Animation News

We recently came across the fascinating (and fiery) history of the original Harbutt’s Plasticine factory. After a catastrophic factory fire in 1963 caused by melted plastic piping, a landmark legal case followed, reshaping how liability and damages are handled in English contract law. A must-know tale for anyone who loves Plasticine or obscure legal precedents.

Introducing Chroma Clay, the UK-made professional plasticine designed for stop motion animation, puppets, and model making. A reliable Newplast alternative built for precision and performance.

How to go about designing and making a simple Plasticine character. Start with a simple sketch, break the design into basic shapes, and sculpt using plasticine. Add features and details before refining with sculpting tools. Consider adding wire for animation. Share your finished creation!

Squash and stretch is a core animation principle that adds emotion, weight, and personality to characters. Though challenging in plasticine stop motion, it enhances storytelling by exaggerating motion and emotion. Through careful resculpting or replacement techniques, animators can apply squash and stretch effectively, creating dynamic, expressive, and visually compelling plasticine animations that captivate audiences.

Azoomee have made freely available some episodes of Marvellous Makes. Made by the brilliant Super Strange Studios, these how-to videos are packed full of fun and creative ideas. In this example you're shown how to do plasticine modelling and how to use Newplast to make your own Plasticine creation.