Building a Stop Motion Monster: Padding the Body

Third video clip about how I make my puppets -using urethane foam, cotton and latex to build up the body. If you have any questions, just fire away in the "comments" section.
Music is "Tea Roots", "Easy Jam" & "Firmament" by Kevin MacLeod
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• stop
• motion
• stop-motion
• monster
• building
• puppet
• padding
• how-to

[davidgeister]

This is so very helpful - I was inspired to make my own stop motion puppet as a result, and am almost finished.

Thanks for the "leg up"!

[bluworm]

@davidgeister I'm glad I could inspire and help out! Thanks for keeping this craft alive :)

[rabsmiff]

The 1933 King Kong animation puppet was build-up, of course, but his fingers were done like miniature bicycle chains [articulated, of course].

This is so much more interesting than factory-produced CGI.

[bluworm]

@rabsmiff I think the Kong armature (and the whole build-up) is a creative masterpiece! And I agree that these simpler, more "primitive" effects are far more interesting. CGI is factory-produced, this is hand-made.

[Darius12235]

Hey what do you do if aluminum breaks?

[bluworm]

@Darius12235 So far, that's never happened to me. But I have used another type of metal wire, which broke more than once. I simply had to open up the puppet, repair the broken joint with new wire, and close and cover the opening with new latex and paints.

[bluworm]

@PowerOfMontage  I think we all do the cotton/latex thing in the beginning! I'm lucky to have found foam in a variety of thicknesses and densities. When I need to smooth out gaps between bigger foam muscles, I glue on a smaller, thinner bit of foam. The wonderful thing of the build-up technique is that it's economical for the amateur, yet can produce very realistic results. I'm just starting to dabble in silicone. A bit expensive, but it may prove worth it.

[PowerOfMontage]

@bluworm I didn't mean just covering the armature in cotton and latex (Though I did do that with one puppet) I meant filling in the foam muscle form. I just finished a T-Rex that way. For me, it helps smooth out the foam form and define the shape. As for foam casting, I just found it all too unrewarding and complex for stop-mo puppets. I have yet to cast in silicone though.

PS: I love the monster designs on your page!

[bluworm]

@PowerOfMontage Thanks! Glad to hear you found this clip useful. When I first started making puppets, I thought that it was all as simple as just covering an armature with latex and cotton, but all you get then is a leathery sculpture. Jim Danforth explained in an interview (in detail) how he made his puppets, and I followed that advice. Still am, and this is a cheap and perfectly OK way to make puppets. Sculpting and casting them does give greater control over details, though.

[bluworm]

@princessbobo910 Thanks!! :) :) :)