CharacterMentor

LearnbyExampletoUseExpressions,Poses,andStagingtoBringYourCharacterstoLife

TomBancroft

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Introduction

WhenIstartedcontemplatingthisbook,whichIconsideracompanionbooktomyfirstbookCreatingCharacterswithPersonality,Iviewedthesubjectmatteras,“Nowthatyouhaveyourcharacterdesigned,whatdoyoudowithit?”Theconcepts that I felt were the next steps in applying to the world of characterdesign were posing, expressions, and staging your characters. Those threesubjects easily contained enoughcontent for abook.Thatwas it! Iwasoff towritingmysecondbook!

Buthowbesttoaddressthosesubjects?IreceivedpositiveresponsesaboutmyCreatingCharactersbookfromup-

and-comingartistswho said theyenjoyed the “assignments” that I endedeachchapterwith. It gave theartists theability to apply,on theirown, someof thelessons that were taught in that chapter. Additionally, I receivedmany lettersfromartschoolsalloverthecountrythathaveusedthoseassignmentsaspartoftheircharacterdesignclasscurriculum.Thatgotmethinkingabouthowwe,asartists,learn.

Backin1988,IattendedtheCaliforniaInstituteoftheArts(CalArts),oneoftheonlyschools(atthetime)thattaughttraditionalcharacteranimation.WaltDisneyfoundedit,andmanyofourinstructorswereDisneyanimationartistsorartistsfromotheranimationstudiosaroundtheLAarea.Itwasmyfirsttasteofhavinginstructorswhohadpracticalexperienceandamasterlevelofability.Thegoalofthisbookistocontinuethatartistictradition.AttendingCalArtswasabreathof freshairbutalsoaveryhumblingexperience. I sawfirsthandhowatruemasterdraftsman–levelartistdrew–andIfeltlikeIhadalongwaytogo.

Several of my instructors had also attended Cal Arts when they wereyounger.Theytoldusstoriesofthewisdomandabilityoftheirinstructorsandhow they were passing that knowledge on to us. They described this way oflearningas“mentoring.”Itisawayoflearningthatallcraftsmenhaveusedforhundredsofyears.Amaster-levelcraftsman,someonewhohas10or20yearsofexperience in their trade (such as woodworking, metalsmithing, sculpting,gourmet cooking, etc.)wouldmentor anapprenticeor student to train them inthewaysof that tradeuntil theywere able tomake that trade their living andeventually become a master themselves. My first example of this was in mycharacterdesignclassatCalArtstaughtbytheincredibleMichaelGiamo(who

laterwent on to art-direct the filmPocahontas forDisney).Mr.Giamo had avery hands-on way of teaching. He would give out an assignment, show usexamplesbygreatartistsofthepasttoillustratehispoints,andthenassignustocreateourarttoaddressthedesignchallengehepresented.Whenwebroughtourassignments in the next class, he would review them in front of everyone,discussing the pros and cons of each piece.He always left time at the end ofclasstoallowustobringourdrawingstohimandreceiveone-on-onementoringfromhim.For thosewhoasked,hewould layablankpieceofpaperover thestudent’s drawing and do a quick sketch demonstrating how to improve thedrawing.WatchingMr. Giamo drawwas like watchingmagic happen: it wasmesmerizing for us young, eager students. It was also, time and again, themoment I would learn a new concept or lesson.Watching a master, likeMr.Giamo,drawovermydrawing, then flipbackandforthbetweenmineandhiswaslikegettingayear’sworthofarteducationinamoment.IrealizenowthatthereasonIlearnedbestthatwaywasbecauseitwasvisual.IhadstruggledwiththesameassignmentandthoughtthroughitthebestIcould.WatchingsomeonewithMr.Giamo’sexperiencesitdownandquicklysketchoutaversionIhadnoteven considered was a valuable learning experience. Art instruction shouldalwayscomedowntovisualillustration,notsolelyverbalinstruction.

MentorshipasawaytolearnwasusedbyDisneyanimationalso.In1989,whenIgotmyfirstjobinanimationatthe(then)newDisneyFeatureAnimationinFlorida, the studio trained theyoungartistsbyhaving themworkalongsideexperienced mentors. I was fortunate to have animation legend Mark Henn,animator of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Young Simba in The Lion King,JasmineinAladdin,TianainThePrincessandtheFrog,andmanyothersasmymentor formostofmycareeratDisney.Webecamegood friends,but Ineverstoppedhonoringhis instruction.EricLarson–aDisneyanimationlegendandoneofWalt’sNineOldMenofanimation–hadtrainedMark.Ifeelhonoredtohavebeentrainedinthelineageofsuchincredibleartists.ItisoneofthereasonsIwritethesebooks:topassonthatknowledge.

I want you, the reader, to approach this book with the mindset of anapprentice. I havemore than twenty years of experience inmy chosen artisticcareerandhaveappliedthatknowledgetofeaturefilmanimation,TVanimation,children’sbookillustration,comicbookart,andvideogamedevelopment,andIamhonoredtosharethatexperiencewithyou.Ihaveconceivedthisbooksothateachchapterprogressivelybuildsuponthepreviousoneforyoutoapplywhatyou have learned. Each chapter is like a separate class in art school. I haveprovided instruction on a given subject, followed with examples, and thenassignedanartisticchallenge.Tovisualizethisforthebook,Ihaveaskedartists

intrainingtoillustratetheseassignments.Theyare,likeyou,apprentices.Ihavedrawnovertheirdrawingsandmadenotessothatyoucanseedifferentwaystoimprove upon the assignment frommy perspective. In addition, I have askedartistsfromdifferentareasofmedia,tocreatetheirversionofassignment#6(seepage141).Youwill see thoseexamples throughout thebook. Ihope thisbookhelpsyouonyourjourneytobecomingamaster.Enjoytheprocess!

TomBancroftFranklin,Tennessee,August2011

Foreword

Iwantyoutoputthisbookdown.Rightnow.

I want you to put this book down, and instead watch some movies.Specifically, somemovies that have bunches and bunches of stuff to do withmentors.

I’dsay,“Goreadabook that featuresbunchesandbunchesofstuffaboutmentors!”but thatwouldbebad.Idon’tknowwhat life is likeonyourcoffeetable,butonmine, thecurrentbookalwaysgetspiledon topof the lastbook,andthelastbookispromptlyforgotten.Sure,it’ssafefromdustandyourcat’spawprints, but it’s forgotten.And I don’twant you forgetting about thisbook.It’sfullofstuffIwishsomebodyhadforce-fedintomycabezaatanearlystage.

But, I digress.Movies.Movies about mentors. (Bear with me, Tom; I’mgoin’somewherewiththis.)

Why? Because I want you to have, in your mind, the proper apprenticemindsetwhenreadingthisbook.All toomanytimes,I’vehadyoungpeople(Ilovebeingoldenoughtousethat term!)showmetheirportfolios,andthey’velookedatmelikeIwasinsane.Mycritique,myadvice,myseasonedopinion–allfellondeafears.Theydidn’tdigwhatIhadtosay.MyguessisthattheyjustwantedtohavesomeoneFartherDownthePaththrowthemsomeego-gratifyingkudos;theydidnotwantthelearnedmusingsofamentor.

But watch somemovies about awesomementorship. StarWars (the firstone),TheKarateKid(thefirstone),TheMatrix(thefirstone,okay?).Anythingcool like that. I want you to pay attention to the Apprentice, the Initiate, theAdept.IwantyoutoseehowthisStudentoftheWorldgoesthroughacharacterarc,alearningcurveofgrowth.AndI’mnottalkingaboutthePathtoMasteryoftheForce/Karate/KungFu.That’ssurfacestuff.

IwantyoutopayattentiontohowthePupilhim-orherselfchanges;mainly,Iwantyoutonotehisorherattitude.

Do you notice how the Apprentice always, always starts out by notbelieving100percentoftheperceivedcrapfallingoutoftheLearnedMaster’smouth?Without exception, theApprentice always has a period duringwhich,stillintoxicatedbytheuntrainednaturaltalentthathasdriventhemtothesteps

ofthetempleorthethresholdofthehermit’scave,theApprenticebelievesheorshe knows best. It’s an affectation of youth to believe anyone younger is aninfant, and that anyone older is a senile geezer who needs their Dependschanged.TheApprenticedoesn’twant to learnphilosophy,orreason: theyjustwantthemadskeelz.Thebestthinganyapprenticelearnsis:anyjourney–real,artistic,spiritual–isabouttheactualsteps,notthedestination.

Think about journeying from New York to Los Angeles. On foot. Ifteleportationwerepossible,you’dprobablypreferthattowalking,no?Me,too,probably.But,ifyoucouldjustbeinLosAngelesatthepressofabutton,you’dpretty much be the exact same person, with the exact same perspective anddecision-makingskills,wholeftNewYorksecondsagointheInter-ContinentalRe-Placeulator.Butthejourneyofwalkingacrossanentirecontinent...that’dreallychangeaperson,don’tyouthink?Thepeopleyou’dmeetalongtheway,the mistakes you’d make, and the inventive solutions you come up with toamendthem–allthoseexperienceswouldchangeyou.They’dimproveyou.BythetimeyougettoLosAngeles,you’dbeawiserindividual,amoreseasonedhumanbeing,apersonwhomakesmuchmoreinformeddecisionsthanthekidthatstartedoutwestonthePulaskiSkywayacouplemonthsback.Imean,youcantellaperson,“Youshouldavoidbears!”butmostpeoplewillprobablythink“Well, ifpushcomestoshove,Icouldprobablykillabearwith,Idon’tknow,somesortofiPhoneapp.”Onlysomeonewho’sgonethroughtheexperienceofrunning,screaming,fromanenragedgrizzlywillactuallyknowwhatthewords“youshouldavoidbears”trulymean.

Mypointisthatyourdecision-makingprocessisalteredbyyouryearsOnYourPath.Evenifthereweresomesortofmagicthatallowedyoutheskillsofamaster, you still wouldn’t be able to do what a master does, because youwouldn’t posses the master’s years of experience. Half of being fabulous atsomethingishavingawesomedecision-makingskills,andthatcomeswithtime.EricClapton isn’tageniusbecauseofhowfastorwellhecanplay theguitar;he’s a genius because of the notes his years of experience have helped himchoosetoplay.

And that’s what I’m getting at with the whole Mentor/Apprentice thing(likeHalley’sComet, I always come around . . . eventually).LukeSkywalkerinitiallydoesn’twanttogooffwithBenKenobi,eventhoughhesayshereallywantstogetoffthatdrysaltineofafarm.HeresiststheMentor’sinstructionatfirst, until he realizes that Ben knows best. The same with Mr. Miyagi andMorpheus.Daniel-sanandNeo,regardlessoftheirpassionforwhattheywanttolearnfromtheirrespectivemasters,bothofthemhave“thisguy’sfullofcrap”momentsthroughouttheearlystagesoftheirstudies.

