Stop Motion Tutorial: Making an Armature

[@MichaelParks]

Here is your shopping list: Aluminum armature wire (from an art store or Amazon, not the hardware store) Epoxy putty T-nuts (1/32) Wing nuts (1/32) Bolts (1/32) Washers Pre-wrap Cotton batting or foam Aluminum foil or wood ball (something for the head) Wipes (Epoxy putty gets messy)

[@petedako]

Thanks, Michael! How did you land on the (1/16") gauge/width of your armature wires? ~ are there advantages to using several lighter gauge wires twisted together rather than using a single thicker one?

[@rishikeshlokhande4319]

where i will get the kit???

[@CarlUchihaz]

Can you use clay rather than epoxy puddy?

[@moth9659]

Michael Parks thx im going to walmart;v

[@kearamiranda3093]

Hi what kind of clay do you use for sculpting the face?

[@Dylandevs]

I love the internet... I have interest in animation, but it always frustrates me because of how tedious it is... I still do music and music editing and sound editing and that is just as tedious to get everything right and precise, but seeing something like this amazes me... I probably would have been less frustrated when I was younger if there were videos like this when I was in middle school... There were written tutorials, but nothing compares to watching someone do it, then be able to have them comment on your question... Maybe I'll go back to dabbling with this, but my frustration is the bumping and how long it takes for everything... music has similar frustrations, but I guess i can do it better lol... Great tutorials though! You're a master!

[@crystalqueer4035]

You might want to start making short clips with Barbies or Action Men. This is a good starting point, as dolls or action figures are easily manoeuvrable and require little experience or expertise.

[@ajedd]

I can totally relate

[@paisleymarie641]

This guy worked for pixart? Awesome it's also fun when real animators come to youtube to teach us newbs

[@johannespuggaardpoulsen1976]

We are not newbs

[@TheSquonkOfPillingerForest]

and anyone that animates is a "real animator"

[@wolfy98891aj]

Paisley Marie I'm a newbe lol

[@avonbobby4721]

What the hell is pixart. It's called pixar.

[@trolld1156]

Sooper Spoocial PIXel ART (only a joke)

[@StopmoNick]

Great tutorial! Next time someone complains that my tutorials go by too fast, I can send them to yours. I use latex, you use clay, but the armatures inside are very similar, and you take the time to explain it better.

[@wellgrilledtoast]

I'm trying to get into an animation school next year and even though they mainly teach 3D and 2D, I really want to get specialized into stop motion puppets later on. I've been trying to make those for now 2 years and never thought about looking up how to make them instead of doing it my way (it kinda worked but wasn't so good). Now I can finally see why I was struggling on so many things ! (the hands, feet…) Thank you so much!

[@mariapolyanskya8354]

how it going now?

[@creepergamers839]

At first I was going to say something like “I CAN’T AFFORD THIS!!” but then you said $15 armature

[@letsplush1136]

I got one for $11

[@helix6795]

ohh i got mine for idk cause its my first time

[@siddharthganti7302]

@@letsplush1136 can you mention where you got it?

[@thilagendranv2722]

Amazon

[@screamingskull]

Great tutorial Michael! I agree with you about the aluminum armature wire. I once ordered large bulk rolls of aluminum wire from a supplier but found that there's some kind of coating on the official "armature" wire that is sold at art stores that makes it more durable.

[@LeoTV100]

The most helpful tutorial so far I've found. Thnak you, kind sir! :D

[@JosephConte-eb7xx]

I would only use thick steel wire for unbendable parts. Not for the whole armature. The thin 16 millimeter steel wire is different, it’s thin and flexible and easier to animate.

[@Laura-dm7nt]

Just bought all the props , so excited !

[@POVCAST_YT]

Hi Michael! I used your videos throughout lockdown to stray from standard filmmaking and attempt stop motion as a complete beginner and I love it. I have a teaser for my first stop motion short film on my channel using your techniques. Sketchy at times but I am happy to have started the artform.

