How to Make Wire Armatures for Stop Motion

[Kolf350]

Nice video man!

[Ontoe]

Great video. I love how you use a CD as a palette :)

[atommademovies]

Is that DVD a copy of Attack Of The Clones?

[MyTomasio]

What's that song name ?

[MalakhiMarsrowan]

Nice video. I was wondering what gauge wire do you use for your armatures. I would greatly appreciate a response.

[animateclay]

@MalakhiMarsrowan Technically it is 14.5 gage or 1.588mm thick.

[animateclay]

@ceyel5 That will work if you have super tiny clay figures under two inches. But for anything more you need wire to hold things up against gravity.

[TheRfilmscompany]

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthanky­ou! Iv been so stuck trying to make mine! If u see in my videos I ussually use toothpicks as armatures

[lizzykarol]

XD este tb!

[TheSweetestThingCS]

i saw this tutorial not to make stop motion sculptures but for regular figurines. ive been sculpting wedding cake toppers for 2 years now but i dont use any armature since they are just standing straight up but i want to start making more dynamic poses and need to learn to make armatures. is this tutorial also good for polymer clay? like can i bake this armature?

[animateclay]

@TheSweetestThingCS Yes you can bake it. For polymer clay to stick to the armature just twist some thinner craft wire around all the parts. It will help the clay from slipping off.

[JamesHanksy]

How do you get the plasticine to stick to the wire, so that when you move it, it doesn't get mixed up? Please help!

[animateclay]

@JamesHanksy If you melt the clay in a double boiler or a heat source, the wax will melt in it and then it will stick to the wire. If you use claytoon van aken it will work this way. But if you use newplast you need to wrap fine wire around the armature first.

[NonstopRam]

Stop motion animation, its frustrating. Although, very rewarding!

[cultculturee]

anyone know the name of this song?

[AndyCodex05]

you made the legs wrong. your suppose to make the legs separate, so when your animating it, it'll be easier to move, without moving the other leg

[ENJOYtheLITTLthings]

@AndyCodex05 what are you even talking about? You can still move the legs independently....

[AndyCodex05]

@ENJOYtheLITTLthings when animating the armature its going to be difficult. like if you move one leg forward, you would then be likely to move the other leg, which can cause problems when filming. especially with the clay, as it would change proportions

[Stabiloten]

i bought this for 1$, saved me 2hours

[17weezer17]

you limit your audience with this music.

[bobmarleytri]

vo rouba meu vizinho

[Lintart]

Very informative, had to mute the music though.

[1claymation]

the genuis of stopmotion

[ussprinceton2004]

why don't you use action figures like Patrick Boivin

[animateclay]

@ussprinceton2004 You can, but you still need to armaturize the toys - or make a rig to the side to hold it up. It just depends if you plan to make a puppet from scratch, or use existing stuff.

[Vexlick]

i have that wire at my school.. lmao, and super glue i have at my school, and i can make wooden blocks for feet... guess where? at my school.. im set.. haha

[animateclay]

@Vexlick Super glue won't work to glue aluminum wire parts to aluminum. It will just fall apart once it dries because it doesn't flex like the epoxy does. You'll be frustrated if you build it like that because it will fall apart on you.

[m8y511google]

we dont do this we use other things to join it 

[catmaniac8x]

I need to try making my figures this way....the way I do it now is really messy and quite hard to control

[lefkytheshin]

Just curious, how would you animate the figure to walk with it's one foot screwed down? Thanks.

[animateclay]

@lefkytheshin You would need to un-screw one foot while the other is screwed down and alternate for every step. That's how they normally do it.

[jimtuffit]

What gauge? 14? 28? Also, a ruler placed by the separate pieces would help provide some scale.

[animateclay]

@jimtuffit Read the description.

[PEZZY3]

i hate the song

[littlequote]

a disk, why did you use that to mix the adhesive?

[RealDetectiveL]

@littlequote the disk is an old one thats scratched up and doesnt work. Marc states this in another video.

[Balo996]

=O

Cool

[kittykat1582]

whats the name of this song?? i like it.

[randomDizy]

what awesome song is playing?

[grandeachille]

hello it is alluminium?or zinc?

[animateclay]

@grandeachille it's aluminum wire.

