How we made a stop motion puppet using a REAL CRAB and crochet (step by step explanation)

Yesterday I posted a video for are animated music video Pretty Crabby

https://steemit.com/film/@charlotteblacker/stop-motion-knitted-animated-music-video-pretty-crabby

For our main character Crabby, it was important that we got his shape and movements right as he is pretty much on screen all the time.

Steel armature (the bones)

An armature is basically the skeleton on the puppet. Whenever possible it is always recommended to use a steel armature with ball and socket joints. Inside every Wallace and Gromit puppet there is a custom build steel armature. Professional animators use them to give greater production quality to their work. They are very strong and can hold a lot of weight if needed (sometimes they will have to carry a large latex or silicon mould over their structure). As well as being strong you can achieve a very fluid movement, using an allen key to stiffen or loosen up the joints when needed. To dreate his core we used polymorph. Polymorph is plastic beads that melt in hot water that you can then squish together and mould. This was perfect as it could take the shape of the skeleton and set in place, keeping the legs snug and in place.

We drew out a plan of the legs to figure out how many separate pieces we'd need and ordered them online from Animation Toolkit in Manchester.

Crab shell body

After looking at several different ways we could potentially create our own crab shell we realised that using a real crab shell was the obvious way to ensure we got a good shape and the correct spacing for the legs etc. We went to the fish monger at our local market and found a suitable crab, removed the meat and boiled the shell. My housemates weren't aware of what we were doing and got a bit of a fright when they opened the fridge and saw crabby staring up at them.

Crocheted exterior

When Chris was telling us what he wanted from the video he was happy to give us pretty much free reign but was very clear about wanting Crabby to look pretty and eye catching. The talented @shammyshiggs crocheted around the crab shell for us as well as the legs and claws that we stitched over the top of the armature. We decided to use crocheted, stuffed pincers instead of the real crab ones as they were easier to pose and may have been a little too creepy for our younger audience.

Chris also said he wanted Crabby to be bejewelled in some way so we stitched beads and sequins into the crochet so it would shine under the studio lights.

Crabby was then ready to pose. We did a few test shots to see where he may need tightening up and then he was good to go.

Both me and Mark @bobbins had a lot of fun on this project. This is certainly one of my favourites.

@shammyshiggs was very instrumental in the making of this film. As well as helping bring crabby to life she also created several pieces including coral and a very cute hermit crab. Please look out for her post later on where she'll show you a couple of set pieces she made for the film.

Also, please visit my last post to check out Pretty Crabby in action if you haven't seen it already.

https://steemit.com/film/@charlotteblacker/stop-motion-knitted-animated-music-video-pretty-crabby

Many thanks

Charlotte :)