Armature designs

Before I start making the puppets for each character I draw a 1:1 scale plan of the armature. It's important to design the armature to ensure that the character will have the correct proportions and so that it'll be strong enough the support the puppet.

Below are my plans for the Mail Man (Roy) and the Actress (Elle). In each drawing I included the outline shape so I can see how the armature fits inside.

 

I decided to make the puppets from a mix of Aluminium wire and Ball and socket joints. I've made many different wire armatures in the past and know that they should work effectively in this project and keep costs down. Each part will be replaceable in case of damage thanks to the Interchangeable K&S sections. The puppets will have rig points at the waists for if they require external support. I will be using nut and bolt tie downs with feet made out of steel plate. Also each hand has a nut rig point in the palm to allow props to be tied in place.

I will be manufacturing my own ball and socket joints for the puppets necks. I feel that the head is the most important part of a puppet as that's where most attention is directed. Ball and socket joints give smoother movements that wire armatures and therefor give better performances.

The other characters will use similar armature plans but designed with various different proportions.