But,ifyou’repayingattention,you’llnoticethemomentwhenthingsstarttoturnaroundforourheroes.Withoutexception,it’sthemomentwhentheystopdoubting. It’s the moment they start trusting the mentor. The best thing anyapprenticecandoisputhim-orherselfentirelyinthehandsoftheirmentor.TheMentor knows best.He or she has already been there.He or she knowsmorethanyou.That’swhyyouarethere.

And that’swhyyou’rehere,with thisbook, rightnow.Youwant to learnfrom someonewho’s been there, done that, and learned that you really, reallydon’tstandachanceinaslap-fightwithabear.Whenyou’rereadingthisbook,and Tom tells you something that makes you go “I don’t know about that,”always remember: you’re wrong. When he tells you to practice drawingsomethingthatyouthinkwon’tultimatelymatterfor theartyouwant todraw:you’re wrong. The mentor knows best. The sooner you start trusting yourparticularmentor,thesooneryou’llbeonyourway.

Andwhenyou’rehavingthoseinevitablemomentsofmentor-doubt,whichweall have at one point or anotherwhile studyingunder someone, rememberBenKenobi,Mr.Miyagi,andMorpheus.

BenKenobiliestoLukeSkywalker,tellingLukeafabricatedtaleabouthisfather’s death. Is it because he’s a badmentor?Not at all.AsYoda says, twofilms later: “Not ready for theburdenwereyou.”Benconceals the truth fromLuke because Luke’s not ready for a particular piece of information at thatjunctureinhisjourney.Yourmentormighttellyousomethingatalaterpointinyour learning career that doesn’t jibewith an earlier teaching. There’s certainstuffyoujustcan’tprocessearlyon,so thementorhas tosimplify thingsuntilyoucanhandlethedeeperstuff.

TheMentorknowsbest.Mr.MiyagimakesDaniel-sanwash his car,whichDaniel-san thinks is a

crapjob.Waxon,waxoff.LittledoesheknowthatMr.Miyagiishavinghimdothistotrainhismusclesforblockingandkaratestuff!Don’tquestionthetrainingmethodsofyourmentor;heorsheknowsbetterthanyou,remember?Dowhatyou’retoldandremembertotrustthatyouareingoodmentorhands.

TheMentorknowsbest.MorpheustellsNeothateverythingthatheknowsisalie,thattheworldisa

dreamcreatedbyacomputertoturnpeopleintobatteries.Quitelogically,NeotellsMorpheusthatit’saloadofbrownstufffromthewrongendofthebull.IknowIwould;sowouldyou.But.Morpheusisright,regardlessofhowinsanehesoundstoNeo.Fromtimetotime,yourmentorwilltellyousomethingthatmakesabsolutelynosensewhatsoever.Yourbrainwillbeunable toparse thatfile,andyouwillattempttowriteoffyourmentorasbeingstir-frycrazy.Doing

this is dumber than fighting that bear. Yourmentor is more experienced thanyou,andhasunlockedthesecretsoftheuniverse,thestuffofwhichyoucannote’enimagineinyourphilosophy.Well,maybenotthatgrandasentiment,butawisepersonlistenstothewordsofsomeoneevenwiserthanthemselves.Trustwhatyourmentortellsyou,regardlessofhowmuchsenseitmakesnow.Justtellyourself:“SomedayIwillunderstandwhatIwasjusttaught;Ijustneedtogettothatday.”

THEMENTORKNOWSBEST.Ofcourse,noneof thismatters ifyou’vegottenyourselvesabadmentor,

somedefectivefloor-modelofahumanbeingwhowilldoyoumoreharmthangood.Butyou’reinsafehandshere.Tomknowshisstuff,andifyoutrustinhismentorship,you’llleavethisvolumeabitwiserandfartherdownthepaththanwhenyoustarted!

AdamHughesAtlanta,August2011

Acknowledgments

Thankyou,readers,forbuyingthisbook–Ihopeithelpsyouinthepursuitofyourartisticjourney.Ihaveenjoyedworkingonthisbook,butitwouldnothavebeenworthwhilewithout the support ofmywife, Jennifer, and our four girls,Lexie,Ansley,Emma,andEllie.Iloveyoualldearly.Thankstomybrotherandsister,TonyBancroftandCamiAvery,fortheirsupportandguidancethroughoutthetwo-yeardevelopmentofthisbook.Hugethankfulthoughtsgoouttoallthewonderful professional artists that contributed to this book, including: AdamHughes(whowroteanincredibleforeword,thoughIwishIhadalsoaskedforadrawing) and my good friend Megan Crisp; to the chapter “assignment”contributingartists:BobbyRubio,JeremiahAlcorn,TerryDodson,BrianAjhar,Sean “Cheeks” Galloway, Stephen Silver, and Marcus Hamilton; and to themighty painter Chuck Vollmer and talented book designer Leonardo Olea foraddingcolorandstyletothisbook.ThankyoualsotomyeditoratFocalPress,AnaisWheeler,whogotbehindthisbookandsupporteditfromthebeginning.Iappreciateyourpassion.Tomysecondeditor,DavidBevans,whocameinatthetough time of designing and editing the book and did a wonderful job. Alsothanks to industrygiantsMattPalmerandCamFordfor their insights intomymanuscriptandhelpfulnotestheygaveme.

And last,butnot least, thankyou to the talentedup-and-comingartistsof

deviantARTwhoputout ahugeeffort to completemymentor assignments sothat I could review themandmakemyownchicken scratchesover them!ForeverydrawingthatIprintedhere,aboutadozenmorefromothertalentedartistswerenotused!Youknowwhoyouareand I thankyou.Thanks to thepeoplewho did make it in the book: Francisco Guerrero, Pasqualina Vitolo, OleChristian Løken, Jaclyn Micek, Elaine Pascua, Lauren Draghetti, AndrewChandler,andUsmanHayat.

If you are interested in learning more about drawing and designingcharacters or want to contact Tom Bancroft, please visitwww.charactermentorstudio.com or go to his Facebook page atFacebook.com/thebancroftbros.

TableofContentsTitle

Copyright

Introduction

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Chapter1.NowWhat?

1NowWhat?

Twinning

UsingPerspectivetoCreateDepth

Clothing:DepthKillers?

UsingtheCore

LineofAction

DramaisnotVertical

Step-by-Step:CreatingaPosefromStarttoFinishedColor

ClarityandSilhouette

Assignment#1

Example#1PasqualinaVitolo

Example#2byOleChristianLøken

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Chapter2.TheFace

2TheFace

Eyes

Eyebrows

TheMouth

TheNeck

TheNose

UsingtheFacialElementstoEmote

Assignment#2

Example#1FranciscoGuerrero

Example#2LaurenDraghetti

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Chapter3.PosingYourCharacter

3PosingYourCharacter

BodyLanguage

WeightandBalance

TheMechanicsofMovement

WalksandRuns

Assignment#3

Example#1ElainePascua

MentorNotes

Example#2JaclynMicek

Chapter4.Acting

4Acting

Thumbnailing

Subtext

Purpose-DrivenActing

EyeDirectionandProximity

UsingPhotoReference

CharactersListeningtoEachOther

Assignment#4

Example#1:AlexandriaMonik

Example#2:BradUlanoski

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Chapter5.StagingYourScene

5StagingYourScene

TheRuleofThirds

ChoosingYourShot

PointofView

Assignment#5

Example:AndrewChandler

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Chapter6.LeadingTheEye

6LeadingtheEye

Visual“Flow”andTonalStudies

Shape-BasedComposition

DeterminingPriorities

CompositionforaClient

Assignment#6

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Chapter7.PuttingitinAction

7PuttingitinAction

Step1:Research,Research,Research

Step2:CharacterDesign

Step3:ThumbnailLayouts

Step4:Inks

Step5:ColorWizardry

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Index

Chapter1

NowWhat?DrawingBasicsforPosingandExpressions

In thischapter,we’llstartwithsomegeneralposingandexpressionbasicsandtips. These are some good ground rules and drawing pointers thatwewill beputtingtouseinlaterchapters.Unlikeothersectionsofthisbook,thesenotesdonotnecessarily relyonacharacter’s specificpersonality.Theyare lessons thatcanbeappliedtoallcharacters.

1NowWhat?

As Imentioned in the preface, this book startswith the conceit that youhaveacharacterorcharactersalreadydesigned—sonowwhatdoyoudowiththem?Youmaywanttousetheminacomicbook,avideogame,ananimatedfilm,aTVshow,orachildren’sbook.Howyouusethemisimportant,butwhatyou are trying to communicatewith them iswhat ismost important.Drawingstyledoesnotmatterconcerningtheinstructioninthisbook.Howyouapproach

showcasingyourcharactersiswhatmatters.If I had to write a “mission statement” for this book it would be this:

CharacterMentorisabookthatcommunicatestoartistsofallstylesandwithinall industries the importanceofusingposing,expressions,andstagingtobringyourcharacterstolife.Ibelievethatthereisa“missinglink”inourdevelopmentas artists from our early beginnings of enjoying to draw to becoming aprofessional,workingartist.Myhopeisthat thisbookcanbeusedasatooltohelpbridgethatgap.

Let’sstartwithsomegeneralposingandexpressionbasicsandtips.Thesearesomegoodgroundrulesanddrawingpointersthatwewillbeputtingtousein later chapters. Unlike other sections of this book, these notes do notnecessarily relyonacharacter’sspecificpersonality.Theyare lessons thatcanbeappliedtoallcharacters.

Twinning

If your character’s arms, legs, or even the grin of its mouth is identical inposition with its partner, we call this “twinning.” Not that I have anythingagainsttwins(infact,Iamatwin,andIhavetwingirls),but“twinning”inyourcharacter’sposedoesnotcreateastrongpose.Trytoavoidthiseffectwheneverpossible. Itmakes foradull, averageposeand isgenerallyconsideredaweakdesign.Offsetyourposewheneverpossible.

Agoodexampleof twinningcanbeseen in the traditional“Ta-Da!”pose(seeFigureA).Eveninaflat,straight-onanglelikethis,aslighttilttothehead,bringingoneof thearmsupsome,andplacing thecharacter’sweightmoreononelegthantheotherwillbreakupthesymmetryinthepose(FigureB).Sameemotioninthepose,moreinterestingdesign.

