artists aged 4+!
Join us in person or request a kit delivered to your door!
Puppetry for beginners - $25
(Recommended age: 4+)
Create 9 puppets in 6 different styles!
Make a paper-pocket family, a paper-bag super hero and nemesis, a paper plate theater, a paper plate big-mouth critter, a jointed dragon shadow puppet, and a sock puppet design!
Buy as a kit:
Includes: Physical paper kit, blank sock puppet, online printable coloring templates,
& online videos.
VAPA & STEAM curriculum.
Requires: Scissors, school glue, crayons & adult supervision!
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Sock Puppet Duo - $20
(Recommended age: 4+)
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A great introduction to puppets for wee-folk. Decorate a pair of new sock-puppet friends, name them, and give them a story!
Buy as a kit:
Includes: Physical kit with two sock puppet blanks, decorative materials & online videos.
VAPA & STEAM curriculum.
Requires: Scissors, glue-gun & adult supervision!
Make-A-Muppet - $100
(Recommended age: 6+)
Take one of our beautiful hand-made blank muppets, add your own creative flair, then get a crash course in performance. What do you get? A colorful character that is positively uniquely you - inside and out!
Buy as a kit:
Includes: Physical kit with puppet blank and decorative materials & online videos.
VAPA & STEAM curriculum.
Requires: Scissors, glue-gun & adult supervision!
Stitchy the monster pal - $80
(recommend for age 6+)
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In this class we'll learn about how to make your own stuffed creature doll. "Stitchy" is an adorable little whatchamacallit that you can customize to your liking with just a few added steps. You'll also learn some basic sewing skills such as pattern making and hand sewing, so you can create more creatures for Stitchy to befriend!
Buy as a kit:
Includes: Physical kit & online videos. VAPA & STEAM curriculum.
Requires: Scissors, glue-gun & adult supervision!
Puppetry Projects
Bring anything you imagine to life with classes customized for your vision!
Puppets From Scratch - $500+
(Recommended age: 8+)
Create a memorable character in your mind, and bring them into the world as a living, moving, 3D being! We will provide instruction and materials based on YOUR idea, and help you make it a reality!
$500+ for fleece puppets, $560+ for faux fur creatures.
Tabletop Puppets - $450+
(Recommended age: 12+)
Workshop participants will be constructing simple table top puppets! Students will learn easy construction techniques as well as instruction on how to bring them to life with the flick of a finger.
Learn skills in design, character/story development, sculpting, and costuming.
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Lifelike Shoulder Dragon- $650+
(Recommended age: 12+)
Have you ever wanted your own pet dragon? Create a realistic dragon puppet that looks, feels, and moves like a living creature! Amaze onlookers with a living dragon riding on your shoulder - customized and built by you!
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Lifelike Hand Dragon - $325
(recommend for age 8+)
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This newborn baby dragon will sit right on your glove, appearing to move in its own! Smaller and easier to manage than a big dragon.
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Puppetry for teachers & Therapists - $550
(Recommended for adults)
From arithmetic to zoology - teach and engage students with a puppet in the classroom! Puppetry can be extremely helpful to engage with therapy patients and special-needs individuals. You will learn how to design, construct, and find your puppets voice while finding a way to integrate your character into your teaching/session plans.
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Costumes and Cosplay
Transform yourself with makeup and costumes!
Fursuit Construction - $500+
(Recommended age: 12+)
Fursuits are mascot-style animal costumes that blend cosplay and puppetry!
Create a mask and tail based on your own furry character design to become your Fursona!
Add a set of wearable paws for $500!
Cosplay Armor or Sword- $400
(Recommended 10+)
Create a piece of cosplay armor or weapon in our four-week in-person course! Create a helmet, chest piece, sword, or similar costume piece
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FACE PAINTING 101 with Star - $325
(Recommended 10+)
Learn the basics of the art form that will get you invited to all the best parties and events! Professional Makeup artist Star Hagen-Esquerra will show you the basic techniques and tricks of the trade. Students will learn 3 basic designs and take turns practicing what they've learned on family members.
Fine Art
Learn skills that bring creative magic into your world!
OOAK ("One of A Kind") Art Doll - $300*
(Recommended age: 10+)
Create a realistic, expressive doll that is part fine-art sculpture and part stuffed animal! OOAK art dolls are a popular among professional fantasy artists as a way to bring magical creatures to life. Includes a flexible armature to allows the doll to be posed for awesome creature photography sessions!
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Resin Dragon Egg Casting Workshop - $400
(Recommended age: 10+)
Students will learn Hollywood FX techniques to cast their own realistic dragon hatchling and glow-in-the dark
egg using a one-of-a-kind mold, and sculpt a beautiful base to display their new "pet" at home!
This class uses specialty materials and equipment avalible for In Person classes only.
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Includes: Materials, safety supervision and instruction included at our in-person workshop
Digital Art with Shark - $300
(Recommended age: 10+)
Design your own characters for a fantasy or science fiction setting, and bring them to life with digital painting techniques!
Learn to use a digital art tablet, photoshop tools and layers, and basic drawing, coloring and shading techniques!
Saturdays only!
with teaching artist Shelly "Shark"
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Still Life Painting with Star - $120
(Recommended age: 12+)
Learn the basics of painting with acrylic paint! Take a still-life photo and learn how to replicate what you see on canvas, along with the basics of working with acrylic paint!
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Beginners Class
Students will paint a still life from start to finish and learn the basics of painting composition, and color theory! This is a class for beginners that is fun and challenging. A large focus on this class is color mixing, learning about paint pigments, and the importance of color values.
Intermediate class
Students will paint a still life from start to finish and go more in depth with rendering textures and complex geometries. This is a class for those who are at an intermediate level and want a more challenging reference.
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