[paumor40]

very good work which the song that's playing? thanks

[animateclay]

@paumor40 I'm not sure, it's a song YouTube had that was the same length as the video in their techo section. I'm actually not a fan of the song, but I had to use something :)

[4evafreedom]

wow i wish i had $ for this kinda wire but hey gotta work with whatcha got right?

[RealDetectiveL]

@4evafreedom you can get similar wire at walmart for about a dollar

[RobVanDog]

that clown at the beginning creeps me out but other than that this how to was GREAT

[Geopetal]

Can I get the name of this song please? I have been searching for the name of it forever and cannot seem to find it. And by the way, I am currently taking an animation class and your video was used to demonstrate the creation of a amature, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant! Very good job on the video mate.

[MAclay0]

It is very good, I too do claymation (account - MAclay0)

[undefinedego]

*you are

not your

[animateclay]

actually.....I prefer

you're

:)

[hec1234561]

this is nice and helpful but the epoxy can be harmful to skin and eyes

[1055555grace]

informative.

[qwerfderf]

when i work with clay - i listen to techno all day.

bum tis bum tis bum tis......

[animateclay]

Heh, I don't have a choice. The original music was copyrighted, so I had to replace it with what YouTube wanted.

[tom120ali]

is it possible to make a silicon head for a permanent base and just work around the silicon with, sculpy, etc?

[animateclay]

I think you mean to build clay over silicone? Its possible to use a part silicone head and part clay, but you can't stick clay to silcone. So you'd have to have some kind of wire sticking out - or a small fork of wire to stick clay replacment mouths on.

[tom120ali]

okay, thanks alot!

[deptofmisc]

can i solder the points instead of epoxy?e

[animateclay]

It's almost impossible to solder aluminum. So I wouldn't really recommend it. Plus heating it will cause the wire to become brittle.

[moviemaniac97]

Wow!

I am just starting with more detailed stopmotion, do you have any other tips?

[animateclay]

Sure, just watch my other videos or visit my web site. There are a lot of free tips in there too.

[moviemaniac97]

oh ok thanks

[Ashakuras]

how can i make the .... feets ? i need necessarily a carpenter ?i don't have a drill or a saw :'(

[animateclay]

You can use just the two nuts and the bolt. Just make a loop out of the wire for feet and epoxy or glue the nut to the top of it so it pushes down on the wire. You can also try just making a tight loop with the wire and each time the puppet takes a step - screw the foot down from the top. It's harder to do that way, but will work if you have limited supplies.

[Ashakuras]

wow ,thank you :D very much

[mosa911]

the song sucked

[koalalumpar]

umm..how do you make ur character's face so ..umm detail?

[animateclay]

Just add more details.

[skyskelton97]

I heard that if you make the head out of some kind of magnet it allows you to animate metalic facial features

[animateclay]

You can make replacment faces out of resin with a piece of metal, such as a chain saw link embedded in it. Then place a magnet inside the head for the metal to stick to and you can stick and un-stick replacement faces. The technique is complicated though. The same thing is done by taking metal shavings and mixing them into epoxy to cast eyes. Then take a tiny magnet for the iris and slide it around the eye to make it move. There are easier ways to do that though.

[chris1002clf]

Thanks very nice ,,very helpful of this ...

[kevbomb]

This is very helpful. Would you recommend a slightly thinner gage wire for animating smaller characters, say from 4 to 6 inches in height

[animateclay]

Thinner is ok, just make sure it's strong enough and you have enough wire twisted up to hold the weight of your puppet.

[Civelwarman]

that looked good

[missXmikey]

Do you need to use tie downs?

[animateclay]

It depends on the design. If your puppet has to only slide around on the ground and not walk it is ok.

[missXmikey]

I'm planning on using a cardboard box for my set. Could I possibly make them walk with out a tie down? Could I put enough clay on the bottom of their feet to make them stick to the stage?

[nhmllr725]

Do you need to twist the wire with a drill?

I made a small armature with wire I twisted with my hands

[animateclay]

You can twist it with a drill, a pair of pliers, by folding it over a pencil or with your fingers. It doesn't matter how you do it - but with a drill it twists really fast and saves time. That's really the only reason you would use it.

[kickmo]

when you melt the clay onto the armature, are you still able to mold the clay when it is dried? also, if u twist the wire w/ your hands, it doesnt affect anything right?