[@gwendolynbell]

I search a lot of videos to help my son create these and this is by far the BEST video that I found that explains so complete and easy!1 Thank you

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

"If your budget is in more the $15 dollar range then this tutorial is for you." I died. so funny and true XD

[@mr.mallard2121]

Bob Ross of stop motion

[@SeekingTheMagical]

Thanks for putting the additional explainer text on the screen--it's very helpful! Also, thanks for showing how much the epoxy needs to be mixed and the tip for when it starts to get warm. That is so good to know!

[@MichaelParks]

Glad to hear the videos are helpful to you. Stopmonick demonstrates a good approach, too, and I'm sure there are even more good ways to build up a puppet. Would love to see your animation!

[@boxymetalworks]

Thank you for this video. I used it to make my first armature.

[@MichaelParks]

Epoxy glue. Other glues may work, but the last thing you want is the head to come loose mid-shot.

[@JahRay23]

I made my first armature not too long ago using this tutorial and It turned out great 👍 I didn't have epoxy putty, so I used polymorph plastic instead. Not as easy to work with, but did the job. I'll be picking up some epoxy for the next one.

[@MichaelParks]

I've used the method for animals and it works fine. You can put tie-downs in the front paws as well for quadruped walks.

[@glumpot]

This is wonderful! I've been watching stop motion animation for years, but only recently started looking into how the puppets are made. Silly me, I thought the were made out of clay.

[@ElwoodElwoodElwood]

Thats claymation

[@MichaelParks]

It's sculpted in Van Aken clay with a core of aluminum foil or a wooden ball to keep the weight down.

[@erica2912]

This is so helpful! I'm a 3D and 2D animator but I'd love to try stop-motion some time. Thanks for this tutorial!

[@MichaelParks]

For rubber latex fingers, so they can grip. But for clay hands I generally don't use wire because it invariably pokes through the clay, and clay fingers hold their pose and even some objects without wire. I just use wire in clay fingers if the character has to hold something the clay can't support, and even then I will often use a loop of wire attaching the object to the wrist and letting the fingers wrap around the object without wire.

[@reinaldo7636]

Thank for your Help it the Tutorial I have suscribe and Like

[@MichaelParks]

Mid-shot breakage is a major down-side to wire armatures. I haven't tried it, but I would break away the epoxy putty with a pliers, remove the broken wire, replace it, and build up new putty to hold it in place. The putty won't take too long to set up. If you're using software with onion-skinning, you can use it to get the puppet back into place. Success of this method will also depend on how easy it is to move the clothes out of the way.

[@cyboyentertainment92]

Thanks for the 8 year old (as if August 28th 2020) tutorial. Very useful.

[@willbe3043]

You're doing exactly what I was provisioning just a few hours ago! Glad to know it works before I start.

[@Leah-yh5sj]

I'm making an armature to fill my time during quarantine. I don't have epoxy clay so I used duct tape wound around the wire for the bones. cotton batting held in place with loops of thin wire. made the hands out of wire covered in felt. Feet out of foam covered in duct tape- still working on how I'll tie those down without the proper supplies. My biggest challenge will be the head- I don't have clay! I might make the core out of foil and then "sculpt" the face shape with hot glue and paint it. Working on some tight restrictions here, haha.

[@LegoReader12345hello]

Wow! This stuff looks really good! Maybe one day, I'll make a stopmotion video with clay puppets!

[@irishnishruu]

You can use "friendly plastic" with a heatgun. Despite the cost of the gun, I think it can be a cheaper solution if you make a lot of characters (with one tube of epoxy I could only make only one character). This method is used in the youtube video "Building a Stop Motion Monster: Making an Aluminum Wire Armature" at 4:45.

[@BenFancherMouse79]

Thank you for this fantastic tutorial! Trying to grow my skills as a stop motion artist and got some great tips from this video. The one in particular that I liked was going over using foam for the puppet instead of clay. I never even thought about that. Thanks again!