Asubtlerexampleoftwinningisseeninan“Idon’tknow”shrugpose.Inthis example, twinning is acceptable because it does communicate this veryrecognizablepose(FigureA).But,aslight tilt to theheadandminorarm/handadjustmentscanmaketheposeabitmoreinterestingwhilestillcommunicatingtheidea(FigureB).

UsingPerspectivetoCreateDepth

A common practice of beginning artists is to leave perspective out of theircharacters’ poses. It complicates the drawing, thusmaking it harder to create.Adding some depth to your pose will improve the pose immensely. Keeppracticingyourperspectiveinyourcharacterdrawingsandbackgrounds;itwillpayoff!Ifyourcharacterisstandingontheground,roughinagroundplanethathas some perspective to it rather than having a flat line for your character tostandon.

Addingsomeperspective/depthwill:

Help you avoid twinning in your character’s stance. Even if yourcharacter has some symmetry to its pose, adding depth to its stancewillautomaticallytakeawaythetwinningproblembecauseofthedifferencesinthesizesof theshapes.InFigureB, theforegroundeye,ear,arm,and legarebiggerthantheleftsideofthedrawingwhichhelpsthedrawingappearlesssymmetrical.

Make your posesmore dynamic.Note that themore dynamic angle inFigure B immediately gives more drama to the scene of the little girlreachingfortheglass.

Makeposesmoreclearandgivethemabettersilhouette.Agoodwaytocheckyourcharacter’ssilhouettevalueistoshadeitinonthebackofyourpaper. Figure A, if shaded in would be very unclear what the boy waspointingat-oreventhathewaspointingatall!TheposeinFigureB,clearsthatguessworkup!

Help strengthen expressions and emotions. The slump in the shouldersandtheheadhangingdowncanbeseenclearerinthequarter-frontviewontherightthanthedead-onfrontviewontheleft.

Remember that you have created your characters so they can be brokendownintosimple,basicshapes.Thisstepwillallowyoutodrawyourcharacterfromdifferent angles and perspectives.Think of the basic shapes of the head,eyes,lips,andnoseoftheface.Placethemintheperspectivewithinthecircularshapeof thehead, remembering thatshapesflattenas they turnawayfromthecenter (FigureA). This simplified drawing is the key to correctly replicatingyour characters fromdifferent angles.Once you have roughed out those basicshapes, you can then start adding details and refining the shapes of yourcharacter(FigureB).

Clothing:DepthKillers?

We have all done it before: you have worked hard creating your character,putting him or her into a good pose, giving the character just the rightexpression,andthenyouquicklysketchinhisorherclothingsothatyoucanbedonewithyourmasterpiece.Becareful,astherearemanywaysyoucanhurtagooddrawingby thoughtlessly throwingclothesonover it.Keep inmind thatyourcharacterhasdepthanddimension.Asyoudrawintheclothingontopofyourcharacter,considerhowthecuffswillcurvearoundthearmsorlegs–aretheyconvexor concavecircles?Are thewrinkles in the shirtorpantsmovingaround the shapeof thebodyor through it?The figurebelowshows the samepose drawn in two different ways: versionA has perspective problems to theclothing;versionBworkswiththeperspectiveofthebody.You’vebeenwarned:watchoutforthesedepthkillers!

UsingtheCore

Acommonmistakewhenposingcharactersis tohavethearms, legs,andheaddo all the communicationof theposewhile themidsection (pelvis to torso) isstraightasaboard.Astraightmidsectionorcorecanmakeyourposesfeelstiff.Also,youcanmissoutonastrongerwaytocommunicate theemotionsof thepose.

LineofAction

Theimaginarylinethatcanbedrawnthroughyourcharacter’sposefromfeettohead(orthroughthearms,dependingonthepose)iscalledthe“lineofaction.”Inadynamicpose, likeacharacterpunchinganothercharacter (FigureA), thelineofactionisstrongandcleariftheposesarepushed.Straight,boringposesdon’thaveadynamiclineofaction,asseeninthis“fightscene”inFigureB.

Additionally,thereisanatural“flow”withintheanatomyofyourcharacterwhenyouhaveastronglineofaction.Itwillalsogiveyourcharactersasenseofpoweranddynamics.

DramaisnotVertical

Togoalongwiththeideaofalineofactioninyourcharacter’sposes,remembertodrawelementswithinyourposeatanglestocreateamoredynamicpose.Ashape that is at a 45-degree angle, for example (Figure A) is more visuallydynamicthanashapethatisata90-degreeangle(FigureB).

It’s tooeasy todrawa straightupanddownpose foryour character.Tryandpushyourself to add angles into thedrawingwheneverpossible.Youwillseethisinsuperherocomicbooksinparticular.Herearesomestickfigure–styleposeswithsomeofthestraightstakenoutandreplacedwithsomeangles.Moredynamic?

Step-by-Step:CreatingaPosefromStarttoFinishedColor

Thismightbeagoodplacetostopforamomentandgothroughapose-basedillustration from start to finish to seehow Iwould approach it. I always learnfromseeingotherartists’processes,andIthinkyoumightgetsomethingoutofthisthatyoucanapplythroughoutthisbook.

Igavemyselfasimpleassignmenttocreateaspotillustrationofawomanjumpingoutofthewayofsomething–possiblyreactingtosomeonethrowingafirecrackerather.Mygoalistocreateaposethatexpressesapowerfulleapbutalsohasastrongsenseoffeartoherfacialexpression.

HerearethestepsItook:

1. I create a quick sketch that ismostly just a line of actionwith simpleshapesontopofittoshowherbasicanatomy.I’mgoingforafeelinghere–almostliketheposeisanexclamationmark.Iuseared,erasablepenciltosketchthisout.Thereisnorealreasonforthecolorred,butIdolikeusingacolorformysketchsothatIcanclearlyseethechanges/finallinewhenIaddtheblackgraphiteinstep6.2.Ilikewherethesketchisgoing,soIstaywithit.Iaddsomemoredetails,still using just basic shapes: ovals for the eyes and nose, a shape for themouth. And I indicate the drag of her long hair, which also accents themovement.3.Icontinuetoadddetails.Refiningherclothes(andthesenseofdragonthem).Istartfiguringoutherexpressionmore,too.4.Because the sketch is far enoughalong to see someproblemscreepinginto thedrawing, I dowhat I do tomostofmydrawings– I flip it over.Lookingatadrawingbackward(viaa lightbox)alwayshelpsmesee theproblems of a drawing. I create a new sketch on the back of the paper,fixingproblems I see, like the lower foot placement, the tilt of the chest,opening the hand on one of the arms, and even redrawing the tilt of herhead.5. Flipping the drawing back the original way, I redraw the drawing,transferringthecorrectionsImadeontheback.Theyareminortweaks,buttheyhelped.6. Using a kneaded eraser, I “knock back” the red underdrawing (which

simplymeansIlightenthelinebyhittingitlightlywiththeeraser).ThenIstart creatingmy final, tighter linedrawingwithagraphitepencil. Iwantthefinallinetostillfeelloose,soIkeepitslightlysketchy.7.AfterI’vedrawneverythinginthetighterblackline–addinglittledetailslike hair strands and highlights in the eyes – I scan the drawing into thecomputer.ThisstepenablesmetogointotheChannelsboxandselecttheRedchannel,whichtakesoutalltheredlineunderdrawing,leavingonlythetightblackline.IthentweakthelevelsandcontrastabituntilIhaveafinal,tightblackline.Readyforcolor!8.InAdobePhotoshop,Istartaddingcolor.Onaseparatelevel,Icutoutashape for thebackgroundcolorand fill itwithagradient. I startwith thebackground color simply because I already know that I want it to be areddish-orangetogiveasenseofdanger.Establishingthemaincolorfirstisusuallyagoodideasothatyoucanmakesureeverythingelsegoeswithit.9. Iaddawhite level (in theshapeof the figure) inbetween the lineandbackgroundcolorlevels.Thisstepgivesmeanopaquesurfacetoworkoffofsothegirl’scolorsaren’taffectedbythebackgroundcolors.10.At thispoint, I startblocking in flatcolor forher.Notallof themarecompletelyflat;inafewplacesIuseagradient,likeforherhairandblouse.Thereareamilliondifferentwaystocolorthispiece,butIwantedasimple,“animated” coloring style for this that I thought would suit the lineworkstyle.11.Thelaststepistoaddanotherlayerthathassomehighlightsanddarkershadowsthatareappliedgraphically.Also,Imakealast-minutedecisiontomove her left arm down a bit so that the two arms weren’t twinning somuch. I should have caught this earlier (around steps 4–7) becausechanging it in the color stage ismorework.With that changemade, thedrawingisdone!

ClarityandSilhouette

Themostimportantelementtocreatingasuccessfulposeofyourcharacter

isclarity.“Clarity”referstotheabilitytobeabletoclearlyunderstandtheintentbehind thepose–or theability to“read” thepose. Ihave learned through theyearsthat thefirst thingtodotocreateagood,useful,clearposeforwhateversituation I need it for (comic strips, comic books, animation, illustration, orstoryboards)istotakeamomentandthink.IfIthinkaboutwhatIneedtheposetocommunicate,thatwilleliminatemanydifferentposesandgivemeafeelforwhatIneedtoprioritze.Isthecharacterpointingatsomething?Ismycharactersad and crying? Does the character want to show something to someone?Rememberthat thereisalwaysareasonforapose,andif thereisnot, thendonotdrawit.Itwillbeemotionlessandwithoutdirection.

Withthistipinmind,Ithinkthebestwaytoillustratethispointistolistareason for a posewith a “right” and “wrong” version for each situation. Oneelement that will always help strengthen the pose clarity is to have a strongsilhouettevaluetothepose.Silhouettevalueiseasytoseeifyouturnthepaperyou’vedrawnonoverandshadeintheposewithadarkpencil.Allthenegativeshapes (the areas inbetween the linesof the character)will bewhite andwilleitherhelporhurttheclarityofthepose.Makingsurethatthehands,legs,andheadareclearofthetorsoareaistheeasiestwaytomakeaclearsilhouette.Ifthecharacterisholdingsomething,thatalsoshouldbekeptawayfromthebodywheneverpossible.Ihaveshownthesilhouettesoftheposesbelow–rightandwrong–soyoucanseewhyIhavemadethechangesIdid.

Posesuggestions/motivations:

Pickingaquarterupofftheground

Ahungrybearabouttobiteintoasandwich

Asuperheromidflight,seeingsomethingofconcernbelow

Assignment#1

For review purposes, let’s start with designing a couple original characters.Pleasekeepinmindtheelementsofsizeandshaperelationshipstomaximizethedesign.Designingcharactersandputtingtheminastrongposeisalottothinkaboutatonce,soIsuggestthatyoucreatethecharactersfirst,thenputtheminapose.It’sthedrawingoftheminastrongposethatIwanttoseefromyou.

