How to Make Wire Armatures for Sculpting

In this lesson you’ll learn how to build your own anatomically correct wire armatures! If you don’t know what an armature is, it acts as a skeleton that will support your figure sculpture. This prevents the sculpture from sagging and slumping over. The second benefit to a wire armature is that it serves as an internal measuring system for proportions. It’s a foundational step that you don’t want to skip!
SUPPLIES (amazon affiliate links):
14 gauge soft aluminum wire - amzn.to/3wA87GJ
12 gauge soft aluminum wire - amzn.to/3ehRedO
Pliers - amzn.to/3eAZGoL
RELATED LINKS:
Human Figure Proportions - Cranial Units - Robert Beverly Hale - kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3uwoKOirqyVpas
Basic Sculpting Supplies - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmLOdHVqds2kqM0
How to Start Sculpting on a Budget - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHuXgKaNhNKoiqc
Bridgman Quick Sculpt Demo - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2TPY4qHaNieidE
#sculptingbasics #figuresculpting #diyarmature
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This free sculpting lesson is a sample of the Figure Sculpting Fundamentals course offered on Proko.com. The premium section has more demonstrations and extended lessons on the forms of the human body. It also has 3d models that you can spin around, study, and sculpt from any angle. Get the course at proko.com/sculpture
ABOUT PROKO 3D:
Instructional How to Sculpt videos for artists. These sculpting lessons are approachable enough for beginners and detailed enough for advanced artists. My philosophy is to teach timeless concepts in an entertaining way. I believe that when you are having fun, you learn better. I take pride in producing high quality videos that you will enjoy watching and re-watching. If you want to learn more about drawing check out my other KZbin channel: Proko - kzbin.info
CREDITS:
Artist | Instructor - Andrew Joseph Keith (www.andrewjosephkeith.com/)
Producer - Stan Prokopenko (www.stanprokopenko.com)
Script - Andrew Joseph Keith
Production Assistance - Charlie Nicholson ( shloogorgh), Rebecca Bozza (kzbin.info), Patrick Bosworth (www.patrickdavidbosworth.com), Sierra Tillman ( blu_perceptions)
Editing - Sierra Tillman, Charlie Nicholson, Rebecca Bozza
Additional model images from 3d.sk
Music Used with Permission
Additional Music by Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsound.com)
Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra

[@Vierry]

"wrap the wire once tightly around the neck" can confirm. this'll do the trick

[@karabean]

It's time for a game of 'Spot The Assassin'.... 🤣

[@sandrastowell]

I did that too, even on the third try! All that wrapping was a wee bit 😅painful!

[@gostowl]

That’s an interesting way of doing an armature. The previous ways I’ve learned used multiple pieces of wire, and I had a time. This method also makes it easier to anchor the armature to a base because of the loops. Thanks for sharing.

[@MugiwaraRuffy]

Same for me. I'll definitely try out this "one wire armature" technique for my next figure sculpt.

[@reema939]

did you try it

[@gostowl]

@@reema939 Yes, I did. I like it for human figures; haven't tried with animal/four-legged figures.

[@mkultra2242]

First time that I've created an armature in decades and this method was fantastic! Thanks Proko! I went with 1 unit = 1.5cm. In order to easily measure the proportions out I drew 1unit, 2 units first. That way instead of measuring with a ruler the whole time I had everything laid out already to measure against. Anyway this is a really cool method! Thanks!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Yeah that works great! That's why I like this method is it's so versatile and easy once you practice a bit.

[@jessiemcjess702]

I just finished making this armature after following along and I am so thankful you made such a great tutorial! Your instructions were clear every step of the way and I’ve never made such a perfect armature before! Thank you!!!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Awesome! Glad to hear it!

[@shesees432]

Dude, I am so glad I found your channel! You have to be the absolute best teacher who cuts out all the crap by keeping it simple but it's super memorable too!. Thank you soooo much!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You're welcome! thanks for the comment!

[@totoro5527]

What a natural communicator. Thank you so much for these videos.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Thanks! and you are welcome!

[@renemarquez7947]

Thank you for your help today I finally got the best peace of information that I NEVER knew , I need it. Thank you so much for all the help that you provided for all of us who love to sculpt you are a great teacher 🙏🏽

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Hey thanks! glad to hear you found the information useful.

[@pliniohessel]

With the 20 awg was impossible to finish without break the wire. the aluminum wire does not allow me to make a 90° bend without breaking at the slightest movement. With the 12 awg my armature construction was a success! Thanks

[@mimizdoodles]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! It was so easy to follow, I made this for the purpose of stop motion and I had never made an armature before and it turned out awesome 😁

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You’re welcome! Glad to hear it!

