Introduction: Make an Armature for Sculpting!
Hey All!
Thanks for visiting my instructable! Today we are going to learn how to make a wire armature for adding clay on to. Lets begin!
Step 1: Acquire Your Materials
You will need:
1: Floral wire or any really flexible thin wire
2: Aluminum Foil
3: Clippers
4: Hangar wire, OOK wire from any Home Depot or you may on occasion stumble across actual armature wire in the various arts and crafts stores.
Step 2: Make the Wire Cuts
Now we need to cut our pieces from the Hangar wire or OOK wire for the armature (skeleton). The cuts should match the proportions of the cuts in the image shown. The longer wires are about 9 inches long and will end up making a character about 7 inches tall from head to toe.
Step 3: Wrapping the Shoulders and Spine
Next you will take a long strip (at least 2 feet in length) of floral wire and hold the two longer pieces of hangar wire parallel with a shorter piece between them for the neck.
Step 4: Wrap the Core Together
Take the floral wire and begin wrapping 3/4 of the way up the longer hangar wires along with the neck in place as shown. Ensure that you wrap it as tightly as possible. This may be a little tuff on your hands and you may want to wear gloves.
Step 5: Add the Shoulders
Now add one of the shorter pieces across the top at the base of the neck. Be sure to wrap completely around the shoulders and off onto the forearms to ensure that your armature will remain sturdy.
Step 6: Add the Feet
Now to take the last two smaller pieces and bend them 90 degrees about 3/4 of the way down.
Step 7: Wrap the Feet
Now wrap the feet towards the bottom of the legs while leaving some of the legs hanging out the bottom so we can mount the armature to a base.
Step 8: Begin Adding the Tin Foil
Begin wrapping strips of tin foil around the parts of the body that require bulking. I typically wrap almost all of the armature in the foil because I've found that the clay sticks better to it. Bulking also saves on material costs of the clay.
Step 9: Cover the Armature
Step 10: Pose Your Armature
Now you can use the Wire coming out the bottom of the feet to stand your armature up while you work on it. A wooden or steel base with holes roughly the same diameter as the wire will hold them up nicely while you work on it.
Step 11: Voila! Begin Adding Your Clay!
Now the fun really Begins! You can begin adding Super Sculpy, chavant or any other clay you prefer to your armature! Below are examples of what can be made! Have fun!
Step 12: Examples
About me:
I am actually a 3D artist by trade and have spent a few years working in both the video game and film industries. During my time making characters for games I started to realize that there was a real desire to step away from the computer screen and do something truly 3D. So I drove to the nearest arts and crafts store and bought me some super sculpy modeling clay. Ever since I've been hooked! I have since been continuing my career as a 3D artist and selling over a hundred of my likeness sculptures and custom wedding cake toppers on the side. Although I love traditional sculpture I am well aware that times are changing and I have always wanted to get in to 3d printing to see all of my 3D models come to life. Thanks for playing!
To see more of my work head on over to:
Want to Learn how to make a mold of your sculpt? Check out my other instructable here: