Don't aim for a photo-realistic effect. People often mistakenly think that a prop has to look realistic, but actually it has to look striking, colourful, and possibly funny. If it looks silly it makes people laugh and puts them in a positive frame of mind.

Ask yourself: can I strip the prop down to the minimum number of things which people need to see?

Colour is very important.

Example: Bulldozer. Painted yellow with tinfoil for headlights, grille, it was supported on a metal frame rucksack.

Get 'arty' people you know, if you can, to build your props, but stress simplicity and don't let them get over-ambitious so that they are still producing a work of art 10 minutes before you're about to perform...

Example: For an anti-airport campaign, rather than building a full model airplane they had a person with cardboard aircraft wings attached to each side of them, and the nose of the plane attached to their front. Washing up bottles were stuck on the wings for jet propulsion and they wore a scarf sticking out behind (using wire) as if it were blowing in the wind. The get-up looked comical, making the airlines look silly.

Signs to hang around the neck so hands are free are important so that people can see at a glance what it is about. Remember you have 30 seconds for passers-by to see you and get interested or walk on.

Sign-making. An old cardboard box covered with white wallpaper or lining paper and taped on with masking tape, which is waterproof, can be written on and blends with the white paper. Use waterproof very thick nibbed black marker pen.

Bars - use cardboard tubes or buy foam pipe insulation. It's like a grey tube.

Bashers - foam pipe insulation.

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