Armatures give support to a sculpture in progress. Sometimes armatures are removed and other times armatures remain a permanent piece of the finished work.

A variety of materials can be used to make an armature. Some armatures are designed to be removed before completion of the work and others remain permanently. An armature can be a simple a a balloon for making paper maché masks or as complex as a support architecturally scaled public art installation that needs to meet strict engineering standards.

For quickly mocking up ideas, cardboard and hot glue can make lightweight, cheap and relatively sturdy armatures. Various tools can be used to cut cardboard cleanly.