Building a Stop Motion Monster: Finishing the puppet

[jimbolimboboy]

Without a doubt one of the best tutorials I have seen! :)

[bluworm]

@jimbolimboboy Thanks! I'm very happy if I can pass on some of my tricks.

[snotrat2]

What material dis you use to pad out the frame before you added the latex skins?

[bluworm]

@snotrat2 I use what I call upholstery foam. This is the soft material you find in certain matresses and cushions. It's also called cold foam. I collect old, discarded cushions, and cut out pieces of foam and shape them into muscles. Then I use flexible contact cement to stick the foam pieces onto the wire armature. The foam needs to be quite soft, or it will be difficult to bend the joints of your puppet.

[Puelof]

i have to do a Macbeth project for English class and i wanted to do i stop motion film. how much money did it cost to make this? awesome puppet btw.

[bluworm]

@Puelof I'd say the material cost for a puppet made this way is $15-$30. But it takes time building the puppet, and requires a fair bit of experimenting. I guess you'll be making puppets covered with clothes (?) which is cheaper and faster to produce. If you need any advice during you project, please contact me in my inbox. I'd be happy to help out :)

[Puelof]

@bluworm thanks.

[gusbest1]

@Puelof

There is a glue called copydex which is latex and i costs from £4 to £9 depending on the size.

[Horis573]

Thanks, id gladly continue watching yrtutorials,

[elchocadosinrumbo]

wow you´re amazing, just fu... amazing

[bluworm]

@elchocadosinrumbo It's hard work trying to be fu... amazing :) Thanks!

[Horis573]

Please upload more skin castigs, very interesting method.

[bluworm]

@Horis573 I'll try to make another instructional video, showing more about how to make skins.

[Horis573]

Great out come, nice beginning,

[bluworm]

@Horis573 Thank you :)

[sgtjlopez]

Do you make your own skin? Like with a mold/texture and then paint some latex on it?

[bluworm]

@sgtjlopez Yes, I sculpt a skin texture in clay and make a plaster mould of it. Then I cast patches of latex skin in different shapes and sizes from that mould.

[sgtjlopez]

@bluworm Very ingenious :)

[necrodrama]

gracias :)

77

[srOLDSKULL]

waht material is it done of? foam latex?

[bluworm]

@srOLDSKULL The puppet is padded with "cold foam" foam rubber. This material is the one use for bed mattresses and certain cushions. I just cut pieces of it and glue it to the puppet skeleton in the shape of muscles. The skin is made out of latex rubber, which air dries. I don't have to use an oven to cure anything.

[Gerard2PP]

What a shame. Days of hard work to make a nice looking puppet for 3 seconds of animation... :(

Nice job man!!!

[bluworm]

@Gerard2PP Well, that puppet did his job well in those 3 seconds. And he might still turn up in something else I do. I've started to recycle some of the puppets that I've only used briefly.

Thanks for stopping by :)

[themaskboy1234]

such an awesome set of vids man! thanks a lot! :D

[bluworm]

@themaskboy1234 You're very welcome!

[Artdecovampire]

This series of videos are absolutely brilliant. I've read the process in books but this brings it to life and makes it look achievable. Do you or anyone else know where to get these supplies in the UK. This has made me eager to start.

[bluworm]

@Artdecovampire Thanks! I'm glad I've managed to inspire you. This is a fairly cheap technique that can yield great results with a little practice. Latex and aluminum wire can often be found at hobby or sculpture suppliers. The foam padding for the body is just old cushion and mattress foam. Friendly Plastic can be found at Craftcellar online.

[300warrior300]

one word...wow!

[bluworm]

@300warrior300 Thanks!!

[volpe3fuego]

P.S. That animation at the end was wicked! Great job :D

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego Ha ha! Thanks! It's out of my film The King Who Sought Immortality.

[volpe3fuego]

Excellent tutorial! I can't wait to try this for my monster creatures :D Is it okay for me to ask where you got those eyes from? They look great :) Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing your knowledge with us stop-motion enthusiasts.

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego Many thanks; It's my pleasure! I hope you keep at it, keeping the craft alive. I've bought the eyes from a taxidermists supplier in Sweden. Bird, reptile and fish eyes are of ideal size for stop-mo puppets. Some eyes I've made myself out of plastic balls, painted and covered with Crystal Clear plastic from smoothon.com.

[volpe3fuego]

@bluworm That's great! Yes, I definitely plan on going all the way with my stop-mo project. The one I'd like to start will actually be a gift for someone so I'm very excited! That and I've always wanted to learn stop-mo. Thanks to you, I'm a little further in learning the process so again, thanks :) Wow a taxidermist shop? Neat! I'll have to check the ones that are here out, for sure! I'll also checkout smoothon.com :D Thanks, my friend, and keep up the great work!

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego That's a very unusual gift! Stop motion is great fun. You can achieve great effects for little money. If you're looking for glass animal eyes, look up Van Dykes Taxidermy. Are you in the US or Europe?

[volpe3fuego]

@bluworm Hehe Yeah, this person likes unusual gifts, but he'll never expect anything like this ;D Hey that website's great! Thanks so much for that! I'm in the US. Did you choose 3mm or 5mm for this monster?

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego If you're in the US, Van Dykes is probably the best place to get eyes. I think the eyes I used are only 3 mm. Go with smaller eyes whenever you can get them. Another tip: Get some epoxy pasta and fill up the back of your glass eyes to form whole spheres. Then you can make a sockets out of aluminum foil and move the eyes around.

