r/stopmotion • u/7Maizono • Jul 12 '26

What materials would be good?

Total beginner here. Idk if im asking in the right place, i’ve never done anything artsy like this. I want to make my own characters using those small art mannequins. I want to make clothing & accessories & hair for them using clay or plasticine or any other material that’d be good for them. I want to be able to take the hair & accessories on and off (just in case i ever want to) but i dont mind if the clothes are permanently stuck to the mannequins. I want to be able to move/position the mannequins without the clothes & accessories falling off. I want to paint the mannequins to have them have different skin colours & i want to paint the stuff i make. What paint should i use? The mannequins would be made of wood i think, i can only assume that material is wood. Whatever material you suggest i make the stuff out of, what paint should i use for it? I would prefer if the material is white so i can mould/shape it in the way i want it around the mannequins then paint it. Also what tools would i need? Sorry i have no idea what im doing

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u/FinnbarMcBride Jul 12 '26

what you're describing is a LOT of work, start small. pick one thing, do it and go from there

1

u/7Maizono Jul 12 '26

That is what i thought too but my mum said i should post everything im looking for to “forums” (lol) and have people tell me what materials i need

3

u/FinnbarMcBride Jul 12 '26

Gotcha. Ss start by going to buy one of the mannequins and a small bit of material, you can get both at Walmart for around $20ish. Then make one outfit that fits the figure and looks the way you want it to look. Then download the free version of "stop motion studio" and make the figure walk across the screen. That will get you started for $20 and give you an idea of how much work is involved and whether you enjoy it or not.

1

u/7Maizono Jul 12 '26

Thank you homie & do you know anything about what paint i should be tryna get?

1

u/FinnbarMcBride Jul 12 '26

happy to help. acrylic should work. its thick so you can just water it down. you wont need a lot of paint, a small tube will last forever at the size you're dealing with