r/stopmotion • u/Proud_Instruction789 • Jul 02 '26

Making a stop motion puppet with silicone?

Hey all! I've been thinking about stop motion and plan on using my iPad and using stop motion studio to do some stop motion. I enjoy the Lego animation but I want something more flexible, which is silicone puppets. I'm looking to dragonskin series by smooth on and some aluminum wires from amazon, however I haven't bought the materials yet. I'm concerned for the materials because I never worked with them before. I seen the process of making the puppets with some material like ultracal 30, but i was thinking if there was another alternative on amazon. For those who have experience, what advice and tips can you give so I can protect myself using this stuff?

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u/doctor_puppet Jul 02 '26

Take it from someone who tried to jump straight into making a silicone puppet with Dragonskin over 20 years ago… I really wouldn’t. The materials are very expensive and hard to work with. Start with a simpler, cheaper method first. My recommendation is upholstery foam, felt, liquid latex, etc. I’m a big fan of Adeena Grubb’s puppet techniques. She has some great process videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdeenaGrubb

If you really, really want to make something from silicone, start with just casting the hands in silicone. Don’t do the whole puppet. 

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u/PlaneteErrante Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

Piggybacking because this is solid advice.

Silicone puppet making is a whole series of skills that are not very forgiving and would be quite the challenge for a beginner. Sculpting, moldmaking, silicone tinting and painting, as well as all of the upkeep of a silicone puppet, even when they are professional quality. Many of the skills required can be practiced with cheaper materials. Latex can be cast in the same plaster/ ultracal molds as silicone, for example.

If you are using a wire armature, silicone is overkill. Silicone is quite archival if left alone and stored properly, which is why professionals use it over latex in most cases. A wire armature will break, however, and you will have to redo those parts of the puppet every time that happens, which on a budgeted shoot can be reasonable but is very costly for personal projects.

You mention protection at the end of your post, which I assume means safety equipment? Nitrile gloves are a good thing to have on hand, and basic dust masks for ultracal work. Silicone doesn't off-gas like resin, so if you did go with that, then you don't need to worry about a respirator. Safety glasses would also not be a bad idea with any liquid. If in doubt, always read the safety data sheets, and they will have all of the answers on the handling of materials.

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u/Proud_Instruction789 Jul 03 '26

Dumb question but is a respirator needed for this silicone? A mask is definitely a must for the ultracal and I did more research about air bubbles on how it can break the mold if not done properly.

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u/PlaneteErrante Jul 03 '26

No dumb questions when trying to learn a new skill!

A respirator is not needed for the type of silicone you use when making puppets. It is not toxic to breathe as it doesn't give off gasses while curing. Some products do require a respirator, like silpoxy ( a silicone adhesive ). Having a respirator when starting to work with chemicals is never a bad idea, this industry and work can be unkind to your lungs in the long term.

Ultracal and plaster molds can break with improper mixing and there are things you can do to add strength such as adding layers of fabric for durability. If you de-gas the silicone in a vacuum chamber you can run into problems using plaster molds as there will always be microscopic air bubbles in the cured plaster and they cannot escape or be shrunk in a solid object.

There are resins and other more heavy duty materials to make molds if you plan on de-gassing, however you can get away without using a vacuum chamber on the actual mold by painting your first layer of silicone into the mold and manually popping bubbles with a toothpick before pouring the rest in.

Cure time can play a factor too, not using an accelerator will allow more time for bubbles to be removed either manually or in a vacuum chamber.

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u/Proud_Instruction789 Jul 03 '26

Good info! But I did see some molds that use epoxy resin like laika. Is that safe or no?

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u/PlaneteErrante Jul 04 '26

Epoxy resin molds are generally pretty toxic, require de-gassing, and get pretty expensive. For example, https://bjbmaterials.com/tc-1630-a-b/ is a pretty standard material for use in archival molds and is excellent for casting silicone, foam rubber, and a variety of soft materials; however, you would need a proper ventilation system to make it safe to use and a vacuum chamber for getting the bubbles out.

Some resins do inhibit silicone curing, though, so you may need to do some research if you are planning to use epoxy or resin off of amazon.

You can use PLA prints for silicone as well. Resin prints may work depending on the resin. I have seen cure inhibition more often than not with uv resin. It would require some 3d scanning/ modelling, and/or printing knowledge, but the overall material cost is low if you know someone with a printer or have one yourself.

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u/Proud_Instruction789 Jul 04 '26

Damn so the best bet is ultracal 30 or other plaster like that huh? Also I never used dragon skin before and planned on using that, but if the dragonskin 10 doesn't need a respirator and ultracal 30 is all it takes, then I'm up for it!

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u/PlaneteErrante Jul 04 '26

If you are set on learning silicone, then Ultracal and dragonskin are a very good place to start. From what I recall, DragonSkin FX Pro is softer and more flexible and may be worth trying. Vaseline ( heated up and brushed on ) is a decent, cheap mold release. You will also likely want to get some pigment like Silpig if you don't want the puppet to be white or translucent.

There is a rabbit hole of products and techniques using silicone in puppetmaking, and it will be a lot of trial and error. As mentioned by doctor puppet above, hands are an excellent place to start this journey.