[@MichaelParks]

+Ben Fancher Glad to hear the tutorials are helpful!

[@MichaelParks]

I use sculpy so they bake hard, adding a hole in the middle so they can be animated using a pin. After painting, a couple coats of clear gloss paint gives them a wet look. I also use doll eyes.

[@MichaelParks]

I use tape to cover holes in the floor, or erase the holes digitally frame by frame in photoshop. For the bottoms of the feet, if the foot is make of rubber, the screw goes through a slit in the rubber that closes up nicely when the screw is removed. Can also close up a whole with clay.

[@ozgebaydassaylgan9927]

Thank you!!! This is the best video I've found about wire armature production. And waiting for new ones :)

[@MichaelParks]

Good idea. Added materials list to the description. Not sure what gauge I'm using for fingers. It's just a whole bunch thinner. If you can, I suggest getting different gauges and using what feels right for different body parts. And if the wire is too thin, you can always double it.

[@tiltedroseproductions]

Thanks so much for these videos. Just started messing with claymation and I’m loving it

[@CubeJockeysChannel]

Dang! If only I had seen this video when I was making my wire armature puppet! I am not even attempting stop motion animation but my wire armature snapped even before my short video was fully filmed. I have been tinkering with ball and socket joint skeletons lately but I cannot finagle a finished product exactly how I want it so I am going back to wire. Your suggestion of NOT twisting all the wires for the limbs is different. I will try that next. THANKS!!! AWESOME VIDEO!!!!

[@guitarman122508]

Thank you so much! I'm incorporating claymation in a short college midterm video project and this helped tremendously.

[@jorgemuratarias5116]

Im like8 years behind jajaja just to thank u sir. thumbs up

[@MichaelParks]

I twist some very thin armature wire around the end of the arm and make a loop for the hand. Then I sculpt the hand around the loop. With clay, I don't use wire in the fingers because the wire will just poke through during animation.

[@snowqueenpictures7252]

I'm doing a stopmotion project but I make my puppets from styrofoam joined with wire. I use sculpey for the feet and little wooden beads for the eyes. It seems to work for me and the completed models stand around 8 inches tall.

[@lindabeyette1772]

you done brewing nice job explaining all the details for the $15. it’s so cute have a pet 🐱 come in front of the camera lens I love see the pets 🐱 what the owner up to

[@inceptionfan19]

The boss at the end was great.

[@vamogamingyt8432]

The best video of making puppet hats off to you brother

[@MichaelParks]

It bends a lot easier, but the big difference is that when you bend steel wire it springs back some, while aluminum holds the position you bend it into. Steel wire armatures are extremely difficult to work with. It's worth it to get real armature while.

[@Valet_Kresti]

I think it should be better using magnet feet steps and metal table cover instead of t-nuts and holes in the wood table. Very good work 👍🏽

[@timvandeweerd3706]

I recommend using a thermoplast like polymorph instead... Epoxy can crack. Nice video!

[@rabbitteeth6234]

Thank you! Very helpful

[@MichaelParks]

Haven't tried magnets, but that is the preferred method for foot contact at British studios. You can get them from the stopmotionstore.

[@MrMomobot]

dude... you are awesome!!! i dont like the armature wire ones very much.. but the way how YOU explain it sounds much better.

[@bethanndubey6989]

Thank You so much for sharing so awesome 💝💝😍

[@ajxjj9605]

very good tutorial

[@theblackstardisciple]

Very useful! I can now go to the next stage of my stop motion movie development

[@AEFic]

Great vid, thanks!

[@eltecnicogarcia1533]

You espeak you win new sub español hablas español nuevo sub

[@MichaelParks]

If you mean making the blue guy, he has an armature just like the one in this tutorial. Clay was simply built up on the wire armature. If you mean animating him, I do have it in mind to make a tutorial on basic walks using such a character.