[animateclay]

Hi Kickmo, yeah you can still work with the clay when it cools - it won't harden. Just don't try that with sculpey, just Van Aken Claytoon clay.

Also twisting the wire is ok if you use your hands. Just try not to bend it unless you need to or for animation.

[animateclay]

If you see the words Van Aken on the package of clay, it is Claytoon. Roma comes in a few hardnesses, so it depends on what hardness you bought. Also Van Aken Claytoon comes in different hardnesses depending on the color. The darker the color is the more likely it is to crack and be crumbly. Lighter colors usually have more flexibility.

[devgal211]

For smaller clay puppets, would it work if you just use a single, untwisted wire for the entire armature?

[animateclay]

If you make smaller puppets it's best to use at least some strands of 1/32" wire twisted together. But if the puppet is super tiny you might not need an armature. There's a certain point where they aren't needed.

[BeastingIt]

If I'm making 4"-6" puppets, should I construct finger bones for them?

[animateclay]

If they are clay - no, if silicone or foam latex yes.

[JClayCast]

I have I believe the same epoxy, and it stink really really bad. Good thing I had an open window nearby... :)

[Kephirra]

Was the epoxy just to cover the sharp points or does it make the armature more stable?

[animateclay]

It's to hold the parts together, they would twist if you don't use the epoxy.

[Buzyrd]

Wow. Very informative. If I ever try to do something like this, your vid will be a great help. One stupid ? though, why mix the epoxy on a cd? I have always mixed on a piece of cardboard - seems less wastefull. I do however realize how a cd could be like a painter's pallete and is also super rigid. Whatever, I am drunk. Still like your work though. Keep it up!

[animateclay]

The CD is one that partly burned in my DVD/CD burner and is useless. I found that the epoxy doesn't absorb in them like paper/cardboard also so no epoxy goes to waste.

[Insanio36]

Cool video :D

Can you please tell me how to make the fingers to go with the hands?

[animateclay]

If you are making a clay puppet, the fingers are small enough where they won't need wire underneath. If your making a foam puppet, just make a palm out of epoxy putty or sculpey with small wires sticking out for the fingers. It's best to use thin aluminum wire with two wires twisted per finger for added security.

[Insanio36]

Cheers :D

[Danclemanimations]

Oh and also I was thinking about using the sculpey in place of epoxy on the hip and chest joints where the arms/legs are connected to the spine because I have very sensitive asthma and I have very severe allergies so i just want to play it safe and see if there are any alternatives besides epoxy but if there is no other choice i will resort to epoxy. In your opinion would hardened sculpey work in place of epoxy on the joints and is there any alternative besides epoxy if sculpey is not viable?

[animateclay]

Yes, you can use sculpey - or you can attach hard tooth picks by wrapping them with smaller wire - making splints where the bones should be. Thats one trick that is non toxic and will work pretty good!

[Danclemanimations]

Ok sounds great! Thanks for all your help, advice, and answering all of my questions! Good luck with Zombie Pirates!

[Danclemanimations]

Once you create the armature and apply the epoxy how do you begin to add the clay on and how do you create joints etc. Pretty much my question is what do you do after your armature is done? I made an armature previously and i added the clay (van aken) and it just feel off and didnt look very good. so you could you offer some advice? Thanks and are characters are awesome!

[animateclay]

It depends on the clay, if you use Van Aken the best way is to melt the clay in a double boiler and dip the armature in it. When it cools it sticks because of the wax content. With Newplast you want to wrap the armature with fine wire or window screening so the clay has something to grip onto.

[Danclemanimations]

Yeah i use Van Aken. But i got some Sculpey 3 today and my plan was to attach it to my armature and create joints and "bones" but if I dip the armature into the melted Van Aken clay wouldnt the Sculpey melt as well? And also after letting the clay cool on the armature could you then sculpt it to the desired shape?

[animateclay]

Hi Dancele - no the Sculpey won't melt after you bake it. It will stay hard even if it gets hot later on. After the Van Aken is cool you can still sculpt it.

[HakunaHeadBanger]

Thank you very much!!

i needed :D

[kickmo]

can u also use metal wire?

