How to Make Colorful WAYANG From Cardboard

Wayang is a form of puppet theatre art found in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, wherein a dramatic story is told through shadows thrown by puppets and sometimes combined with human characters. The art form celebrates the Indonesian culture and artistic talent; its origins are traced to the spread of Hinduism in the medieval era and the arrival of leather-based puppet arts called Tholu bommalata from southern India.

Performances of shadow puppet theatre are accompanied by a gamelan orchestra in Java, and by gender wayang in Bali. The dramatic stories depict mythologies, such as episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana, the Mahabharata as well as local adaptations of cultural legends. Traditionally, a wayang is played out in a ritualized midnight-to-dawn show by a dalang, an artist and spiritual leader; people watch the show from both sides of the screen.

UNESCO designated wayang kulit, a shadow puppet theatre and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve their heritage. Wayang has also been a significant historical art form in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

At this time, i will show you how to make wayang from cardboard

1. cardboard
2. paper
3. scissor
4. glue
5. pencil
6. marker
7. colors marker
8. straw
9. solder
10. bamboo
11. spray acrylic liquor paint
12. tape
13. ruler
14. paper glue
15. hammer

Make a picture or image of the desired puppets. This time I will make one of my favorite characters namely Antareja in the form of triwikrama. If you want a more perfect picture, you can download it on the internet. However, if you want a little creative you can draw it yourself.

Next is coloring. You can use different types of dye in this stage, depending on your skill. In this process I use colored markers to color the wayang image I have drawn.

The next process is to put the puppet on the cardboard, try the size of the cardboard that is used larger than the size of the puppet. Use fast dry glue so that the image of the puppet is not wet and damaged. Wait until it is completely dry. Then, cut the taped picture. Cut out cardboard using scissors or cutter or anything else that can be used.

After all parts are cut, it's time to assemble. But first make a first hole in the elbow and upper arm of the puppets so that later can be put together. After that connect the upper arm with the forearm using a straw as a joint. Then burn the tip so as not to loose, do the same in connecting his arm with the body.

Light-coat your wayang with acrylic liquor paint, this will make the wayang shiny and not easily fade

Attach the stick on the left hand and the right hand to operate the hand from the puppet with robe. Then, prepare another bamboo which is longer than the puppets as the frame for the support of the body. Use a rope to make it stronger, or can also use tape.

Wayang ready to play. Or maybe if you can not play it, this can be a unique decoration at home.

Here some inspiration