Classes #31-36: The Clay Armadillo! Clay Sculpting, Makeup + Digital Art Design (Stan Winston School Diary #20)

You want to know how this clay armadillo was made, don’t you? Mmmm, after he was made, he went out for a quick munch on leaves.

If you don’t already know, Stan Winston School is what I have been enrolled in for some time learning practical effects used in the film industry. You can take the classes at the $20 per month setup, like I do.

I am a sloth lately…sorry! Won’t be any longer.

The Coronavirus delayed me somewhat on my Stan Winston School classes and the corresponding diary entries. What I was up to learning via these nifty FX classes: out of the box makeup effects, drawing, and clay creature design. You will get dizzy learning about clay, but with these classes, you will learn by immersion.

First things first, the drawing coursework. I downloaded free software by AutoDesk, Sketchbook, for the iPad. Did you notice Jürgen Meow’s portrait for my Esther in Wonderland film score album? I did that 100% of the iPad, trying to carefully remember what I am learning from these art classes. AutoDesk products get used making hit films like Lord of the Rings! Surely, they have to be good enough for us commoners, right?

Mr. Armadillo is a clayadillo! Get it?

Dad joke. If I were a man, and actually wanted kids, I would tell dad jokes like that.

In the maquette and other coursework, you learn about wires supporting the clay. Thus, I did. Testing out the armadillo’s legs without the wires checking how much wires make a difference, my little guy was about to collapse. Up his legs went back into the wires, reformed. I used a children’s clay set from the supermarket and Home Depot wire purchased in a hurry before the pandemic sealed all the shops. Balling up the clay, I was somehow going to use whatever I had. Somehow, I had just enough materials. Check out the transformation.

As directed in the classes, you start looking at a real armadillo. Mine was to be a kawaii, goofy armadillo but he needed some resemblance to the real thing, or you might ask, “What is that?” No, my guy looks like an armadillo.

The maquette coursework goes into how you ball up the clay, knead it, and work with it to shape your creatures.

VOILA!

An armadillo was born.