The assignment is to create a teenboy andhis pet/sidekick. Imagine thatyouaredesigningthemasthemaincharactersforanewTVshow.Theyneedtostandoutandlooklikethestarsoftheshow.

CharacterDescriptions

ElroyChadsdale–A15-year-oldteenfromEnglandwhohasrecentlyrelocatedto Northern California. Because of the move and the fact that he speaksdifferently from every other fashion-conscious teen at school, he comes offgoofyanddorky.Heisshyaroundgirls,averageatschool(beforediscoveringthe necklace), and often kind of clumsy.He doesn’t havemany friends, so hesneakshispethamster inhishat for company–evenat school.He shouldbethin,havebigfeetandhands,alargishnose,wear“unique”uncoolclothes,andhavea“unique”hat(thatcanfit/hidehishamsterfriend).ThinkofHarryPotterinthefirstfilmorthekidthatplayedYoungSherlockHolmesfordesignideas.

Kirby–Elroy’spethamsterandbestpal (namedafterJackKirby,Elroy’sall-timefavoritecomicbookartist).They’vebeentogethersinceElroywasaladand are inseparable. Kirby’s one love is eating. He will eat anything, butespecially loves to nibble on Elroy’s clothes. This is a constant problem andmakesforElroyalwayshavingtoexplainsomenewholeinhisshirts,pants,andsoon.Elroy canunderstand– and talk to –Kirbyoncehe iswearing the tikinecklace.Asitturnsout,KirbyhasanIrishaccentandthetempertogowithit!

TheShowConcept

It’s an action-comedy show for preteen kids. It is about an average, slightlygeekyEnglishboy,alongwithhispethamster,whodiscoversanoldmineshaftcontaining a long-lost tiki necklace.When our herowears the necklace, he isempoweredwiththeknowledgeoftheuniverse.Withthisgod-likeknowledge,

he is able to change theworld!That is, if hismom,dad, teachers, and schoolprincipalwilllistentohim.

Objective

Theassignmentistocreateonefinaldrawingofthetwocharacterstogetherinaposethatshowstheirrelationshipand,hopefully,alittleoftheirpersonalities.

Example#1PasqualinaVitolo

MentorNotes

Out of the drawings submitted, I selected this character design by PasqualinaVitolo (#1) because she approached it in a bitmore of an anime/semirealisticstyle, which I thought would give me a challenge. And it did. I created oneversion that I feltwas too far away fromher design– it had toomuchofmystyle/preferences in it. That’s not what this assignment is about, so I redid ittrying to stay closer to her style. With this version, I looked at her sizerelationshipsandbrokedown the shapes sheused tocreateherversion. I thenroughedoutsomethoughtsonwhatImightwanttopush(drawing#2).Fromashape standpoint (the place I always start), I liked what she did.My biggestsuggestionistomakeaslightlylargerheadandabitmoreofadefinedshapetoit;Iwentwithatriangularshapebecauseherdesignalreadyhadthatfeel.Someotherminortweaks:Iloweredthetikinecklacesothatitwouldnotbesoevenlyplacedinhischest,triedtogetalittlemorechestandwaisttohisdesignsothathis torso sectionwasn’t so tube-shaped, added a bitmore neck, andmade theshapeofhishatalittleflatter.Withthosenotesinmyhead,Icreateddrawing#3,whichisgenerallythesamedesignIroughedoutbutwithafewthingstweakedevenfurther(likemakinghiseyesabitlarger).Thebigpushindrawing#3ishispose.Ididn’tunderstandPasqualina’sposethefirsttimeIlookedatit,butthen,after a while, I realized that Elroy was nervously waving at Kirby, who wasbeinggrumpy/angry.Whatseemedtobemissingwassomesolideyeconnectionbetweenthetwoandabitbettersilhouette.IturnedElroyawayfromusabitsowecouldseemoreofKirby(who’sangrybecauseheisholdingonfordearlife)and tilted Kirby’s head to be even more directional. Last, I gave a bit moreperspectivetoElroy’sfeetsohewouldfeelmorefirmlyplantedontheground.ThankstoPasqualinaVitoloforherhardwork!

Example#2byOleChristianLøken

MentorNotes

IreallylikedthecharacterthatChristianputintothisdrawing.Thereisadefinitestyletohisdesigntoo,whichisgreat.WhenIwentoverit,myfirst twogoalswereto(1)makeKirbythehamstermuchsmallerandlessshaggyand(2)strivetomakeElroyabitmoreofalankyteenager,likeinthedescription.Ialsotriedtomakehisproportionsabitmorevaried,asChristian’sdesignwasabiteven.Youcansee that indrawing#2,whereIwentoverhisdesignandbrokedowntheshapesandspacing.Itriedtostaywithinhisstyle(asmuchasIcould)whilesimplifying the linework, as this is supposed to be for a TV series. Extralineworkwouldkillanoverseasanimationcrewandcostmoretotheproduction,whicharetwobigreasonsforthesimplification.Also,streamliningadesignisimportantsothatasmanypeopleaspossiblecan“understand”howtodrawyourcharacter, which will happen when it goes to an overseas animation studio. InoticedthatChristian’sstylehadstraightsandcurvedlinesthroughout,soItriedtoretainthat inmydesign.IwillsaythatIwentbackandforthonChristian’schinforElroy.Ilikeditquiteabit,butultimately,feltitmadehimfeelolder,soI left it out of my version. As with any character design, there are so manydifferentways toapproachadesign.Therearemanydifferentways tomakeasuccessfulElroydesign,sopleaseacceptthesenotesas“somethingtochewon”and not the final word/version. Thanks to Christian Løken for his greatsubmission!

CelebrityArtistAssignment

BobbyRubio

StoryboardArtist

AboutBobby

BobbyAlcid Rubiowas born and raised in SanDiego and has been drawingsincehewasachild.HeattendedtheCaliforniaInstituteoftheArtsinValenciaand earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts. After graduation, heworkedforHomageStudios(ImageComics)inLaJollaandthencontinuedontopursueacareerinanimation.BobbyworkedfornineyearswithWaltDisneyFeature Animation as a traditional animator and storyboard artist on severalfilms, including Tarzan and Treasure Planet. After Disney, he worked as anassistant director/storyboard artist for Nickelodeon Animation Studios on theseriesAvatar:TheLastAirbenderfortwoandahalfyears.Currently,Bobbyisastoryartist forPixarAnimationStudiosandhasworkedon theanimatedshort“TokyoMater”and the featureanimatedmoviesUp,Cars2, andBrave.Afterhours, he works on his creator-owned and independent comic seriesAlcatrazHigh and 4 Gun Conclusion. For more information, visit his website,bobbyrubio.com.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

Asastoryartist,itismyjobtocreateafeelingwithanimage.Theimageshouldbe clear and recognizable in an instant. So with this assignment, I wanted tocreateacreepyvibe.Tomhadprovided thecharacterdesignand layoutof theroom.Emma’sdesignwassosweet,innocent,vibrant,andanimated;Iwantedtocontrastherwiththemysteriousshadowfigure.SoImadehimmorestoic,dark,andcreepy.

Emmaisthefocus,soIplacedherintheforeground.Sheishappilytextingawayonhermobilephone,completelyunawareofherstalker.Thestalkerisinthebackground,andIhavecreatedseveralvisualcuesthatleadtheeyestohisdirection.Theceilinglinesconvergeandpointtothewindow,aswellasEmma’sfeet,herbed,andherjeansonthefloor.WiththisdynamicshotthatIdesigned,IhopethatIhaveconveyedthefeelingofcreepinessthatIwasalludingto.

READERNOTEPlease see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

Chapter2

TheFaceBreakingDowntheElementsofExpression

2TheFace

1=mostimportantto5=leastimportant.

In this chapter, we’re going to start looking at the basics of characterexpressions.Iwanttocontinuetostaygeneralatthispoint;inlaterchapters,wewill get specific on what and who your character is. After that, we willconcentrate on figuring out why your character is doing something. For now,thesearestillgeneralitiesabouthowfaceswork(male,female,orwhatever)andhowto“push”yourcharacter’sexpressions.

First, let’s look at the elements thatmake up the face – both human andanimal – showcasing their individual importance in communicating to anaudiencethroughemotion.Thesearejustmypersonalopinionshere–youmayratetheirimportanceabitdifferently.Also,dependingontheexpression,Imightput them in different order. For simplification, I am using a male face torepresent a human face as the representation of a human, but the sameevaluations would apply for any humanoid character – females, children, andeveryone. I’ve thrown in a cartoon dog to represent most anthropomorphicanimals(cats,horses, lions,etc.) tomakeapoint that there isanaddedfeaturetheyhavethatcanemote.

TheEYES “Thewindowtothesoul.”Wearetaughtfrombirthtolookintoeachother’seyeswhenwecommunicate.Whenanactor is inatight close-up on-screen, we will look into the eyes first andforemostandthen,peripherally, lookat themouthforemotionalcues.

TheEYEBROWS

Almost as important as the eyes because the eyebrows put theclarity into what the eyes are trying to say. If the eyes are the“windows,”theeyebrowsarethe“curtains”!

TheMOUTH Theeyesandeyebrowsdoallthe“heavylifting,”butthemouthisnearlyasimportantfordefiningthatexactexpressionyouwanttoillustrate.

TheNECK Yep,theneckbeatoutthenoseforemoting–andthenoseisinthe middle of your face! This is because a tilt of the headsometimessaysitall.

TheNOSE Wedon’tusuallyuseournosetoconveyemotion.Likeourears,it serves amore practical purpose. If youmake a very extremeexpression,though,itcanbehardnottofurrowyournose.

This cartoon animal diagram is here to make the point that with someanimals, the ears can help show emotion. Ears up can mean “happy orinquisitive”;earsdowncanmeansadorintrospective.

I think it will be useful to go through each facial element listed in thediagramandpointoutsometipstorememberaboutthemseparatelybeforewe

startcombiningtheminourexpressions.

Eyes

Imentioned inmy first book (CreatingCharacters with Personality, Watson-Guptill Publishers) to always strive for variety in your eye shapes. Circular,almond, and teardrop shapes – among others – can help show differentpersonalitiesorethnicitiesofyourcharacters.Fornow,let’sjustusearounded,simplifiedeyeshapefortheseexamples.