[@burntmarshwigglestudio597]

Wow. Way more in depth than I anticipated. Excellent! I really hope you one day do a video on sculpting horses

[@jesselegood7454]

This helped me so darn much. It is really rewarding to see the finished product. After taking a hiatus from this hobby it is not easy to pick up where you left off. Good news is it only gets easier and if you had any bad habits from before re-learming Tabala Rasa style is very refreshing.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it!

[@tommycoppola6684]

3 armatures done! Thanks man!! Can’t wait to actually make some sculptures!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Awesome! 👏

[@danielacastillo7453]

Thank you for this. I am new to sculpting and this was easy to follow and the perfect size for what I am creating.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it! What are you creating.

[@user-me8dp6ci3i]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤з😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 1:35

[@grotesqueries]

This totally transformed my armature creation process. Thank you so much!

[@crazedcatlady867]

Thanks, I’m trying something ambitious for a gift for my brother but I’ve never made a armature, so big help!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Way cool! Glad it helped!

[@kiesyo]

This looks super simple but a great method, I can't wait to try it right after watching the video. The explanation is very very clear, the setting/background of the video is slick, it is very entertaining and you are such a charming person to watch and listen to. Thank you.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Hey thanks for such a positive comment! glad to hear you found the info helpful! hopefully as you make the armature it goes well!

[@GreyWolf11022]

wow this was the best tutorial i´ve ever seen. Clear and structured. thank u

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it!

[@sarahstewart2059]

Great frign video. Thank you for sharing. I'm a sucker for scale and for some unexplainable reason, my torso length is either acceptable or flat out hilarious. Great refresher for sure. Worth a mention. Sometimes, I reinforce my armature by wrapping a thin/fine gauge wire. Gives it a bit more stability and helps when adding sculpture medium. Cheers from BC Canada 🇨🇦

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Yeah additional wire can help for structure!

[@user-jp7ul4cv7z]

I really appreciate you re information!❤

[@dndsl3436]

I remember Proko's first video on cranial proportions. I was a convert. Glad to see it's important for sculpting too.

[@RobbW-ay]

It doesn’t work on everyone. I built an armature and I compared to to a photo of dr strange (Benedict Cumberpatch) and from the Hopp’s it does not line up at all. Other photos I compared it to matched perfectly. So cranial units doesn’t work on all models unless o did something wrong.

[@dndsl3436]

@@RobbW-ay The same could be said about other body proportion methods like the Lumis one. I think this method is a better starting point though.

[@karabean]

@@RobbW-ay Well comparing anything to Benedict Cabbagepatch is going to go poorly, since his alien parents didn't take any Proko classes when they made him.

[@andreag3561]

Great tutorial so easy to understand, plus the assignment motivates me lol thank youuuuu❤️❤️❤️

[@ArtofRennie]

Sculpture pun. Was actually fantastic. 😂 thank you for the informative video. Always learning.

[@mroudemus410]

Very well explained. Thank you so much for this video. This is the clearest instruction I have received for this important step in sculpture.

[@Hachikii]

This is some high quality content, thank you!

[@insekto6341]

Great vídeo,thanks!

[@davidkalima9213]

Well demonstrated.

[@JIMBO8472]

great tips thank you

[@gundamizer4352]

Thank you sir Proko. So informative. I learned a lot this day.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it!

[@ALEJANDROARANDARICKERT]

Congrats. Great and simple way. I like all your vídeos a lot

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Thanks! Good to hear!

[@arasnader7088]

That is nicely explained, thanks for sharing

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You're welcome!

[@stickupcrewuk8473]

you are awesome and I love the get your friends involved such a great idea, thank you for sharing

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Hey you are welcome!

[@abiodunhowell]

I just finished my armature now and it look great thanks for the explanation

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it helped!

[@ClayDay]

thanks for making this video! super informative :)

[@danielquebedeaux1835]

Thanks so much for this and all the videos!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You're welcome!

[@cryt2801]

I love your humor x) And your videos !

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Haha thanks! At least someone gets my sense of humor. 😆

[@user-md2bx7hh9f]

Thank you for your good video❤👍🙏

[@wedo4fun251]

“Are Mature” - 🤣🤣🤣 I love it. Will definitely use this one… Thanks for great tutorial.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂 you are most welcome!

[@MuffinKat11]

This helped a lot thanks!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it!

[@melissesilhan2208]

Thank you for this video! 🥰🙌

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You're welcome!

