First, find a picture that details at least the front and side views of the figure or scene you will be sculpting. You should scale your sculpture to the size of a sheet of printer paper, so you can use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to scale the drawing up or down as needed. Using these programs allows you to preserve scale integrity, so you can sketch the various sides of the sculpture and print them on the same scale.
Also, think of the design or drawing in terms of its basic shapes, and where the most weight will lie in the sculpture. Designs that are top heavy will cause the sculpture to droop from the weight of the material. Then splints or rods will have to be installed in order to prop up various segments and support the sculpture.
Build the armature skeleton by cutting out lengths of armature wire which match up with where the skeleton lies on your drawing or design, leaving a little extra at the ends so that you can shape loops to form the hands and feet.
Don't worry about posing the limbs; just cut the lengths and roughly line them up, using the drawing printout as a template. Form the head as a separate circle of wire, as well as the pelvis and possibly the torso, depending on how heavy or thick the torso will be. Cut off excess wire from these loops to keep them tight, but don't worry about shortening the legs until mounting (see step 5).
Use the plumber's putty to permanently attach the separate armature pieces together. The putty hardens like a two-part adhesive, yet is malleable and attaches like clay. It is toxic and should only be handled with gloves on, because it is difficult to wash off your skin.
Break off a piece of putty no bigger than you will need for one junction of the armature, then knead it, mixing the outer and inner colors well. Press the putty onto the armature sections you want to attach, making sure it covers the entire connection. Apply the putty to all junctions, then let it set for about 20 to 30 minutes. The putty will then be rock hard, and you can sand it down if needed.
Once the putty has set, apply floral wire to the armature. Start at any end you choose, and wrap the floral wire tightly around the armature wire, avoiding making large gaps in the wire wrap. You can do some of the wrapping while the putty sets if you are careful not to strain the puttied joints, which will allow you to tuck the ends of the floral wire into the putty and lock them in place. However, this isn't necessary, so long as you have needle-nosed pliers on hand to help you tighten up the end loops. Once the entire armature is covered with floral wire wrap, you are ready to mount your armature in the wooden base.
Use a drill bit approximately the same gauge, or a little smaller, than the armature wire, then line the armature up on the baseboard, making sure that it is centered on all sides. Make a pencil mark where the armature leg wires will be inserted, then drill a shallow hole in the baseboard for each leg. Test the tightness of the drilled holes with the armature legs, then, if you are satisfied, squeeze superglue into the hole, then reinsert the leg wires.
You may need to cut off the loops you made for the feet at this point, or keep the loops and drill through them to form the mounting holes, using screws to mount your armature to the baseboard. Now you are ready to begin laying in the base clay foundation of your sculpture. Happy sculpting!