How to Animate Clay
Buy plasticine or polymer clay and wire at your local craft store., Cut about a three foot piece of wire and bend it in half., Form the wire into the general shape of the object you wish to make., Start molding a thin layer of gray clay onto the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Buy plasticine or polymer clay and wire at your local craft store.
Any size wire will do.
Make sure the clay will not harden when exposed to air.
Purchase any color of clay you desire, but also purchase gray clay to use as a base. -
Step 2: Cut about a three foot piece of wire and bend it in half.
Starting at the bent end, twist both strands of the wire together. , Do not include fingers.
This shape is called an armature, and it is the frame on which you will mold your clay.
This will help support your clay figure when you begin to animate it. , The gray clay acts as a neutral base on which you will later mold other colors of clay. , Begin putting on the other layers of colored clay.
For example, if you are creating a person from clay, then you mold different colors of clay onto the figure for things such as the shirt or pants.
If you are creating a zebra, you may want to use black and white clay to make stripes.
If you cannot buy the color of clay that you desire for your figure, you can always make it by combining other colors.
You can do this simply by kneading the different colors together. , Set up a still digital camera at the angle in which you wish to capture the animation.
A tripod is essential in this situation.
For the animation to flow, it needs to all be captured from the same angle.
Without a tripod, it isn't going to work.
You can also use a video camera for this step.
To do this, press Record and then put the camera on Pause.
Each time you want to shoot a frame, take the camera off of Pause and then quickly press Pause again.
Note that this can reduce the image quality because of the constant starting and stopping. , Carefully bend it into a starting position and take a picture of the figure with the camera.
Because you need to make sure that you only move the figure slightly between each shot, it is very helpful to mark the original spot of the figure in the first shot.
That way, if you need to pick up the figure to adjust it, you can put it back in the same spot it was in.
You can mark the spot with chalk, pencil, etc. , Each picture is called a frame.
Film runs at 24 frames per second, and digital video runs at
30.
Be very precise while animating your figure.
If you move it too much, it will appear to jump in the video.
If you remove the figure from the camera's view, it will seem to disappear.
Be aware that the wire may poke through the clay when you move it, especially if the clay has become slightly rigid from sitting for a while.
To soften the clay so that it does not rip, you can warm it up by holding it in your hands or putting it under a light. , If you run out of pictures before you have finished, save the pictures to your computer and leave your figurine in the exact same position.
Clear the camera and continue shooting. , Use a photo editing program to speed up each individual picture so that it creates a movie.
Watch your creation and show it to whoever you wish.
Keep in mind that clay animation is an extremely time- and labor-intensive process.
Your animation may not come out perfectly the first time, but keep trying and it will get better. -
Step 3: Form the wire into the general shape of the object you wish to make.
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Step 4: Start molding a thin layer of gray clay onto the armature or wire frame.
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Step 5: Create a figurine for clay animation.
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Step 6: Begin animating your figure.
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Step 7: Place the figure on a flat surface.
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Step 8: Move the figure very slightly into the next position
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Step 9: then take another picture.
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Step 10: Continue to move the figure and take pictures until you have completed your desired animation.
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Step 11: Load the pictures onto a computer.
Detailed Guide
Any size wire will do.
Make sure the clay will not harden when exposed to air.
Purchase any color of clay you desire, but also purchase gray clay to use as a base.
Starting at the bent end, twist both strands of the wire together. , Do not include fingers.
This shape is called an armature, and it is the frame on which you will mold your clay.
This will help support your clay figure when you begin to animate it. , The gray clay acts as a neutral base on which you will later mold other colors of clay. , Begin putting on the other layers of colored clay.
For example, if you are creating a person from clay, then you mold different colors of clay onto the figure for things such as the shirt or pants.
If you are creating a zebra, you may want to use black and white clay to make stripes.
If you cannot buy the color of clay that you desire for your figure, you can always make it by combining other colors.
You can do this simply by kneading the different colors together. , Set up a still digital camera at the angle in which you wish to capture the animation.
A tripod is essential in this situation.
For the animation to flow, it needs to all be captured from the same angle.
Without a tripod, it isn't going to work.
You can also use a video camera for this step.
To do this, press Record and then put the camera on Pause.
Each time you want to shoot a frame, take the camera off of Pause and then quickly press Pause again.
Note that this can reduce the image quality because of the constant starting and stopping. , Carefully bend it into a starting position and take a picture of the figure with the camera.
Because you need to make sure that you only move the figure slightly between each shot, it is very helpful to mark the original spot of the figure in the first shot.
That way, if you need to pick up the figure to adjust it, you can put it back in the same spot it was in.
You can mark the spot with chalk, pencil, etc. , Each picture is called a frame.
Film runs at 24 frames per second, and digital video runs at
30.
Be very precise while animating your figure.
If you move it too much, it will appear to jump in the video.
If you remove the figure from the camera's view, it will seem to disappear.
Be aware that the wire may poke through the clay when you move it, especially if the clay has become slightly rigid from sitting for a while.
To soften the clay so that it does not rip, you can warm it up by holding it in your hands or putting it under a light. , If you run out of pictures before you have finished, save the pictures to your computer and leave your figurine in the exact same position.
Clear the camera and continue shooting. , Use a photo editing program to speed up each individual picture so that it creates a movie.
Watch your creation and show it to whoever you wish.
Keep in mind that clay animation is an extremely time- and labor-intensive process.
Your animation may not come out perfectly the first time, but keep trying and it will get better.
About the Author
Adam Burns
Specializes in breaking down complex pet care topics into simple steps.
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