[animateclay]

aluminum is a form of metal, so yes

[kickmo]

thanks, cuz my closest hardware store doesnt sell aluminum wire anymore just metal =P

[Jessmacnwee]

thanks helped alot alot alot alot alot alot

[mRsNiCkJoNaSxoxo]

ugh we had to do this in 8th grade for clay animation. i hated that class, mostly because we had strict rules :P

[IBTimothy]

How do you keep the wire from unravelling when you move it?

[animateclay]

Don't untwist what you twisted as you animate :)

[peacefulshades]

Excellent..... that's all I need....... another art hobby! YEA Thanks!

[scorpenzy]

thanks man

[scorpenzy]

could you tell me the mesuarements for everything? body parts,feet,feet holes?

[animateclay]

1/8" holes for the ankles, the rest depends on your personal design and what you're trying to do.

[Dinoslay]

Nice tutorial!

A question not having to do with this video. Can you paint clay puppets?

[animateclay]

Yes you can use acrylic craft paints, just don't squish the painted parts or it will flake off the oily surface.

[blindspotted]

thank you very much for posting, really helpfull

[PumpkinShadowDragon]

Thank you! It was very useful for me.))

[dmsparr]

Amzng, and very helpful thankyou. Although I'm coming to this whole thing a little late in life I'm totally facinated by the whole stop motion thing. I have the dv camcorder etc, and just watching your tutorial has inspired me to get an armature created and perhaps see where that leads. 5/5

[animateclay]

Hi mario, plumbers epoxy is found in the plumbing section of home improvement centers. Its toxic to mix with your fingers, so its best to use a 2 part epoxy that is liquid - like the loctite you see in the video. For bones just use toothpicks wrapped with craft wire. This makes a splint that is strong and non toxic. Plus its faster to make.

[clipside2]

this was awesome thank you , you answered some questions i had in my head about stop motion...can't wait to get started

[breakdncr85]

dont you think that apoxy is over kill. i mean wont super glue or maby just hot glue would work

[animateclay]

No, once you add clay or anything to the armature there's a huge amount of stress on the connecting parts. Crazy glue won't hold together two pieces of aluminum or the wood to the wire.

[breakdncr85]

ok, well that explains it a little bit more. i just thought a thicker layer of super glue or somthing would work to, or a whole roll of duck tape. lol. but if you say so. just apoxy is kinda pricy.

[blackchidori2332]

omg can i buy this wire at office depot?

[animateclay]

Just do a google search for annealed aluminum armature wire. You can't get it in office depot.

[IBTimothy]

and i just realize it wasnt annealed, does that have any thing to do with it.

[animateclay]

Yes, annealed wire is softer and lasts longer. It will help.

[ivanclaysburgh]

Will the annealed wire be able to withstand against weight pressure when clay is applied to it?

[animateclay]

Yes it can, it is a little softer but you adjust by adding more twists of wire depending on how heavy your puppet is.

[ivanclaysburgh]

could you use copper wire if it works just as well as annealed wire?

[animateclay]

I've never heard of annealed copper wire - but I'm sure it exists. It's the heat treatment they give the wire. But as a rule steel is the most brittle and copper and brass a little softer. Aluminum is the softest.

[IBTimothy]

and i used epoxy putty instead of that

[IBTimothy]

any ideas what i did wrong or how i can make it better, the only difference i couldnt find 16 gauge, i had to use 18, could that really make that much of a difference.

[IBTimothy]

ok, i followed the tutorial and i made an armature and it seemed really good, but when i did a test the wire broke and his arm popped off.

[animateclay]

The main reason that happens is when you ding or scratch your wire with your tools. Make sure not to or it will break after a few bends. Otherwise wire will last for over 10-20 shots depending on what you are doing.

[Kendal671]

only 10-20 shots?

[guruguruponchan27]

Why did you put terrible music with the video?

[SpliffSplaff]

Because you would complain about it.

If there's something else with what we can irritate you, please let us know

:-p

[KeyChow]

i like hand size wire man

[cadavermaniac]

is there a sertain type of wire to use for modiling clay. somthing not to strong and not to week. and will it break if you move it to much? please let me now

[animateclay]

Annealed Aluminum wire that is 1/16 inch in diameter is what is commonly used.

