I first tried my hand a clay figures as a kid. Donkeys years ago. Including an attempt at a stop frame animation (an orc cleaving a boulder in twain!).
More recently there’s been my claymation Curtis. I made that two or three years ago. Going back a bit further, but not as far back as childhood – maybe around ten years? – I made this Napoleonic Frenchman.
I found this in a box, with some plasticene in it. The figure had fallen to bits. This tends to happens where blocks of plasticene meet. It’s a fault one waiting to part. So first think was to reassemble him.
Then I finished two incomplete parts: his rucksack and greatcoat roll. And added them to the figure. Sadly he’ll most likely fall to bits again. But I’d like to finish him, and maybe animate him a bit. Perhaps not as a stop-motion film.
More likely I’ll just clean him up – the colours tend to transfer, annoyingly (the blue here is esp’ irksome that way) – pose him a bit, and then dispatch him to Valhalla.
I’d like to find a way to make figures that won’t degrade. Perhaps from some kind of rubber, over a workable armature? These primitive plasticene hobbies don’t seem to have a durable shelf life!