Q: Does The Clayman's Studio offer clay, stop motion or computer generated CG animation production services for TV commercials, short films, video presentations and / or online streaming rich media?

A: Yes, we offer full 2D and 3D CG and stop motion animation production services. We also offer 2D & 3D Illustration, character design, toy prototyping and licensing options on a variety of our already existing library of 3D character designs.

Allow us the pleasure of quoting on your next project. Email your inquiry here.

Q: I have a fantastic script / idea and am looking for a studio to produce it.

A: We primarily focus on producing our own proprietary content, but will consider producing 3rd party properties that we like.
Please note: we do not finance 3rd party properties and do not accept unsolicited scripts unless you are interested in hiring our services.

If your project's confidentiality is a concern, we are happy to review your NDA / Non-Disclosure Agreement. Email your inquiry here.

Q: What kind of clay do you use?

A: For clay animating, we use non-hardening Van Akens plastercine which comes in a rainbow of colors. For more permanent sculptures that are not being animated, we use a hardening Super Sculpy polymer clay which is hand painted or airbrushed.

Q: Does The Clayman's Studio offer illustration work for print advertising, safety and educational licensing purposes? ie- magazines, newspapers, brochures, menu's, displays?

A: The Clayman & Associates offer a variety of creative services, including 2D / 3D illustration and custom 3D photo printing for postcards to large posters. If you need some eye grabbing visuals for your next promotional campaign, email us at theclayman@gmail.com

Q: Does TheClayman's studio offer large scale custom foam sculpture services for signage, tradeshows or theme parks?

A: Yes, all of our designs can be reproduced larger than life for display. If you have your own design, The Clayman & Associates are happy to review your projects specifications and provide a quote.

Please Note: If you need pieces which will be mounted to an interior or exterior of a building, please ensure that you have had the premises inspected by a structural engineer and that all steel frame mounting armature blueprints are approved by the building owners and meet your municipalities safety codes. Unfortunately due to liability concerns we do not offer mounting services but will work with your engineers to create a piece that can be safely attached to your mounting brackets.

Email your inquiry here.

Q: I have decided to pursue a career in clay animation production and was wondering if you had any advice, or online resources you can direct me to where I can research the industry in greater detail?

A: This is a common question.

I would start by suggesting that you fully understand what kind of patience is needed for this kind of work. If you can deal with that, then the first thing to do is research different animation schools in your area. The style of animation is secondary to first knowing and understanding the basics of traditional, classical animation. ( including drawn and clay ) Since the demand for CG animation is also on the rise, I would strongly suggest furthering your knowledge in this area as well. Animation is no different than any other business and in most cases budgets will dictate what style is used. Those who are flexible and fluent in all styles of animation are in high demand internationally.

If school is not your thing, then there are a number of resource websites I frequent often:

Stopmotionanimation.com, features a forum that is frequented by many industry professionals who are usually happy to answer your questions.

StopMotionWorks.com, features helpful tips on the art of ball and socket armature fabrication. The site has a great news page as well!

AnimateClay.com, Here you can learn all about clay animation, as well as purchase tools, wire, foam, eyeballs etc... This site also has a very informative forum and news page.

10secondclub.net, This site is dedicated to furthering an animators skills. It features a monthly 10 second sound byte competition, where all animators must produce their own unique version of the same audio clip. The results are very entertaining, as well as hugely educational. This competition is open to all styles of animation, and focuses on performance over eye candy. Many industry professionals participate, and are happy to offer you constructive critiques.

AWN & Animation World Network's Animation Industry and School Database: Two must visit websites for anyone researching a career in animation.

Kaydara.com: Creators of Motionbuilder 5, a very intuitive 3D animation software application.

CGTalk.com: An international forum and gallery site for the CG animation industry.

3DBuzz.com: Another popular CG animation forum site.

I will be posting more resource specific sites in time, but also have many more sites you can visit on my animation links directory page.

Q: I am new to the Design, Graphic Arts and Animation industries and would like to know more about pricing my work, and licensing my designs. Do you know of any good resources?

A: Mark Monlux wrote and constructed this fantastic presentation at Graphic Artists Guild Conventions. He has since presented it at both the 2001 and 2002 conventions. He currently serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the International Board of the Graphic Artists Guild and as the SPGA/Seattle Chapter's Ethics Chair.

I believe that all Creative professionals, and clients exploring the creative industry for contractors, would benefit by visiting!

View Mark's presentation here

Ihaveanidea.org - A must visit website for all creatives wishing to pursue a career in advertising.