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How to Wrap a Wire Armature

Wire armatures are sculptures which approximate the skeletal structure of a figure. Usually this figure is human, but wire armatures may be made for virtually any creature, real or imagined. Wire armatures have a variety of uses, from providing the structure for stop-motion figures to acting as a model for anatomically accurate sketching. When making your own wire armatures, using the proper technique for wrapping the wire is key.

Things You'll Need

  • Drawing paper
  • Pencil
  • 14-gauge Steel wire
  • 28-gauge Steel wire
  • Wire clippers
  • Needle-nose pliers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Draw a sketch of the figure on drawing paper with a pencil. The sketch should be the desired size of the final wire armature.

    • 2

      Cut two lengths of 14-gauge steel wire with a wire clipper. Each length should be 2.5 times the height of the figure.

    • 3

      Bend the one of the wires in half so the ends are parallel.

    • 4

      Hold the axis of the bent wires with round-tipped pliers and twist the wires from the axis to the loose ends, stopping at the desired beginning of the figure's legs.

    • 5

      Hold the middle of the remaining wire against the twisted wire --- the body of the figure --- at the desired height of the figure's arms.

    • 6

      Twist the wire around the body of the figure at the desired shoulder height until it is firmly attached.

    • 7

      Cut the legs and arms to the desired length, including length at the end for feet and hands.

    • 8

      Bend the ends of the legs and arms at right angles to represent the figure's feet and hands.

    • 9

      Coil 28-gauge steel wire around the 14-gauge steel wire structure of the figure. The coils may be about 1/4 inch apart. Wrap the arms, legs, body, neck and head one at a time, using one length of 28-gauge wire, if possible. If necessary, cut the 28-gauge steel wire with a wire cutter and continue coiling the next part of the figure with a new length of wire.

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