I recently got to see Nightmare Before Christmas and Fantastic Mr. Fox- I was totally blown away by the visuals and sheer beauty of the whole thing. They were both so stupendously wonderful, and I was in its hangover for quite a long time.
Point of this topic is, these movies have got me really interested enough to make me dab my hands in this field, not just for the kicks, but I really want to see how it all is. I’m passionate about traditional and 3D animation, and have some experience with those.
I tried experimenting with normal clay, but these things don’t last for long- they either start melting or get damaged super easily. Plus I haven’t made an underlying rig. Are there any specific materials for doing things like this?
Cheers!
PS: Omega by Andy Goralczykis also something that keeps inspiring me. I love to watch his progress on things. Totally waiting to see the final thing.
There are quite a few nice stop-mo sites, some are pretty comprehensive when it comes to armature creation and puppet making. Also keep your eye out for toys, which are nicely articulated these days In my sig are some of my silly attempts! I recommend Coraline as well, which is just beautiful.
pick up some armature wire, and some plumber’s epoxy and build a basic puppet. I’ll get some information together for you. Basically use thick arm. wire for legs, double wrapped thinner for arms/body and use plumbers epoxy (dries fast and stays super hard) for hands, chest, pelvis, head, feet. In the bottom of feet I put screws for use of wingnuts under the floor (to hold puppet to stage).
Wow, that’s some pretty informative stuff Jay! Thanks alot! And yes, my sis got Coraline yesterday, will be watching that soon
Daemon, I went to a crafts store and bought some copper wires and epoxy. I’ve always used epoxy as a sealant, but never even thought that it could be used like this. Looking to make my first basic puppet this weekend.
*I think most armatures use aluminum wire, which may be better than copper in terms of flexibility/durability, but I’ve never really used either. One thing I know is that you can wind multiple strands super tight using a drill and a vice! If I were you I’d make friends with some machinists
I have my dad! He’s into all this machinery stuff I’m using the thick copper wires (I don’t really know the specification) and its pretty solid- in fact, a little too hard to bend. But I think this is better in the long run isn’t it? I’m using a slightly more thicker one for the feet, and thinner ones for the hands.
I’ll check out aluminum too if this doesn’t work out.
I love stopmotion, The Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite movie. I have done a few experiments with it, just some clay and wires. I wish you luck in your endeavors.
The main problem with copper is that it work hardens, as in the more you bend it the more it stiffens up. Aluminum wire does this but not as much- I would pick up some aluminum wire at a hardware store and give it a shot, or better yet just do some tests with different wires (some wires come in packages with some wire sticking out, feel free to test them in store with no one looking )
In my sig are some of my silly attempts! I recommend Coraline as well, which is just beautiful.
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