Below are my materials. I include this to show you what I have acquired as well as how much will be needed and so that I can make sure I have everything I need. (Which I found I didn't, so there you go). Oh yeah, and I explain them each a bit for your convenience. I wanted to include prices, but I honesty don't remember how much all of this cost. (I'll try to get a few prices later).
Here's the giant bunch of materials needed. (From Left to Right: 1/4" and 1/2" foam sheets, drinking straws, plastic and wax paper cups, craft sticks, Parts A & B to make resin casts, digital scale, liquid latex, glue gun, Crystal Clear, rubber cement, the bucket is filled with silicone and the blue bottle on top is the activator or catalyst for the silicone, Insta-Set, Insta-Cure and de-bonder, makeup sponges, Roma Plastalina clay, which can be replaced by regular Sculpey, a pack of wet and dry sandpaper in varied grits and Propoxy 20 a.k.a. plumber's putty.)
The majority of this will be used to make molds for resin body blocks which will become the armature or skeleton. First you make blocks to mold out of clay, then cast them in silicone, which is weighed on the scale. The clay is put in a plastic cup (either glued to the bottom with the glue gun or by a stand made of cut drinking straw). Then mix and pour in the silicone. (Mixing will be done with the craft sticks). When the silicone dries you remove the clay and use the mold to make the new blocks with the resin, which also must be measured/weighed exactly and mixed. The resin is mixed in the wax cups with craft sticks because it creates heat when mixed with its catalyst. Then the armature is made out of twisted armature wire and the resin blocks. These are put together with Insta-Cure, Insta-Set and Propoxy. Holes may need to be drilled into the resin blocks to reduce weight. The foam will be applied on top of the armature and adhered with rubber cement. The foam must then be trimmed with finger nail scissors and then covered with liquid latex. The latex can either be applied in thin sheets or "skins" which would need to be created on a glass slab or in a Hydracal plaster mold which would be custom made with the desired texture. At the moment I am debating whether or not to do this. Or you can carefully dab it on with the makeup sponges.
Here are some of the smaller items, though very important. Sticky Tac for holding random bits in place while animating, armature wire for the armatures, a variety of pliers and snips for working with the wires, X-Acto knives for any number of jobs, and wingnuts, bolts and there should be nuts but I have forgotten them (which is part of the reason I wanted to photograph my materials; just incase I forget anything). These last items are for "Tie-Downs." Tie-Downs go into the base of the feet of each character, they are used to secure a character to it's set/stage from underneath. Also, as you can probably see, I need to make sure my sizes are right and because one of my characters has tiny feet I need smaller Tie-Downs for it.
Here are the tools. The Heat Gun and Hair Drier are optional but can be helpful for drying rubber cement, baking Sculpey, etc. The Drill and Drill Bits will be used to twist wires together to make the armatures as well as drill holes in the stage to put the Tie-Downs through and other random jobs including assembling the set, which is also the main use of the Hammer. Also I will be using Saws to make my set, but my boyfriend's Jig-Saw, etc. are buried in his studio.
And though I include these last, you must remember, safety first. The materials above can do a number of things to hurt you so Gloves must be worn when pouring resin and silicone, the Masks are for any dust particles or fumes and the Goggles/Glasses are also for protecting your eyes from chemicals as well as projectile armature wires (believe me, it's common).
Beyond all of this I will need Wood for sets, random Fabric and Objects for props and costumes. I have Acrylic Paints to mix with the latex to create the color skins I want and paint the sets, I also have Paint Brushes, and will need random Screws/Nails, etc. I also have a ton of Printer Paper to make the "trees" for my forest.