Remember that eyes are round shapes that have skin and muscle roundthem. It is thatmuscle and skin aroundour eyeballs that gives eachof us ouruniqueeyeshapes.Wecanseelessthanone-thirdofthesurfaceoftheeyeball,sokeepinmindthatthereismuchmorebehindtheeyethanwhatwesee.

Keepinginmindthisfactwillhelpyouaccuratelyshowthepupilshapetoconveyeyedirectionastheycurvearoundthecircularformoftheeyeball.

Unfortunately, sometimes frustrating eye problems pop up when you aretrying to get just the right expression or “look” on your character’s face.Wehaveallbeenthere,andwehavesketchbookpagesorartboardsthatarereduced

toshredswithalltheerasuremarkstoproveit!Thereareafewthingsyoucankeepinmindtohelpfighttheseproblems.Hereareafewoftheeyeballculpritsandsomethoughtsonhowtofightthem.

ZombieEyes

“Zombie eyes” ismy term for that blank stare that a character getswhen thepupilsaredead-on,smackdabinthemiddleoftheeyes(FigureA).Veryrarelydoyoueverwanttousethisexpression.Thislookworksforashockedlookorsome kind of strange sick look on your character (FigureB). See the figuresbelowforsomegoodandbadexamples. Ifyourcharacterneeds to lookat the“viewer,”thenturntheheadslightlysoyoudon’tgetthe“zombie”look(FigureC).

WalledEyes

WalledeyesarepartofthelookmadefamousbyMattGroeningontheTVshowThe Simpsons. But even The Simpsons stopped doing it after the first fewseasons of the show. This look is achieved when the characters pupils areindependentlylookingawayfromcenter,indifferentdirections.Walledeyesareafunny,bizarreexpression,butifyourcharacterhasthemallthetime,youcan’tget any real emotion or eye direction out of it. Apply the earlier note ofimaginingarrowscomingoutofyourcharacters’eyestoclearthisup.

CrossedEyes

Aswiththetwopreviousexamples,it’samazinghoweasilythislookcancreepup on you.Crossed eyes are just as they sound: the pupils are turned inward,toward each other (FigureA).Watching for this is the bestway to prevent it.Howyoudrawthepupilscanhelpprevent thisprobleminmostcases.Oneofthehardestthingstohaveacharacterdowithoutcreatingcrossedeyesislookattheirownnose(FigureB).Remember,asstatedearlier,theeyeballisround–notflat.Whenyoudrawapupillookingdownorinward,flattenitabit(makingitoval)toshowtheslightperspectiveofthecurveoftheeye.Thistrickwillhelpeasethelookofcrossedeyes(FigureC).

Eyebrows

Even with a strong cartoon style or simplified character, it’s important toestablishaconnectionbetweentheeyesandtheeyebrows.Forexample,ifyoureyebrowsareplacedtoofarawayfromtheeyes(aswithacharacterwithahugeforehead),youwill losetherelationshipofeyebrowtoeyeandhowtheyworktogether.Notmakingthemfeelconnectedwillweakenyourexpressionsaswellasmaketheeyebrowsfeelliketheyarefloatingontheface–notconnectedviaskinandmuscleunderneath.

AgoodwaytomakesurethetwofacialpiecesrelateistolightlysketchinaLone Ranger–style mask around the eyes. The mask will help you lock theeyebrowsabovetheeyesandshowthemwithproperperspective.Remembertodrawthecurveabovetheeyeswithafeelingfor thebrowthatcomesoutovertheeyes;thisapproachwillgiveyoumorefeelingofdepth.

The face mask becomes especially helpful when creating expressions.Remember that theeyes react towhat theeyebrowsaredoing.Look for thoseopportunitiestoshowthatbycompressingorstretchingthemaskshape.

TheMouth

Here’s another analogy to illustrate the importance of themouth in the facialexpressionhierarchy: if the facewerea sentence, theeyeswouldbe thenoun,theeyebrowswouldbetheverb,andthemouthwouldbethepunctuation.Why?Because themouthhelpsdefine theemotionbehind theexpression.Here isanexperiment you can try on your own. Draw a face with just the eyes andeyebrowsdrawnin.Doaboutsixofthem,allwithdifferenteyeexpressions.Dotheycommunicatetheexpressionclearly?

Yesandno,right?Theycommunicatethemostobviousemotion.Ormaybeyoureadoneemotion,andIwouldseesomethingdifferent.Yourmindfills inthemouththatitmostcommonlyassociateswiththatparticulareyeexpression.

Herearesomeof thesameeyeexpressionswithmouthshapesaddedthatseemtofit.Isthisthefacialemotionyoupictured?

But, to get a bit more subtlety and variety, try some different mouthcombinationsandseewhatemotionsyouget.Forfun,trymoreandseehowfaryoucango.

Differentmouthsprojectslightly–orvery–differentemotions.That’swhythe mouth is the question mark or exclamation mark of the “emotionalsentence”!

Additionally,rememberthatthemouthandjawworktogether.Manyartistsforget to extend the shape of the face when opening the jaw. Thismethod isespeciallyusefulwhenanimatingdialoguemouthshapes.

TheNeck

Though not actually part of the face, I learned early inmy feature animationcareer that the neck andmore specifically, how it relates to the head,was animportant tool to help your character come to life. In short, I discovered thedynamicworldofheadtilts.Insomeinstances,aheadtiltcanstrengthenaposebymakingthelineofactionlessvertical.Anglesaremoredynamic.Butthat’sjustonestrengthto“headtilts.”Therealstrengthisinhowcertainposesmoreclearlycommunicatethestoryideaoremotionviaaheadtilt.

Whichoneofthesecommunicatestheactionoremotionbetter?

“DidIjusthearsomething?”

“Whatdoesthatsay?”

Andforaddingtoexpressions,aheadtiltisoftentheicingonthecakeofapose or expression. Here are a few examples – you can decide whichcommunicatesthebest.

TheNose

Togobacktomysentencestructureanalogy:Thenosewouldbethesemicolon.It’s somethingyouwill rarelyneed,but it canbea strongaccent in those rareoccasions.Themoreanatomicalorrealisticyourcharacter,themoreyouwillusethenose inexpressions.Hereareacoupleofexpressions inwhich thenose isusefulasanaccent.

UsingtheFacialElementstoEmote

Nowthatwehavedissectedthefacialelements(andneck),Iwanttoconcentrateonhowtheyworktogethertoconveyanexpression.

Youhaveseentheexpressionchartsinothercartooningbooks,right?Theyare very useful, but themost useful tool you have inmaking your characterscome to life isyou.Whenever I get stuck trying to find an expression formycharactertoexpressacertainemotion,Ipickupamirrorandactitout.Ifyourcharacterismournful,forexample,donotlookinthemirrorandmakethe“sad”lookfromtheexpressionchart.Thinkofasituationthatmakesyoufeelthewayyour character needs to feel, then feel it. Now look in the mirror. You willprobably find an original or unique way to portray that emotion – and Iguaranteeitwillbeamoresubtleactingsolution.

Iliketochallengemyselfbyusinganexistingcharacterdesign(inthiscase,“Tommy” from page ____) and try to create a variety of ways to expressdifferentemotions.HereareafewthatI’vedrawn.Tryityourselfwithyourowncharacter; you will discover a new level of subtlety in your character’spersonality.

PliabilityintheFace

One of the best of the originalDisney animators of the 1930s and 1940swasFreddieMoore.TheotheranimatorsofthetimewouldsaythatFreddiecouldnotdrawabaddrawing ifhewantedto!Everysketchhemadewasappealingandfilledwithcharm,eventhoughFreddiewaslargelyself-taught.Itwasnaturalforhim.Thatappealcameintoplaywhenthestudiodecidedtocreatethefirsteverfeature-lengthanimatedfilm:SnowWhiteand theSevenDwarfs.Withhis fun,

appealing, cartoon style, Freddie was quickly tapped by Walt Disney tosupervisethecharacterdesignandanimationofthesevendwarfs.

AnearlyphotoofFreddieMooreandhisfamily.Herehemodels“pliability”inthefaceperfectly!

It’shardtoimaginethis,butmostoftheanimationconcepts–andcharacterdrawingconcepts–thatweusetodayinourdrawingswerecreatedinthe1930s.FreddieMoorewasoneofthosepioneers,andhewasjustdoingwhatfeltrightto him.He started drawing the dwarfswith a flexibility to their cheeks and aspongyfeeltotheirbelliesandfingersthatmadethemfeelmorereal–notstiffdrawings anymore. Walt noticed this and had the other animators look overFreddie’sshouldertoseehowhewasmakinghisdwarfdrawingscometolife.ThekeydifferencewasthatFreddiewasaddingaconceptwenowcall“squashandstretch”tohisdrawings–especiallyinthefleshyareasofthefaceandbody.Thischange inshape fromonedrawing thatwascompressedandround to thenextbeingstretchedlonggaveapliabilitytothefaceandbodythathadnotbeenseen before in animation. This is not an animation book, but giving your still

drawingsasenseofpliabilityisstillimportant.Youwillgetmuchmorefeelingoflifeandmovementtoyourdrawingsifyouconsiderthat theshapesyouareworkingwithhavegirth,weight,andflexibility.Forexample:

AsyoucanseeinFigureAabove,thereisnosquashandstretchappliedtothe face.This lackofpliabilitymakes for stiff facialexpressions. InFigureB,there is much more life to the drawings and expressions. Remember, asmentioned before, the jawmoves up and down,which naturally lengthens thefacewhenyourmouthopens.

Additionally, even a lean character should have some movement in thecheeks.Aheavyset,fleshycharacterwillhaveevenmoreextrememovementtothe cheeks – and therefore,more reaction in the eyes.We have the ability tomove our mouths around our face because of the muscles beneath our skin,whichmakesformoreinterestingfacialexpressions.Asyoucanseeinthefigurebelow,versionBhasasidewayssmilethatmakesforabitmorepersonalityandlife in the face. This effect shouldn’t be overdone, but occasionally and forcertaincharacters,agoodcrookedsmiledoeswonders!

Assignment#2

Reviewthe“Emma”modeldesignandadditionalheadsketches.Justusingtheheadandneck,createsixdrawingsof“Emma”indifferentbasicexpressions.Remember to considerher “fleshy”cheeksas shegrimacesorgrins.Theeyesshould react to the cheeks. How do the eyes react to what the eyebrows aredoing?Doyourbesttostay“on-model,”whichmeansstayingtruetothedesignonthemodelsheetprovided.Oneofthehardestthingsyoucandoasanartistisreplicate a character in different angles and different attitudes yet stillsuccessfullymakehimorherlooklikethesamecharacter.Thatisabigpartofthisassignment.

