Whether you are an aspiring film maker who needs claymation figurines to complete an animated film or you are a claymation enthusiast who wants some unique decorations, you can create quality figurines for a reasonable price. Once you decide what figurines you would like to create, the rest requires time and patience.
Instructions
1. Draw actual-size drawings of each figurine you want to create. Draw them to scale and from every angle. According to stopmotionworks.com, these sketches "are imperative if you are going to be building several puppets for a production. It's the only way to ensure the scale stays the same."
2. Purchase or gather all the needed materials based on your sketches. Buy several kinds of aluminum sculpting wire, 3 and 1.5 millimeters in diameter and two thinner kinds. Obtain oil (mineral, linseed or baby), clay in as many colors as you will be using, different sizes of sculpting mesh, epoxy adhesive, glass beads and, if desired, a clay-cutting tool. Make sure you have a drill, vice and wire cutters to use at home.
3. Collect your wires to begin making the armatures for the figurines. Armatures are the "skeleton" of the claymation figures you will cover in sculpting mesh and clay. Use the 1.5 wire for the arms of the figurines, and cut them at the desired length with the wire cutters. Do the same with the 3 wire for the legs and torsos.
4. Create a stronger wire for the figurines' waist and neck by cutting several strands of the 1.5 wire. Clutch the wires together and place on end in a vice and the other in a drill chuck. Turn the drill while keeping a tension on the wire until they are wound together.
5. Use the thinner wire to create the hands and fingers. Use the thinnest wire to create the figurines' wrists.
6. Assemble all the wire parts of each figurine, and cover them in sculpting mesh. Hold all the parts together with the epoxy adhesive.
7. Apply clay to the armature of the figurine. Start with smaller bits of clay used to make the basic shape of the figurine, then add smaller bits of clay to complete it. Manually smooth out the clay with your fingers. Use the sculpting knife to detail the figurines.
8. Use the beads as the figurine's eyes. You can paint pupils on them with black paint.
9. Place a small amount of the oil on a small paint brush. Carefully and sparingly run the paint brush over imperfections in the clay figurine for smoothness, but not too much, or the figurine will become mushy. Wait for the figurines to dry.