[volpe3fuego]

@bluworm Excellent! I took a look at the site and their eye products are perfect :D Thanks for the tip on filling the eyes and moving them within the puppet. I didn't know there was a product called epoxy pasta tho; that's cool! Thanks so very much, my friend, you're great and I appreciate you helping me :D

[bluworm]

@volpe3fuego My pleasure :) Epoxy pasta (or paste) is just a name for the material. There are many brands. I use Apoxie, which is very popular, but there are ones that cure in a matter of minutes that are even more suitable (can't get them in Sweden right now). Look around and you'll find an epoxy pasta that'll suit your needs and your budget.

[volpe3fuego]

@bluworm I definitely will do that. You're awesome, keep doing what you do and I can't wait for your next project!

[Supertomiman]

a beautiful yet dying art :|

[bluworm]

@Supertomiman Here's how I see it: Stop-Motion is dead in the professional film business, but thrives among the amateurs. It's gone from being a special effects tool to becoming an art form more than ever. I think the number of stop-motion practitioners in the world is pretty constant now. It's levelled out. When one of us quits or kicks the bucket, someone else jumps on board. So I don't think it'll ever die out.

[drwatson58]

Cool puppet!  You should make some to sell!!!

[bluworm]

@drwatson58 Thanks! Now there's a thought. I've done a couple of puppets for an animator pal, but that's all so far.

[drwatson58]

@bluworm If you ever decide you might, holler at me. I have been looking around to buy one for awhile. I would like t sit down one day and try a hand at making one.. So far I just use rubber toys that i buy that have a wire armature already in them.

[bluworm]

@drwatson58 I'm pretty sure you can do better than bendy toys, but that's what we all start with (that and plastiscene). What kind of puppet did you have in mind? When I did a human-shaped puppet for a guy in the US I charged him $100 for it. The darn things take a few days to build, so..

[drwatson58]

@bluworm There would be no rush...I wanted to have something like a minator's body, three fingers, with a head similar to a gorilla's face with tusk coming out like a walrus........i have pics of something similar..

[bluworm]

@drwatson58 Sound like something Harryhausen would've done! Pretty cool concept. I guess it's slightly similar to "Taurus", the main monster from Dennis Muren's "Equinox". If you're really interested in having this puppet, give me a yell in my inbox.

[EVILKIMEVIL]

Hey there. Firstly, thanks a lot for these videos, they're really the best i've seen. Your creatures are awesome too btw.

I wanna know though - does a bit of latex painted on really hold those horns on good? That bit just looks too easy.

Also, what is that metal cup you are wiping on him in the 8th minute? It says 'to make a base for airbrush detailing'.

Ta!

[bluworm]

@EVILKIMEVIL Thanks! Glad you enjoyed my little tutorial. The horns and the head are both latex, so joining them WITH latex creates a super-strong bond. The metal cup is actually the paint cup of the airbrush. It's just filmed from a stupid angle :)

[bubblevash]

I really enjoyed watching all of your how-to videos! Although, I wanted to know if the puppet would decrease in sheen over time? Or is there a more matte material to use? I wanted to make a fox puppet, and they are not so shiny :)

[bluworm]

@bubblevash Dusting down your puppet with corn starch and then washing it off takes away most of the sheen, although it's difficult to get rid of it completely. If I want a fully matte finish, I go over the puppet with acrylig airbrush paint, though that paint will eventually rub off. Thanks for stopping by :)

[EVILKIMEVIL]

Hey there. Firstly, thanks a lot for these videos, they're really the best i've seen. Your creatures are awesome too btw.

I wanna know though - does a bit of latex painted on really hold those horns on good? That bit just looks too easy.

Ta!

[wilsonrussell44]

@bluworm where did you get those monster eyes at 6:18?

[StopmoNick]

Thanks for that little bit of animation at the end!

[bluworm]

@StopmoNick He he! Glad you enjoyed it. It's a part of a bigger battle, where my pal Dag vanquishes seven demons in a Harryhausenesque action piece. The whole film will be posted sometime before Christmas, I hope.

[william1562]

woow I love it

[bluworm]

@william1562 Thanks, William!

[artguy53]

Great as usual! VERY informative with great puppet making tips!

Thanks

[bluworm]

@artguy53 Thanks! Glad to hear it worth the while to make it.

[Godzilla5alien]

Like the best stop-motion puppet making, videos i've EVER SEEN!!!! I loved the puppet,

[bluworm]

@Godzilla5alien Thanks! I'm glad you appreciated it.

[rext08]

9:20 OWNED

[FandSproduction]

That looks awesome! I hope we get to see him more in action!

[locostbamboo]

Thanks for another great video. You answered my question I left on your latex skin video in this one. Thanks again!

[bluworm]

@locostbamboo Great :)

[mujawooja]

fantastic end result thanks for showing us your amazing work.

bernie

[bluworm]

@mujawooja Thanks again, Bernie!

[adfdasfadfdaaaa]

I'm amazed! What is the final cost of making a puppet liket his? And do you have to screw it's feet on the floor while animating?

[bluworm]

@adfdasfadfdaaaa This a fairly cheap way of making a puppet. I don't think it cost more than $10-20, or so. It does take a bit of time to make, of course. I think I spent almost a week on this one. A lot of pondering and thinking in that, too. Yes; I screw the feet into a drilled stage, with the screw going into the foot from underneath.