Becausewhosheiswillaffecthowsheacts,pleasetakeintoconsiderationthisbasicdescriptionofhercharacter.

Emma–Age12,thekidatschoolwhohasmanyfriends.Sheiswarmandoptimistic–toafault.Shecaneasilygetherfeelingshurtbecausesheissucha“giver”thatherexpectationsarethatpeoplewilldothesameforher.Often,theydon’t. She is easily taken for granted because she is “always there” for herfriends,whichmakesherevenmoreofapleaserpersonality.Gethermadandshe can change into a fiery beast that takes a while to cool. Because of heroptimisticpersonalityandfaithinthosearoundher,shecanbenaïveandeasilyduped.Generally,though,sheisfullofloveandsmiles.

Thesearetheemotionstoillustrate:(1)normalhappy(content),(2)angry,(3)nervous,(4)surprised,(5)sad,and(6)scared.Pleasearrangethemallononepage,usingthetemplateprovided.

Example#1FranciscoGuerrero

MentorNotes

I really liked Francisco’s drawings and the emotions he put into them. Mybiggestnotes/suggestionsrevolvedaroundhowFranciscousedthebody/neckinrelationtothehead.IfyoulookatFrancisco’sdrawings,mostofthemareverystraight up and down (the head-to-body ratio). And the shoulders are straightacross. I tried to push the emotion a bitmore inmynotes by using the body,neck,andheadtiltsabitmore.Also,Itriedtowidentheeyesorcompressthemmoredependingontheemotion.“Scared”isagoodexampleofthis.Francisco’sfeltabitmorelike“concerned”than“scared,”tome.

Example#2LaurenDraghetti

MentorNotes

LaurendidanicejobcapturingEmma’spersonalityandtryingtokeepherason-modelaspossible.I thinkkeepingacharacteron-model isveryimportantand,truthfully, a part of this assignment. You should always try and make thecharacterlooklikethemodelsheetwhengivenonebyanemployer,sothiswasgood practice for Lauren to do just that. As far as how she captured theemotions,Ithoughtshedidafinejob,buttherewasroomforimprovementhereandthere.First,the“surprised”expressionshedrewishurtbyitbeingaprofileview. Yes, you see the mouth open very clearly in this angle, but she reallydoesn’tgetthemostoutoftheexpression–especiallytheeyes–fromthisview.With“surprised,”youcanmoveherheadeither forwardorback,but it shouldnotbeverticaltothebody.Itjustdoesn’texpresstheemotionifshe’snotleaninginonedirectionortheother.Samewith“scared,”inwhichmore

oftenthannotyouwouldcowerback,notmoveforwardtowardwhateveryouareafraidof.Lauren’s“sad”expression,asyoucansee,Ichangedverylittlebecause I thought itworkedwell. Imostly justdroppedher shouldersandhadher hair move forward from gravity. Doing that helps accent her mood, too.Also,Ireallylikedher“nervous”andtweakedthatonlyslightly.Ifeltherbodycould be twisted away fromusmore and I liked the idea of her biting onherpinky to accent her nervousness. Pretty much all of Lauren’s poses had theshouldersup,which for emotions like“happy,”“sad,”and“surprised” seemedliketheoppositeofwhatyouwouldwanttoportray,soIdroppedtheshouldersonthoseemotionsinmynotes.

CelebrityArtistAssignment

Sean“Cheeks”Galloway

ComicBookArtist/CharacterDesigner

AboutSean

SeanGalloway is a self-taught artist who became a professional in 2004. Hesoon catapulted to lead character designer for the Sony Pictures Televisionanimated seriesThe Spectacular Spider-Man, providing the defining look andstyleofthecastofcharacters.

PriortohisworkonTheSpectacularSpider-Man,Gallowaylenthisartistictalents toseveralcomicbooks,asapenciler forMarvelComics’Venom,coverartistforMarvelAdventures,andacoverartistforDCComics’TeenTitansGo,aswellasinteriorartformanyotherMarvelandDCprojects.

Other film and TV projects include: creating storyboards for G. I. JoeRenegades, Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc., and as a conceptual artist for bothDisney’sTron Animated andDreamWorks Mastermind Projects. Additionally,Galloway was character designer for the films “Hellboy Animated: Sword of

Storms,”and“BloodandIron.”Some of his game and toy designwork has been forBlizzard,EA, Sony

Entertainment, Phoenix Age, THQ, Hasbro, Upper Deck, LeapFrog, andWildstorm/Blizzard.

On the side, Sean works on his creator-owned properties: “Bastion’s 7,”“Gumshoes4Hire,”and“LittleBigHeads.”1

Sean’s work and updates can be found at: http://cheeks-74.deviantart.com/gallery/, http://gotcheeks.blogspot.com,http://twitter.com/cheeksgalloway, andhttp://www.facebook.com/sean.cheeks.galloway.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

Ilookateverytaskinthefaceandshowitwho’sboss!Isay,“Task,youtake-awhat’so’comingtoya.AnypeepouttayaandIwillmakeyafeelmywrath!”

Afterweareonthesamepage,I try to layout thepage,keepinginmindwhat is important to communicate – like keeping the important parts visible,clear,andwithatwistofvoilà.

WhatIwantedtogoforinthisimageistoshowhowintotextingthemaincharacteris,allthewhilenotnoticingshehasastrangeratherwindow.

(IcreatedthisdigitallyonmyCintiqusingAdobePhotoshop.)

READERNOTEPlease see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

1Bastion's“7Gumshoes4Hire,”“LittleBigHeads,”andallrelatedcharacterstrademarkedand©SeanGalloway.Allrightsreserved2011.

Chapter3

PosingYourCharacterWhatareYouTryingtoCommunicate?

In thischapter,aswithexpressions,wearegoing to takeageneral lookat theuses of posing your character beforewe get intomore specific elements of acharacter’spersonality.Thequestionfor thischapter is:what is thepurposeofthepose?

3PosingYourCharacter

Inthischapter,aswithexpressions,wearegoingtotakeagenerallookattheusesofposingyourcharacterbeforewegetintomorespecificelementsofacharacter’spersonality.Thequestionfor thischapter is:what is thepurposeofthepose?

Most poses can be broken into four different categories based on theirpurposeorneed:

STORYTELLING or “acting poses.” These are poses with a point.Storytellingposesareexpressiveposesusedtoconveyacharacter’semotions–even without them having to speak. These poses are the essence of bodylanguageandshowathoughtoremotion.

DYNAMIC or “action poses.” These include any pose used to show acharacter lookingcourageous(as insuperherocomics)ormovementposesthatdescribewhatacharacterisdoing.

DISPLAY These poses are best described with the classic “ta-da!” pose,with arms thrown out to the side, chest out, and a broad smile on the face.Display poses are predominantly used in merchandising art or other venueswhentheneedistoshowthecharacterfrontandcenter,asanicon.Usuallynostoryisbehindthepose–it’sjust:“I’mhappy,loveme!”

ALLURINGor“sexy”poses.Justlikedisplayposes,thisisreallyasubset

ofeitherastorytellingordynamicpose.Butitissuchaspecific–andwell-used–styleofposingthatitdeservesitsowncategory.Afamousartistoncegavethisadvice:“Ifyoucandrawprettygirls,you’llnevergohungry.”

Ofcourse,aposeandexpressioncombinationcanhaveelementsofafewoftheposingcategories listedhere.If Iweredrawingacomicbookpanel thathad a character running from someone/somethingbut also lookingback tohisfriendtogivehimsomeencouragement,thatposewouldbebothastorytellingandadynamicpose.

Here’sanexampleofanalluringandastorytellingpose:

In commercials, you can havemany examples of display and storytellingposes:

BodyLanguage

When I was working at Disney, I found out a secret that some of the moreexperiencedcharacterdesignersandanimatorsknowthattheywon’ttellyou.It’ssomethingyouhave to find out on your own. I hadgotten to the point inmycareer at Disney that I was involved in some of the meetings with uppermanagement (“the suits”) at which we would present development art andpreliminarycharacterdesigns(somedrawnbyme)andtryandgettheirinputorapproval.Wewouldpinupvariousdifferentversionsofourcharacter,andtheywouldwalkbythemeyeingthemclosely.If theyslowedinfrontofoneof thedrawings,wewouldgetexcited,hopingthatthatdrawingmightbeapprovedandbecomethefinalversionofthecharacterwe’vebeentryingtodesignformonthsonend!Thatwastheroutine–foralmostayear,insomecases–aswewouldtryandgetthingsapprovedbutmoreoftenthannotbesentbacktoourdrawingtablestofigureoutanewversionofthatcharacterfornextweek’smanagement(non)approval meeting. After a while, other artists started getting strongresponses and approvals on their character design drawings, so I started toanalyzewhattheyweredoingthatwasdifferentfromwhatIwasdoing.That’swhenIdiscovered thesecret! Itdidn’tmatterhowgreataface,costume,nose,armor, orwhatnot I put intomy character design!Whatmattered to the suits,nonartiststhattheywere,wasdidit“feel”likewhattheythoughtthecharactershouldbe!Ididn’tneedtodotightdrawings,addcolor,drawbiggertofilluptheboard,orevendomoredrawings–Ijustneededtododrawingsthathadsomekindof attitude to them!Not justwell-designed character designs, but placingthem in poses, with expressions, that said who they are! When I startedconcentratingonthat,thingswentmuchbetter.

The following is of a girl thatwe can imagine is a character design of aheroine fora filmorTVshow.Hercharacter is that she’sa southerngirlwhodoesn’trealizehowbeautifulshereallyis.Sheisawkwardandshybutwithaninnerstrength thatcomes fromherstrongbutstrange familyupbringing.Now,withthatinmind,whichonesayswhosheisbest?

I have to admit that one of my artistic weaknesses is that I rely on mycharacter’s facial expressions too much. It is an easy problem to fall into.Sometimes a sceneneeds a close-upof a facial expression to best express thedramaofthemoment,butwheneverpossible,useafullbodypose.Somuchisgainedemotionallybyusingthebodyandthefacetogether.

OnethingIdotomakesureI’mcommunicatingthecorrectemotionwiththecharacter’sbodyandnotjusthisorherfaceisdrawthefacelast.OnceI’vesketched out a pose, I take amoment and review it, sans face.Does the posecommunicate the emotion I am going for? If not, I do somemore thumbnailsketchesuntilIhaveaposeIthinkissuccessful.Atthatpoint,addingthefacialexpressionislikeaddingthefrostingonacake.Itjustmakesitbetter!

Hereare some roughposes Ididwithcertainemotions inmind.Canyou“read”thebodylanguage?