[@yarikar]

This is really useful for puppets too! Thank you! :)

[@nickhamidi]

It was very useful thank you

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Glad to hear it!

[@bennysong3490]

so cool thank you very much

[@VIPtotheVIP]

Thank you! 😊

[@ScottH]

Thanks this was a great video. Cut the 1 inch to 1/2 and got a 6 inch height, exactly what i wanted. I need more practice but dang, im posing this thing and its ready for clay!

[@mermelada.]

Thanks for sharing!

[@benphillips318]

ar-mature is one of the funniest things i have ever heard thank you sculpture man Mc dude

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂 you are most welcome! Keep sculpting

[@michelletaylor9278]

Hi! I just signed up for your sculpture course in Proko. Loving your classes & your wit & fun teaching style. I just bought the material to make my own armature stand. I was curious how you remove the sculpture from the stand once you’re done though. The course doesn’t seem to include anything on that & I can’t find anything on KZbin. Could you make a video on your process? I think it would be so helpful. Can’t wait to continue your course!! Michelle

[@thefriendlyaspie7984]

i love how you give homeworks

[@itsbobby..9033]

Awesome 👍👍👍

[@Pomni2023tadc]

😮 I love making sculptures

[@partharajkhowa03]

Same

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

me too!

[@zonaart6651]

Amazing

[@princesskassandra4253]

“You want to make sure that they are…mature.” I love your dad jokes! When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes a-pparent.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂

[@medzakaria2820]

Just perfect

[@prateeksharma1981]

Thanks !

[@alfonsocancino5756]

Thanks is Amazing.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Why thank you!

[@luxurydeathtrap]

Great video! I'm going to try this for our next music vid, thanks!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Way cool! For stop motion?

[@ART_INDIA]

String is very flexible 👍

[@YunaElphabaLovegood]

This video is very helpful. I'm still bad at creating armature, but with this video I have always been successful in the end. Just takes me ages to make... I am using the armature for needle felting, btw. Clay is, unfortunately, not my medium.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Interesting I haven't head of many doing felting using wire armatures but that's way cool.

[@YunaElphabaLovegood]

@@AndrewJosephKeith It's very common, actually. Especially for animals. I make characters from video games and TV from time to time, so having a good human armature to work off of is very helpful!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Very cool! @@YunaElphabaLovegood

[@micahholmes1629]

That pun was flawless 🤣

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂

[@arthardware5560]

"Are mature' great pun Love the video!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂 thanks!

[@TribbleArtCreations]

Awesome!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Thanks!

[@RobbW-ay]

I see this works for most people. But I was going to use this method to sculpt dr strange which is essentially sculpting Benedict Cumberpatch. It doesn’t work on him. Cranial units does not work unless o did something wrong but i compared it to other photos and it matches perfectly. On Benedict it’s at his hips it stops lining up.

[@colethefatcat]

He may just have unique body proportions, maybe his torso is a little longer or shorter than the average person, making this not line up perfectly?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You may need to bend the hips down or up depending on if you need to lengthen or shorten the torso in comparison with the legs. Most people don't have these exact proportions and the armature will need slight modifications to better fit the body type.

[@nazufani4016]

I just guess-ta-mated on the weird dolls I make. 🙃 Gonna have to go measure & see how I did. Lol 😂 I pose them. They are made of recycled parts of old clothes.....my parents lived through the depression of the '30s. Throw Not Away! It's a part of my being. 🙃 I learned through trial & error...... which is not a bad thing. Thank you for sharing your video. 👍 ☮️💖🌻

[@donnamshaw]

Really really excellent tutorial! Thanks so much!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Thanks!

[@nicmetz4269]

I laughed out loud literally to that armature joke when most would probably not laugh

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂

[@rheanuppal103]

Hey there, thanks for such an awesome video! This is super helpful and your instruction is really clear. Question for you - I'm trying to make a figure based on my own proportions, would you recommend taking my own body measurements to make the armature at this stage? Or is it better to figure out those measurements later in clay?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

I’d take a photo of yourself (see the video on taking photo references for sculpture) in an anatomical pose and then check your measurements that way. If you’re close to normal proportions then you can just move the armature joints to get the proportions. Consider posting your work at Proko.com/portraitsculpt so you can get feedback from other students and myself! Good luck!

[@raoufsalman6976]

on point like it

[@makellingo]

You had me at ARE mature😂😂

[@quarkcatd]

We will build our Armature Army together! :D

[@taisaelensminde7261]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm first time learn to sculpt. I had done 3 wire armetures. 🎉 What is the next lesson? 😍

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Next is gesture studies and adding clay to the armature!