[cadavermaniac]

thanks dude

[FLPman]

i'm using really thin wire for concealment but using about 4, 3ft strands to thread together..

i still have an annoying issue of breakage...but it's the thinnest and strongest method i've found

i'm not using clay... hand crafting 10 " wooden armatures... really tough

[dorkdude51]

I like the idea of wooden feet and apoxy glue. I'll try that out on my next armature. I also like to add polymer clay onto the wire to sort of create a bone structure and to make the puppet a bit more durable.

[klklklkl36]

i dont unspool 5 ft. i unspool around 2 ft. because mu dudes r only 2 inches tall...:D

[cashfan223]

we had to make wire models for GCSE art. only without the vice. or the drill. I miss my fingers. :(

[AgaGrandowicz]

So slow.... It could be shown in 2 minutes!

[animateclay]

I was the person on the net to originally teach the epoxy putty method. It works, but working with toxic epoxies with your fingers isn't the best idea. Plus this method works better because the epoxy tends to crumble where this doesn't.

[hatchet129]

how does the epoxy glue hold it,you shold use the water proof plummers epoxy...

[oliball123]

is that captain cook

[INDEAPKORR]

Look at 3:03 his dumb ... argh auuu

[madball70]

very good

[goryLunatic]

great tutorial

[Phlynx251]

What type of clay do u use

[animateclay]

It is Claytoon Van Aken Clay

[Gravitron89]

Nicely done! Thank you so much for this vid. I've been trying to get into claymation and have been avoiding making armatures, but hopefully this will be the first step to getting on with it :D Whats the song by the way? Liking it

[bazzzarck]

buy our all purpose CD!

[FletcherFilms19]

a great video, thanks for uploading it. It was very helpfull

[sgt4man]

No wonder my CD's don't play right. Your not borrowing my CD's again! LOL

[MikeOfKorea]

If you follow this, watch the video closely. There's one strand of wire that isn't twisted.

[armyofda12monkeys]

i guess u used your alum 1/16inch wiring. wondering what type/gauge wire would you recommend if going to home depot? all i found was steel 18-24 gauge wire.

watch?v=rj9H_Hco_zg

just curious that guy make the head and spine 1 peice. recommend against it?

also what is that hard grey epoxy in his video... is it the same basically as the epoxy you are using?

if not, would you recommend using it for 'joints' (i wasnt sure if hardens so can be jointlike). and what brands would you recommend if so ;)

[animateclay]

Hey Army, Home Depot doesn't carry the same kind of wire. The 1/16" diameter wire is annealed aluminum. Anything else will be very stiff, and if you put clay on it - you will squish the clay trying to bend it.

[animateclay]

I can't see the video link you posted, but I'm pretty sure it's Majed your talking about. The gray epoxy putty is how I usually teach in a more complex way of making these. But now I suggest using Sculpey since it's not toxic like pro-poxy epoxy putty. And yes the spine/neck as one piece is best. Unless your working with replacements.

[animateclay]

If you go to an auto shop you can ask for epoxy putty, they can sell it to you. But its expensive/toxic. Use sculpey and bake the armature to make the hard parts.

[armyofda12monkeys]

thanks 4 advice! Did notice the Sculpey does get decently hard by itself unless u are animating/working with that piece. so for hard parts i guess ill use Sculpey. baking it seems like good idea to make it even more harder :).

i might stick with small amount of baked sculpey for bones/limbs. coated with non-baked sculpey for parts like leg/arm bones that dont really move themselves(so it will get hard) and van aken for joints like in middle of arm bones since it seems to be very 'fluid'. thanks!

[awesomeSTRownage]

how is this bad quality..dumb ass its clear

[spaterman]

its not tooooo bad, just real bad quality

[STANKanimations]

Worst music I have ever heard..It was a better video with the volume to 0.

[keldagrim666]

was this time consuming?

[animateclay]

It took me maybe 2 hours. Waiting for the epoxy to harden takes the most time.

[iwan0t0smith]

how about a stopmotion animation of the wire turning into the charachter

[squeacks]

really good very informational

not really helpfull though.:(

great vid though

[animateclay]

Someone asked what is a good camera - but I hit the remove link instead of the reply. I use an Olympus C-5050 Z for my films right now.

[animateclay]

always keep your fingers clean so the colors don't mix. Baby wipes make it convenient.