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Step 3PLANNING THE ARMATURE
In this step I'm going to explain the process of making an armature to use as your framework for applying clay to flesh out the actual sculpture. In this case I am using a female figure for this tutorial but this method works for any type of figure that has human (or human-like) physiognomy.
The armature requires a bit of planning, time and patience in order to make correctly but is really not that difficult once you know the process. The wire we are using for the main structure of the armature is going to be the 1/8th thick armature wire because it is strong enough to support the weight of the clay while at the same time is malleable enough to be easily bent into shape not to mention straightforward to cut with wire cutters or a hack saw later on to divide the sculpture.
You sometimes hear about using metal coat hangers you get from the dry clear instead of aluminium armature wire because it is cheap and readily available. Its true that if you really have no other choice then a metal hanger is fine but it is strongly advised against using it because it can be really difficult to work with and is more of a nuisance then anything in the end and definitely not easy to cut apart once your model is finished. Sometimes what is cheaper is not necessarily better!
It is vital that the armature is correctly proportioned and sturdy enough to hold-up your clay and not move around while you work (or flop over!) while allowing you to make pose adjustments later on.
Basically if your armature is incorrect, or disproportioned, then the whole sculpture will be out of whack from the get go and you will have an extremely frustrating time making it work. An armature that is properly constructed will actually aid you during sculpting while a poorly made one will make you want to quit or, in some cases, cause you to throw your work against a wall (this is not recommended of course!).
You can often dictate, based on the armature, how well your sculpture will look the end. I noticed that many beginners tend to overlook this stage only to find themselves with major headaches later on during the sculpting phase.
Bottom line: make sure you make your armature properly: it's worth the effort!
Once I have decided on a character and pose that I want to sculpt I have to decide at what scale I'd like to make the sculpture. In this case I will make a female figure 12" tall (roughly 1/6th scale). Because she is a realistic figure I am using a template I found in a book that is suitable for this type of human figure (a proportion of 8 heads tall roughly).
You wouldn't want to use a template with irregular human or cartoon proportions on this piece, as it wouldn't look right. In fact proportion has a lot of influence on how you want your character to be perceived by the observer and should be carefully considered before making the armature. There are many books that cover proportion and its affects (like "Drawing the Marvel Way") so I won't be touching upon that here.
Once I have my template, I carefully re-size it to the measurement (I use Photoshop but a similar imaging editor will work too or you can use a photocopying machine) I want my final sculpture to be, in this case, 12" tall (from head to feet). I then select a suitable armature wire size which, in this case I used 1/8th armature wire (available at most art stores), but you could even use 1/16th armature wire braided together as well (which ends up being 1/8th thick).
The main thing you want to look at is that the armature provides enough support for the modelling process but, at the same time, won't be too large to poke out or not allow for enough material to be laid onto it. The biggest concern for me is making sure it won't deform too easily when I'm applying clay: there is nothing more frustrating then a wobbly armature!
The armature requires a bit of planning, time and patience in order to make correctly but is really not that difficult once you know the process. The wire we are using for the main structure of the armature is going to be the 1/8th thick armature wire because it is strong enough to support the weight of the clay while at the same time is malleable enough to be easily bent into shape not to mention straightforward to cut with wire cutters or a hack saw later on to divide the sculpture.
You sometimes hear about using metal coat hangers you get from the dry clear instead of aluminium armature wire because it is cheap and readily available. Its true that if you really have no other choice then a metal hanger is fine but it is strongly advised against using it because it can be really difficult to work with and is more of a nuisance then anything in the end and definitely not easy to cut apart once your model is finished. Sometimes what is cheaper is not necessarily better!
It is vital that the armature is correctly proportioned and sturdy enough to hold-up your clay and not move around while you work (or flop over!) while allowing you to make pose adjustments later on.
Basically if your armature is incorrect, or disproportioned, then the whole sculpture will be out of whack from the get go and you will have an extremely frustrating time making it work. An armature that is properly constructed will actually aid you during sculpting while a poorly made one will make you want to quit or, in some cases, cause you to throw your work against a wall (this is not recommended of course!).
You can often dictate, based on the armature, how well your sculpture will look the end. I noticed that many beginners tend to overlook this stage only to find themselves with major headaches later on during the sculpting phase.
Bottom line: make sure you make your armature properly: it's worth the effort!
Once I have decided on a character and pose that I want to sculpt I have to decide at what scale I'd like to make the sculpture. In this case I will make a female figure 12" tall (roughly 1/6th scale). Because she is a realistic figure I am using a template I found in a book that is suitable for this type of human figure (a proportion of 8 heads tall roughly).
You wouldn't want to use a template with irregular human or cartoon proportions on this piece, as it wouldn't look right. In fact proportion has a lot of influence on how you want your character to be perceived by the observer and should be carefully considered before making the armature. There are many books that cover proportion and its affects (like "Drawing the Marvel Way") so I won't be touching upon that here.
Once I have my template, I carefully re-size it to the measurement (I use Photoshop but a similar imaging editor will work too or you can use a photocopying machine) I want my final sculpture to be, in this case, 12" tall (from head to feet). I then select a suitable armature wire size which, in this case I used 1/8th armature wire (available at most art stores), but you could even use 1/16th armature wire braided together as well (which ends up being 1/8th thick).
The main thing you want to look at is that the armature provides enough support for the modelling process but, at the same time, won't be too large to poke out or not allow for enough material to be laid onto it. The biggest concern for me is making sure it won't deform too easily when I'm applying clay: there is nothing more frustrating then a wobbly armature!
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I prefer more modest boobs personally...lol! :D
Claudio