[@boringman6491]

Very coollll

[@malacara1335]

The terrible pun at the beginning made me subscribe.

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂

[@discord1317]

The terrible pun was fantastic!

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😂

[@incognito9813]

Thank you so much ^_^

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

You’re welcome!

[@josue5777]

Proko 3d??? Que maravilla Justo ahora que me gusta la es cultura

[@andres70183]

Lo mismo digo, me interesó igual 👀

[@kevinr.akerman1112]

"MATURE" You're awesome.

[@frankthetank1096]

Hi....great tutorial. Is there a difference between 14 gauge galvanized and aluminum wire? Are they basically the same?

[@karabean]

Galvanizing means coating steel or iron in molten zinc. So they are different metals. My guess is galvanized steel will be harder to bend, but that is just a guess.

[@Yurup]

What are the wire sizes in MM? I'm from europe and cannot really find 12 gauage wire from non amazon websites.

[@pliniohessel]

Are 2.0 mm

[@gachonaghsh59]

👏👏👏👏👏😍😍😍😍😍😍😍👌👌👌👌👌👌You teach very well, I wish I could attend your class😔

[@natwooding]

I want to make a 5 or 6 inch sculpture. So if the armature in this video works out to about 11.5 inches, should I just halve all of your measurements to keep things simple?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Yeah that's what I would do.

[@jeadevoe209]

I have now ventured in to sculpture thanks to you an Proko can you adapt this technique to horse or cat armatures? thanks again will be watching

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Yeah absolutely! I was even considering to do a lesson on making armatures for horses because those are common to sculpt so that may be something I do in the future.

[@jeadevoe209]

@@AndrewJosephKeith looking forward to it all the best J

[@KoiAi_]

:40 great pun 🤣 budumtss!

[@carolvalenta]

You had me at sculpture pun...

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

😅

[@marialette1]

Absolutely brilliant. One thing -I cannot see the head being formed in the vid; am I missing something?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

In this video I didn't show it, I just twist the wires at the top. In the premium course I go over modifications (like the little circle in the head) it's basically just bending out a circle and then looping the wire around and twisting them together. (hard to explain exactly in a comment)

[@NatashiaBoatner-oe5xo]

I’m interested in learning more. Do you have an online course or something?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Absolutely! Proko.com/sculpture for the full course.

[@jahmya58]

Practicing this while on the toilet

[@angelinagonzalez2006]

i bought this thick wire from micheals to make an ecorche but the wire is so thick bending it is a workout in itself espeically when looping it

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Yeah thicker wire is usually for building larger armatures and it can be tricky to bend out.

[@Moharani21]

Do you keep the armature in when you bisque fire it?

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

If you are going to fire the sculpture I wouldn’t use a wire armature. My friend Leroy Transfield shows his method for using a single metal rod and hammering it into wood to use as an armature for natural clay so the sculpture can be fired after. His mini course is on proko.com/Leroy

[@seenundercygnus6870]

Can we still use fairy dust?

[@aspire1514]

if I send you a picture of a sculpture that I want to build can you make a video on it for me to do it

[@Brenners2010]

Hi, this is a great tutorial. Can I ask if I wanted to build an armature that was 23 inches in height(the cranial unit would be 2 inches) what gauge wire should I use? Kind regards

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

About 8 gauge wire is what I would use. You can always wrap more wire around the armature if you only have thinner wire.

[@Brenners2010]

@@AndrewJosephKeith Thanks

[@123000chrissy]

Fantastic method. All makes sense, but........ I am wanting to make fantasy creatures like elves, goblins etc. What do i adjust?? Or do i just make an armature to match my drawing no matter what the proportions are. As goblins have large heads, squat bodies, long arms and shorter legs 🙄☺️

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

It’s not difficult to change the proportions. Just have in mind what you want to change before you start building the armature.

[@juicyj813]

4:40 - Start of Figuring 8:38 - Entire Figure

[@SageDoesArt]

Anyone know things u could use instead of wire? Like things u can find at home. Thanks! 😊

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Aluminum foil or paper with masking tape are some other materials I use for armatures. Usually for just the head or torso because it’s difficult to make arms or legs with those materials.

[@GoosePloops25]

I recommend to use a marker

[@AndrewJosephKeith]

Good idea

[@stefanolassandro886]

👏👏

[@abdulrazaqridha454]

4:13 starts here btw

[@kimberleesteele6652]

When you say units, is that the same thing in inches?

[@Odraude2105]

If you want your armature to be 11.5 inches tall

[@tarastrickler8917]

🎖

[@KamarajMani]

Stupendous