[@introvert1458]

Wow. Great video.

[@jhonnyparks7085]

Thank you so much, this is probably the best armature tutorial I have seen so far =)

[@lycanx900]

Always remember using gloves when working w epoxy putty

[@exzikiel08]

Thanks for the idea :) i cant afford the one you show in the start of the video but i always wanted to make my own movable character

[@este_rdm]

This video was very helpful thanks, I will make one.

[@JoeBrayan]

So easy to make and to learn this is a much better tutorial then the other ones thank you :)

[@aprilsmith8834]

+Michael Parks If you want to use underwrap to make the puppet flexible will you still be able to add the clay on top of the underwrap ?

[@MichaelParks]

+April Smith No, underwrap would cause the clay to crack and give way too easily while animating. Arms and legs should be solid clay. If you want to reduce the weight of the puppet by having a lighter core, I use aluminum foil pressed tightly around the armature.

[@donnaleiber6214]

Very useful tutorial! Thanks!

[@JoseSalazar-ei1oy]

Wow really great work!

[@pnvgordinho]

Just a suggestion, you probably know this but you can do the armature in 3d and make it printed cheap. It should work fine and besides being cheap its also light weighted, strong and flexible.

[@ArttuTheCat]

Good thing i'm studying for a stop motion animation (and also the art of comic books) as a new career, and this is the most awesome guide video i have ever seen. This is why i went The stop motion animation class in Tikkurila, Vantaa by last year's january. I recommend this video to everyone. Thank you! 😺😸🐈📼

[@ariesdemiurge]

I DID always wonder how the Hollywood stop motions are done(in terms of characters). Anyways, thanks, this'll come in handy for one idea I have.

[@Bubblestheghost]

How do you make a head that can swivel and turn on a budget? (Probably a wire frame with a foil head)

[@MichaelParks]

Yes, I use a wire neck going into a foil head. It's better, though, if you can have a wooden ball at the core with a whole drilled for the wire, and then with some seriously strong glue. The important thing is to make sure it's all tight with no play between the head and the neck. So if you're just using wire, squeeze the foil as tight as you can and use lots of strong glue.

[@mcdoodly838]

Hooray for daddy!

[@MichaelParks]

Sure, use clay. I think you can get better finger poses with clay because you can sculpt in the joints. I suppose you could carefully wrap thin foam strips like pre-wrap around armature wire twisted around to form a hand, though I haven't tried that myself.

[@MichaelParks]

The head is a wood ball with a hole in it, glued to the end of the wire. From there you can sculpt and bake a face with sculpy for a hard head, or sculpt plastacine clay for soft. My latex puppet making tutorial gets into how to make a latex head.

[@biffmercury]

Thanks for posting this excellent tutorial. Very helpful.

[@Metikylo]

I swear your the best love all your videos

[@MichaelParks]

If you used epoxy putty, you can break apart the hard putty "bones" with pliers, replace the broken wire, and re-epoxy the bones that hold the new wire in place.

[@MichaelParks]

The blue 6" character in the video is about half a pound. So even a bit taller will need less than the one pound brick.

[@zehraasav4723]

wow! thank you so so so much for that tutorial. You're awesome!

[@KiXdomain]

Is there an alternative to t-nuts to stabilize the armature? Would using magnets be okay?

[@cretaceousthehunted9669]

This was very helpful. Thanks!

[@duobimbo738]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!

[@MichaelParks]

Sure they do. According to merriam-webster: a frame used by a sculptor to support a figure that is being modeled

[@MichaelParks]

The hardware costs just a few dollars (much less than wire and epoxy). The other way is with really strong magnates, but they cost even more. I guess you could just screw the feet to the floor and cover the screws, or glue.

[@MichaelParks]

Yes, magnets are often used to hold a puppet down. Very popular method in England. I just haven't gotten around to trying it myself. You can get magnets specially designed for stop motion from the Stop Motion Store (site noted at the end of the description above).