WeightandBalance

Something we artists rarely consider when designing and posing ourcharacters is howmuch they weigh. Not that you need to know exactly howmanypoundsthecharacterwouldactuallyweighif theywerereal,butkeepinmind that they would weigh something! In animation, showing a character’sweightisanimportantpartofcreatingabelievableperformance.

For example, an elephant’s steps should feel heavy;without that senseofweight,itwillnotfeellikeanelephant’swalk.Itlosessomebelievability.Evenin a still drawing, this is important.Here are some poses that show a lack ofweight:

One of the elements that are missing in those drawings is compression.Compression (or “squash,” in animation terms) is the sag, spread, or squash–thatwe see in any shapes thathave softnessor somekindofkinetic anatomy.Herearetwoexamplesofcompression:

The obvious areas youwill see compression in real-life poses are in thefleshiestpartsofourbodies,likethebuttocks(whenwesit),cheeks,orbellyofanoverweightperson.Keepinmindthatcompressiondoesnotalwaysrefer tothefat,fleshyareasofthebody,butalsoinhowwedrawthejointsofthehands,arms,legs,fingers,andfeetofthebody.Weshowweightbyhowwecompressourfingerstogether,forexample,whenpickingupapencil.Evensomethingaslightasthatneedstohavesomecompressionshowninthehandfortheaudiencetobeabletobelievecontacthasbeenmadebyourcharacters.YouseethisinCGcharactersespecially.Itcanbeespeciallyhardforacomputer-animatedcharacterto look likeheor she isactuallyholdinganobject.Partof thisproblem is thelack of compression in the hands. See the before and after examples in thefollowingfigureforhowsubtlecompressioncanbeinthehands.

Onpage57thereareafewposesthatshowalackofweight,andhereisasecondversionwhereIhaveappliedsomekindofcompression(highlightedinred)toshowastrongerfeelingofweight.

Another concept to help strengthenyour poses aswell as showweight iscalledbalance.Whetheryouarearocketscientistorpreschooler,youknowhowasenseofbalanceaffectsapersonor thing. Ifyourpose isoff-balance, it justwon’tfeel“right”totheaverageperson–eveniftheycannotexplainwhy.Thatisbecauseasenseofbalanceisapartofourearliestlearning.

The most basic concept in creating good balance in your pose involvesweightdistribution.Forahumancharacterthatmeans,forthemostpart,keepingthefeetunderneaththemajorityofthebodyweight.

Usually,allittakestomaintainatleastafeelingofbalanceinyourposeistocounterbalancetheweightshiftsinyourpose.Thebasicconceptisthatwhenoneelementofyourpose is thrust inonedirection, someotherelementof thebodyshouldmoveintheotherdirectiontocounterbalanceyourcharacter.

Theseposesusecounterbalancingtodistributetheweightmoreevenly.

TheMechanicsofMovement

AcommonquestionIhaveheardartistsaskis,“HowcanImakemystilldrawings feel like they have a sense ofmovement to them?” It is not an easy

thingtoaccomplish.AsaDisneyanimatorformorethantenyears,Ineededtostudymovement.Themoreyoustudyanysubject,thebetteryouwillbeatit.Isuggest you watch people, sporting events, and animalmovement in order tomakeyourcharactersfeelmorenaturalintheiractingandposes.Anothergoodwaytolearnistoactoutyourposesinfrontofamirror.Takeamentalpicture,then draw what you saw. Analyze what every appendage is doing during theaction.

Drag

Drag (in the context of this book) is an animation term that is grounded inphysics. It refers to the loose, flowing elements of a character that drag – orfollowbehind–themainthrustofyourcharacter.Asimpleexampleofthisisaballthathasastringattachedtoit.Ifyouthrowtheball,theattachedstringwilldragbehindtheballanddescribethearc(orthetrajectory)ofthethrow.Noticehow,inthetwoexamplesinthedrawingbelow,thestringdescribestheinvisiblearc.Also note that the onewith the straight string feels as though it is goingfaster.Thestraighterthelineofthedrag,thefasterthemainobjectseemstobemoving.Thisisphysics,too.

FiguresA,B,andCshowsthesameposeofaboyrunning,butillustratingdrag in three different ways. It has many components to drag: his hair, hisshirtsleeves, thebottomofhis shirt, andeven– toa lesserdegree–hispants.Whichofthethreeposesfeellikeheisgoingfaster?

Dragcanalsoapplytoyourcharacter’spose.Tocreatedrag,youmusthavea main thrust that the lighter, thinner, longer, or lower-energy element isfollowing.Momentumisanelementthatnaturallycreatesdragwithinthehumanbody.

Hereare someposesuggestionsandsituations that Ihave illustratedwithandwithoutdragappliedtothepose.

–Acharacterwhojustgotpunchedintheface:

–Acharacterthrowingaball:

–Aflyingcharacter,swoopingdown:

–Acharacter“duckingfast”:

The last example is subtler. It feels more like we are seeing somethingmidaction rather thana finishedmovement.Sometimes that is thebestway tothinkofyouractiontogetastrongeractionpose.

Considering the elements ofmomentum and dragwill give your poses agreatersenseofmovement,weight,andbelievability.

WalksandRuns

When I was at Cal Arts, learning the art of animation, an animation test ourinstructor gave us was to animate a character walking in place (also called a“walk cycle”). There are many complex body mechanics we had to learn tomakethewalkfeellikeithadweight,thearmswereswayingathecorrectspeed,thebodyhadaslightupanddownmotiontoit,andtheheadhadaverysubtlebobble. I remember that test as one of themoments I realized howmuch oneneeded to know tomakeonemovement look correct.Asdaunting as that testwas,itwasn’tuntilafewyearslater(withmanywalkcyclesundermybelt)thatIwas given an evenmore challenging assignment: startwith a character in astopped(standing)positionandhaveittransitionintoawalkcycle.Noproblem,Ithought–untilIstarteddrawingouttheposes.

I tell this story because it illustrates one of the most common mistakesbeginninganimators fall intowhenanimatingwalksand runs.To illustrate theproblem,IwillshowyouthefirstfourdrawingsIdidthatday:

Doyouseetheproblem?NeitherdidI,untilIshotthedrawingsaframeata time under a video camera and viewed the short film I hadmade.My littlecharacterwas gimping awkwardly across the page! I scratchedmy head for alittlewhileuntillaterthatdaywhenIattendedaguestlecturethatwassetupforour class. The lecturer was the amazing Disney animator James Baxter.Everyonewastofindoutjustwhatamasterhewas,notonlyasananimator,butalso at analyzing movement. His lecture was on the body mechanics used inwalks and runs.He showedmany clipsof real peoplewalking and running indifferentwaysand–mostenlighteningtome–fromstoppedpositions,too.Hesaid one basic principle in that lecture that stuckwithme and changed how Iviewedwalksandruns.Hesaidthatacharacterinawalkisactuallyfalling.Hispointwasthat topropelourselvesforward,wehavetogainmomentum,whichmeanswehavetoleanourbodiesforward–renderingourselvesoff-balancesothatourlegshavetojutoutinfrontofourbodysowedon’tfall.Inthecaseofarun,wearehurlingourbodiesforward!

Iwentbackandappliedthisnewfoundknowledgetomyearlieranimationmistake.Theproblemarisesrightaway,indrawing#2.Iwasstartingtheactionwiththelegraisingup;then,in#3and#4,Ihavetohavethebodytryandcatchuptowherethelegisplanted.Afterreanimatingit,thisiswhatIcameupwithasasolution:

In this new version, drawing #2 has the head/body leaning forward andleadingthemovement.Drawings#3and#4continuethatforwardlean/fallasthelegthenpicksupandmovesforward.Itworked!

Thoughit isnotthepointofthisexercise,Iaddedapose,#1a,beforedrawing#2, because the action needs a slight “anticipation” –moving in the oppositedirection to anticipate amovement– tomake thiswalkworkcorrectly fromastoppedposition.

Nowapplythatknowledgetoyourstilldrawingofyourcharacterswalkingor running.Theamountyou leanyourcharacterwillalsohelpshowthespeedtheyaremoving.Alsonotethatthelessyourcharacter’sfeettouchtheground,thefastertheyseemtobemoving.Yourfastestrunningposeshouldnothavethefeet touching theground!Thechartbelow isuseful to review ingaugingyourcharacter’s “mood-to-pose ratio.” Which pose fits the mood you feel yourcharactershouldbeinastheywalkorrunalong?

Finally, there are many different ways to showwalks and runs. Try andbreakuptheposeyouputyourcharactersinsotheyarenotinthesame“walk”poseor thesame“run”pose.Herearesomedifferent ideas.Tryafewofyourownandseehowmanyyoucancomeupwith.

Assignment#3

Hereisafairlysimple,average-lookingcharacter.We’llcallhim“Tommy.”Thisis his “turnaround” or orthographicmodel sheet to be used so that you knowwhathelookslikefromdifferentangles.WhatIhavepurposelyleftoutisanyemotion.He’sinablandposewithablanklookonhisface.I’vealsogivenyousomedrawingnotestoshowyouthebasicshapesusedtohelpyoureplicatehim.

UsingthemodelsheetofTommy,pleasedrawafullbodyposesketchforeach of the descriptions that follow. Have Tommy in a three-quarter angle,preferablywithhimlookingatanimaginarypersonthatispageleftfromhim.

Keepinmindthesethings:theactinginhisposeandonhisface,someideaofperspectivetohisfeetstance,agoodsilhouettetothepose,andaflowtothebody.

