No problem at all.The only armature I've built was for my Celestia, I don't usually build armatures, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.Rarity for example has the following besides clay:2 tinfoil balls (Head and tail)1 toothpick4 short pieces of wire (to connect the legs to the torso)I make my sculptures in pieces:1 torso4 legs1 head1 tail1 maneI build the pieces and connect them. I drill a hole into the two pieces I want to connect and fit a wire or toothpick into the two holes connecting the pieces. I then place clay over the connection and smooth it out.The clay I have is rebakable, so I can add clay and bake as many times as I want.Doing this allows me a lot of freedom when building. I can make changes at any point. If I don't like something half way through, I can just cut her in half and start over.As far as preventing the tin foil balls from protruding, I always make them about 3mm smaller than the finished piece will be. 3mm is plenty of room for error when sculpting.As far as making the sculpt smoother, I use sand paper.220grit followed by 320 grit.Sanding the baked clay is why my sculptures appear so smooth. About a third of my sculpting time is sanding to make it smoother.I also have a 6 part tutorial in my gallery about how I made my Celestia that I would recommend as well.Hope that helps.If you have any more questions feel free to ask.Best wishes.