[@RJRom]

Amazing video, thanks a lot!

[@Belapfny]

Thank you, Both your video and response were very helpful. Much appreciated.

[@jboairbrush]

what is the really thin wire you use for the hands?? what gauge or where can I find it?

[@MichaelParks]

I don't have the package anymore, but I think it's 1mm or 1.5mm, available on amazon or at an art supply store.

[@jboairbrush]

Hmm, well the stuff I made my entire armature out of is 1.6mm which looks like the same thing you used on yours. I made stop motion arms and had them play this instrument. I made them with 1.6mm wire but just did one thickness or wire for a finger but made digits with the epoxy putty. the wire you're using for the hands looks much thinner and you can double or triple it up which obvs better. I got thru one video but recently went to make a second vid and lost a finger right away haha. so I've now ordered some 20 gauge (0.81 mm) and even some 26 gauge wire. BUT... It's not necessarily 'Armature' wire it seems to be for jewelry making but it's all I could find for thinner wire so I'm wondering if this is gunna work or what you were using for the fingers and hands.??

[@jboairbrush]

@@MichaelParks Als super informative vids man, so thanks for making them and also thanks for answering me!!

[@jboairbrush]

@@MichaelParks here is the vid I made so you can see the hands I made.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnfKiqaYhq-cjKs

[@MichaelParks]

@@jboairbrush Those came out good. I think the wire I used for fingers was jewelry wire as well, but must of been something like aluminum since they held their positions fine.

[@GFreeDoesntRap]

You're so cool for this

[@MichaelParks]

Less or thinner wire would make make the joints more moveable, but may break easier.

[@BraveAirsoft]

Hi, enjoying your videos. By the way, you can use magnets, instead bolt and nut.

[@aprilsmith8834]

+ Michael Parks Ooooh ok so basically instead of using the floral wrap( which will make the clay crack) I need to use aluminum foil for the arms . But will that still make the puppet flexible once I start making it ? Also can I use Mehron liquid latex and mixing that up with acrylic paint that I want to choose?

[@MichaelParks]

+April Smith It's underwrap (thin foam strips) that causes clay to crack. A layer or two of floral wrap on the armature is fine, and protects the armature from the clay (more an issue with ball-and-socket armatures). I wouldn't build the arms up with anything unless the puppet has really big arms, in which case I'd make it tight on the armature and keep it clear of the wrist, elbow, and shoulders. Foil is indeed not flexible. I just use it for the head and body. I don't know about specifically about Mehron, but you can add acrylic paint to liquid latex to give it color.

[@neynahnehnah1485]

Awesome.❤🎉

[@kees9703]

Very interesting tutorial. THANK YOU!

[@MichaelParks]

That orange shirt and shorts were for Ken. I just go to Target and Toys r Us and look for doll clothes that would suit whatever project I'm going into. I think you'll find what you're looking for from a line of boy-band dolls I recently saw in the girls' toys isle.

[@fantasyfan2010]

Thank-you this is amazing. I want to try this. Cool!

[@vare2008]

Great tutorial Michael. Just need something like this. One thing is also interesting for me is how to make the armature more movable, to increase to mobility of the joints? I have in mind to create it and use for example as a puppet for showing exercises (bodyweight, yoga postures...etc. Could you give an advice on that, I never do this kind of thing... Tnx

[@sebaslikesanimations1447]

I need this in my life

[@stevedexter]

Thank you . this is an excellent instructional video.

[@badguy9150]

OMG i Like It is super cool

[@modeling-z6d]

Thanks for the very useful advice. I've never sculpted. but recently I started sculpting and posting on KZbin. But my children don't like it. They say it's not mine. I'm a little upset. Can you advise whether to continue or not? Thank you..

[@MichaelParks]

No yours, as in existing characters from shows? That's a good place to start, and a good way to get others interested, so you should continue. But it will also be good to create original characters and make videos about that.