Paper Puppets 2

In my last post, I explained how to make the parts for a paper stop motion animation model. Now I'll show how to paint them. I also use colored pencils sometimes, for the details.

Last time, we got to the point of tracing out each moving part and numbering them. Trace one more copy of your original, onto more substantial paper. This will be your color scheme. If you haven't picked out your colors yet, this is your chance to make multiple copies and experiment. James Gurney, the author and illustrator of Dinotopia, has a lot of good advice about color schemes in his book Color and Light. A good rule of thumb is to stick to 3 or 4 colors per character, with one of those colors in contrast to the others.

Small to medium brushes are nice for this, and they should be fairly soft, but not really floppy like the brown or sable watercolor brushes. I like synthetic brushes because they last longer too. It's really important not to make your watercolors too wet. I usually use one or two brushfuls of water to wet my main paint color, and make a little puddle in the lid of my watercolor set. (My favorite brands are Prang and Guitar. Crayola is actually very good too. Avoid Roseart at all costs - they are pale and wimpy.) Don't use the straight paint color unless you want a really bright color, although that might be good for a superhero. I usually make Westerns and/or ghost stories, so I like muted colors. I always mix my paint in the lid, and I leave the mixed colors in there so I can rewet and mix them later. That way I don't have to use black to darken my colors, which I find muddies them. Browns and purples are better if you need to darken a color. There is also a watercolor called Paynes Gray that comes in squeezy tubes, and it's a very lovely alternative to black. That's the only expensive watercolor I buy. *

Here are my brushes and one of my messy paint lids, with some wet brown paint:

You can see how I mixed the old dried dark brown and dark blue paint into the new brown paint to get a more interesting color.

Do a light, flat layer of paint on your copied drawing. Keep a scrap piece of cardstock handy to test your colors on before putting them on your actual picture.

Once that's dry, add darker shades around the edges to give the figure some depth. Also, you can bring out details and textures. I blended the shading in more on his pants, since they are a rough wool, and I used a hard edge on his leather jacket and boots, since leather has some shine to it. To blend the shading, put a very small amount of plain water on the picture first, then carefully add your darker color. Use a thin line, since it will spread into the damp area, and you can always add more later. For the harder edge, simply paint a darker color over the dried paint. For the darker colors you can also just use less water for a thicker paint. The areas farthest to the back of the character will be the darkest (the wrapped around scarf, the underarms and flares on the jodhpurs)

Once you have decided on your color scheme, use the same colors on the individual parts. Since they're going to be cut out, you don't have to stay in the lines!

Next: Cutting and gluing!

*Besides my squeezy tube of Paynes Gray, I have discovered that Prang's powdered tempera paints are absolutely gorgeous. They have a velvety texture and muted colors that I really like, but they are very hard to find. They are what I used on all the characters and backgrounds in Ghost Train.

Paper Puppets for Animation!

I put these on my steampunk blog too, but they're not necessarily steampunk, and I haven't posted on this blog in almost a year. I get all kinds of ideas, but they seldom make it out of my brain.

Anyhoo, here:

Now that I'm all done making things for and vending at Wild Wild West Con II, I'm going to put a couple of art tutorials on here. For starters, here are my two actually good animations.

First, the models. I like to make mine out of paper. It is much easier to work with than clay, especially under hot lights, and it is much much cheaper than proper machined armatures with rubber skins. You can make them look exactly how you want. I also like how it looks like moving illustrations in a way that other models don't. That fits my style a lot better, since my background is in drawing.

Actually no! First, the storyboards. You don't want to start anything else without a storyboard, or you will do lots of extra work. So do your storyboards. They don't have to be fancy. The main disadvantage of paper characters is that you have to make one model for each angel you see them from, sometimes up to 8 just for the full body. If you make extra models for closeups, it gets even more out of hand. There are several spots in Ghost Train where I made large models for just one shot. This madness can be kept to a minimum with the clever use of storyboards. If you never see the back of a character, for example, don't make the back view model.

Anyway, once you have planned your story out, select the character and angle that appears most. Draw the character in a neutral pose, using the simplest design you can. Then trace or copy it. Never ever ever mark, color, or cut your original drawing. On the copy, break the design down into simple shapes, and draw a dotted line where there they will overlap. Like this:

The numbers will be important for gluing all the parts in the right spot when they are cut out. Then trace each part onto heavy paper, like Bristol or watercolor paper. If your models are small, like under 4 inches, normal cardstock or even index cards will do, but they are too floppy for bigger models. It is hard to trace on thick paper - you need a light behind it. They make light tables specifically for this purpose, and you can get them at most art supply stores, or you can just use the flashlight app on an iPad, or an actual flashlight under the glass from a picture frame.

Make sure you get enough overlap on your parts, and number them as you go. You'll end up with a little exploded version of your character, like a kit, waiting to be painted and assembled.

Next: how to color it and put it together.

p.s. It's a good idea to number each piece on the back as well.