Wear gloves to reduce the risk of placing fingerprints on the clay.
Make a wire skeleton for the clay figurine to help support the figure as it moves. Twist two lengths of wire together in the middle, wrapping them around each other two to three times; the wrapped section forms the torso. Pull the ends of the wire apart to form the arms and legs. Cut a piece of wire the length of one leg and fold it in half. Hook the short wire under both arms so that the U-shaped loop catches on the front of the torso. Twist the wire and position it parallel to the torso. Omit this step when making objects that you may smash or flatten in the movie.
Build up a clay body around the skeleton and shape it as desired. Your figurines may be people, plants or objects. Consider making one or more identical back-up figurines in case something happens to the original.
Fold a rectangular piece of cardboard in half to form a V-shaped wall that stands upright on its own. Decorate the cardboard with acrylic paint so that it resembles the room of a house, a beach or other background.
Place the figurine in front of the background.
Light the diorama with lamps or flashlights.
Move your computer so that it is near the claymation stage. Connect the webcam to the computer and follow the system prompts to install any necessary drivers or software. Open the webcam program by clicking "Start" and typing "Webcam" in the search menu. Left-click the webcam program.
Screw the tripod into the base of the webcam. Place the camera about three feet away from the set with the lens pointed directly at the claymation figure. View the image from the webcam on the screen; this image may be labeled "Live Feed." Move the camera up, down, left or right to adjust the visible image. Ensure that the claymation set takes up the entire screen.
Click the camera icon in the webcam program to take a still image. View the image on your computer to determine if the camera needs repositioning or if extra light is necessary.
Take a still image of the claymation set; this is the first pose. If the character is waving begin with the arm and body tilted toward the left.
Put on gloves. Dip your hands in the cool water for 15 to 30 seconds and dab them with a lint-free towel. This process helps bring down the temperature of your hands so that your touch does not as readily melt or depress the clay.
Begin to move the claymation figurine into the next pose. For the wave, this means moving the character's arm and body to the right. Try to move the character less than 1/16 inch.
Step away from the set. Take a second still picture by pressing the camera icon on the webcam program; this is the still of pose 2.
Open "My Pictures" from the "Start" menu and make sure that the pictures are being saved in that folder by the web camera program.
Repeat the process to move the character into new poses. Take at least 10 still images for each arc of movement, such as the movement of the hand from left to right, or a single step. Keep in mind that the less you manipulate the clay between each shot and the more still images you take, the smoother the final animation becomes.
Open Windows Live Movie Maker.
Click "Add Videos and Photos." Navigate to the "My Pictures" folder where your images are located. Left-click the first image to select it. Hold "Ctrl" and click each image to select them as a group. Press "Crtl" and "A" simultaneously to select all images in that folder. Press "OK."
Click over to the "Animations" tab. Press "Ctrl" and "A" to select all of the images in the storyboard to the right. Press the transition icon labeled "None."
Click the "Edit" tab and set the "Duration" field to 1.00.
Save the project as a movie; this option is available in the "Publish Movie" section of the "File" menu.
Press "Play" in the pop up window. Press "Pause" when the movie begins to play in Windows Media Player.
Right-click the movie while it is playing and select "Play Speed" in the "Enhancements" menu. Drag the slider all the way to the right of the ruler.