Simple Claymation Stopmotion Idea: Snakester

Simple Claymation Stopmotion Idea: Snakester Bro’s

A year ago, I started with Claymation, and it’s incredible how much you can grow with this art medium. Here is a simple idea for Claymation and Stopmotion, two guys that get attacked by a snake. For Snakester, I created these two Bros, sitting and talking. The animation starts with me constructing them in real-time. I made the arms and legs ahead of time, as well as the heads, and then assembled and pinched them together as part of the construction. It was easy and fun!

Why Polymer Clay is Great for Claymation

Polymer clay is a modeling clay that always stays soft, making it perfect for Claymation. It has enough strength to support its own weight, so you don’t always need rigging. This makes it easier to work with and allows for quick adjustments to your creations.

Easy Ideas for Animation

Animations don’t always need a script. Slapstick comedy or FailArmy-type situations are easy to create, quick, and ideal for YouTube Shorts. With Claymation and stopmotion, you can produce engaging content in just 5-7 seconds. At 30 frames per second, that’s only 150-210 photos. I use my iPhone to capture these quick shots.

Do You Always Need Rigging for Animation Puppets?

If you’re new to animation, rigging can be important. However, I prefer to take things slowly and avoid rigging because I don’t like post-editing, where you have to use a digital graphics program to ‘erase’ the rigging or stand that was supporting the animation doll or puppet. I prefer a more straightforward approach: shoot and go.

How to Create Voices for Your Animation

I use CAPCUT for animation and creating voices. I record my voice, highlight it in the timeline, and then select a character voice (CAPCUT offers a variety of character voices). This tool allows my lines to be spoken with the appropriate voice, offering any gender, level of humor, and plenty of voice types to bring my animations to life.