Pose/emotiondescriptions:

1.Tommynervouslyhandingasmall,fragilevasetosomeone2. Tommy confidently looking over at someone page left (trying to lookcool)3.Tommysadlywalking/turnedawayfromwomen,butlookingback(overhisshoulder)

Example#1ElainePascua

MentorNotes

Drawings3.26a,3.26b,and3.26carebyElainePascua.Elainedidagreat jobwiththesethreeposes.IthinksheaddressedwhatIconsiderthenumber-onejobwell: clearly showing the character in the correct emotion/attitude. I thinkanyone could look at all three of these poses she created and know whatTommy’s attitude is. My notes are to address a few things I think she canconsider tomake her poses even stronger.Overall, all three of her poses feelveryvertical.ThecoreofTommy’sbodyisalmostastraightlinethroughoutherdrawings.Thatwasone thing Iwanted toaddress– tomakeherposesa littlelessstiff.Specificthoughtsoneachposeare:

Pose#1A: I thought that if shewanted to showTommymidstep, thenheneededtohaveaslightleanforwardtohisbodytoshowthemomentumofhis step.Thatalsogiveshimanaturalhunchover thevasehe isholding,whichhelpstomakehimfeelevenmoreprotectiveofit.Ialsothoughtthathis eyedirection shouldbe toward thevasebecause that’s the thinghe isworriedaboutinthatmoment.Pose#2A:TwothingsIwantedtoaddressinthisposeweretoaddatilttohisheadforamoredirectional(andabitmorecocky)lookandtogethischestoutmore in thepose. Inherpose, it’s reallyhispelvis that is thrustforward, but for that traditional, macho look, throwing his chest out andpushinghispelvisbackisstronger.Pose#3A:Thiswasmyfavoriteof thethreeofherposesbecauseofhowwellitcommunicatestheattitudeofTommy.WhenIwrotethedescriptionforthispose,thiswasthewayIpicturedit:Tommyturnedawayfromtheviewerwith a backward, forlorn glance.Myonly comments toElaine onthisdrawingaremoreconcerning themechanicsofherwalkstance.Likepose#1A,becausehe is inmidstep,heneeds tobe leaningforwardabit.Also, the perspective ofTommy’s feet didn’t showmuchdepth (to reallypush the idea that he iswalking into the distance). Finally, his arms justlookeddeadathisside.Addingaslightswaytothearmshelpshimfeellikeheisinmovement,butkeepingthehandsdanglingstillmakeshimfeelsad.

MentorNotes

Jaclyndidagreatjobwiththisassignment.Tobehonest,Ireallydidn’thavealottosayaboutherposes,astheydocommunicateverywell.Thatsaid,weallhave room for improvement, and I wanted to challenge myself to see whatdifferentvariationsIcouldcomeupwith.LikeElaine’sdrawings,Jaclyn’shavethegeneralfeelingofbeingveryvertical inTommy’sbodycore.ThiswasonethingIwantedtoaddressinmymentorsketches.Also,herversionofTommyisoff-model,soIamstrivingtomakeit lookmoreliketheTommyinthemodelsheet inmy sketches.Mine aremuchmore broad poses then hers are, whichmakes them different – not always better. Hopefully, she could take thesesuggestionsandgleanafewthingsshewouldaddtohersandcomeupwiththeperfect“compromise”variationtotheseposes.Thesearemyspecificthoughtstoeachpose:

Pose#1A: I really likeherposeon thisone.The fact that shedecided toshowsomeactioninthisposeandtellalittlestoryofwhatwashappeningwasanicesurprise.Mybiggestnoteshereweretotryandgetastrongerlineofaction(thatisn’tjustastraightline)toherposeandshowabitmoremovement.Ididsome of thatwith how I showedTommy’s hair and shirt blowing back in theopposite direction of the thrust. I pushed his head back for the same reason.AlthoughI really like the“cupped” feelofTommy’shandsaround thevase inJaclyn’sdrawing,I thoughtI’dtry themorewide-openposeforclarity.Seeingthatvaseflyingintheair,awayfromthehands,ispivotaltocommunicatingthereasonforhisstrongreaction.

Pose#2A:Thisposewasgood,butIfeltitcouldbepushedmorethananyofthethree.Again,joboneformewastogetmore“flow“throughthebody.Iapproachedtheposewiththatasmyfirstgoalandworkedfromthere.Ilikedthetiltoftheheadandtiltoftheshouldersthatsheputintoherpose,soIkeptthat.From there, I worked down to createmore flow and offset the head tilt withTommy’s left leg (page right) sticking out, while straightening his right leg.Additionally,shelostsomesilhouettevalueandcreateda“twin”effectwiththearms. Ibroke thatup,whichworksnaturallywith the tiltof theshoulders thatshealreadyhad.

Pose #3A: Out of Jaclyn’s three poses, I think this is her strongest. Myversionisdifferent,butI’mnotsureit’sbetter.Thetiltofhisheadandthearmup,hangingfromhisneckwhiletheotherisinhispocket,reallycommunicateshissad,awkwardattitudewell.Mybiggestnotehere,again,isthatbecauseheis

midstep, there are some mechanics to that step that aren’t correct. He reallyneeds tohavemoreweight on that foot that is in front of him.So I pushed itbackabitandbent itslightly tobearhisweightmoreandputhimslightlyoffbalance.DoingthatalsogivesabitmoreflowthroughhisleganduphisbacktogivehimastrongerScurvetohisstance.

Example#2JaclynMicek

CelebrityArtistAssignment

StephenSilver

CharacterDesigner

AboutStephen

Stephen Silver was born in London, England, in 1972. Aspiring to be aprofessional artist hiswhole life andknowingdrawingwould be his vocation,Silvergothisprofessionalstartin1992drawingcaricaturesinamusementparks.In 1993, he went on to establish his own illustration company, calledSilvertoons.By1997,SilverwashiredbyWarnerBros.TelevisionAnimationasacharacterdesignerandhasbeenworkingintheanimationindustryeversince.

HehasworkedascharacterdesignerandsupervisorforDisneyTelevisionAnimation, Sony Feature Animation, and Nickelodeon Animation, designingcharacters such as “Kim Possible,” “Danny Phantom,” and Kevin Smith’sanimated“Clerks” series, tonamea few.Silver is theauthorandartistof fiveself-published books on the art of sketching, caricature, and life drawing. In

addition to working freelance full time, he also teaches an online characterdesigncourseathttp://www.schoolism.com.Silvernamesthreetreasuresthatarekey to success in life and that give him what it takes to keep on drawing:passion,desire,anddetermination.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

WhenIwasfirstgiventheassignmenttocreateEmilytextinginherroomonherbedandashadowyfigureinthewindow,Ibegantoroughsomesketchesout.Atthatmoment,Ididnotfollowtheroomlayout–Iwasjusttryingtoplantanideain my head. The thumbnailing process for me is extremely important, as itsimplyhelpsgettheideasoutofmyheadontopaper.Thefinalroughthatyouseeherewasbasedmoreon the roomlayout,and IwantedEmily tobe in theforegroundsothatshebecamethefocus.Ialsousedtheruleofthirdsandplacedtheshadowyfigureinaplacethathelpedbalancetheimage.

READERNOTEPlease see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

Chapter4

ActingCharactersActingandReactingtheWayYouWantThemto

After the first twochaptersconcentratingongeneralities,weare ready to startaddressing themotivationsbehindyourcharacter andget into the subtletiesofactingviaposingandexpressions.Asaliveactionfilmdirector,yourbesttooltofigureouthowtoshootasceneorwhatperformanceyouwantfromanactoristosticktoawell-writtenscript.Forus“artisticdirectors,”ourbesttoolistoplanoutthemanydifferentoptionstogetthebestperformance.Wecanuseanartistictoolcalledthumbnails.Remember,ifyourcharacterisyour“actor,”youareits“director.”He/she/itisthecharacterwhowilltellthestoryyouwanttold–inthewayyouwantittold.

4Acting

After the first fewchapters concentratingongeneralities,weare ready tostartaddressingthemotivationsbehindyourcharacterandgetintothesubtletiesofactingviaposingandexpressions.

Remember, if your character is your “actor,” you are its “director.”He/she/itisthecharacterwhowilltellthestoryyouwanttold–inthewayyouwantittold.Unlikealiveactiondirector,youhavecompletecontroloveryouractors.Theywon’ttakeabreakwhenyouneedthemorcomplainthatit’stoohot

torunupahillor that theycan’tworkbecause theydon’tgetalongwith theircostar.Nope:forgoodorbad,theirperformanceisallonyourshoulders.

Asa liveaction filmdirector,yourbest tool to figureouthow to shootasceneorwhatperformanceyouwantfromanactoristosticktoawell-writtenscript.Forus“artisticdirectors,”ourbesttoolistoplanoutthemanydifferentoptions to get the best performance. We can use an artistic tool calledthumbnails.

Thumbnaildrawingsaretinysketches(thusthename“thumbnail,”becausetheycanbeassmallasthesizeofyourthumbnail)thatcanbedonequicklytofigure out a composition, pose, expression – or all of the above – before youdedicatemoretimetothelarger,finalpieceofartwork.

Thumbnailing

Formanyyears,whenIwasananimatoratWaltDisneyFeatureAnimation,thegreatcharacteranimatorMarkHennwasmymentor.MarkHennhascreatedandanimatedsomeofDisney’sgreatestcharacters,including:Ariel,Belle,Jasmine,YoungSimba,Mulan,Tiana,andmanymore.WatchingMarkanimatewaslikewatching a famous sculptor sculpt in slowmotion– itwas truly inspirational!What some people don’t know aboutMark is that he is also known to be thefastestanimatoratDisney.Hecouldusuallyproducethreetimestheamountofanimation as the average Disney animator. And all of it is high-qualityperformanceanimation! Junior animators, likemyself at the time,wouldoftenaskhimhowhedid it–or, tobemorespecific,“Whatare themost importantstepstocreatingagreatanimationscene?”Hewouldalwaysanswerthequestionthe same way: “There are three important steps: thumbnail, thumbnail, andthumbnail.”Obviously,hispointwastherewasnomoreimportantpointorstepstocreatingagoodanimationscenethanthumbnailingoutyourscenebeforeyoubeginanimatingit.

His point applies to every artistic endeavor that is for an audience.Preplanningyourdrawing,animation,sequentialart,orillustrationcompositioniskeytoitssuccess.

Thecreationofthumbnailstoplanthebeststaging/compositions,characterexpressions,orposes isa toolusedby thebestartists inevery formofmedia,includingcomicbooks,storyboards,videogames,animation,andillustration.

Toshowanexampleofthumbnailing,Icreatedthispreteenboybasketballplayer character. To thumbnail something, you need to have a reason/goal toaccomplish, so Icreatedan imaginaryone: to tryandcreateasmanyposesofhimplayingbasketballaspossible.Iwantavarietyofhimdribblingandafewofhimtakingashotatthehoop.ThenextpageshowsafewthatIwasabletocomeupwith.WhichoneIwouldusewoulddependonwhattheultimateneedforthedrawingis:avideogamecover,apieceofananimatedscene,aspotillustration,orsomethingelse?

We will address thumbnails more later, but here are some examples ofthumbnails for the boy character design from the previous page playingbasketball. Some of the thumbnail poses are stand-alone poses, some aresequential.Iliketocreatesequentialactionsinmythumbnailsbecauseitmakesme think of the mechanics of the movement involved and helps bring somesubtleextrasthatImaynotthinkofifI’mjustdoingastillpose.Whichposeormomentismoredynamic?

Subtext

Anyactorwilltellyouthatthebestactingissubtle.Thetinynuancesingesture,expression,ordialogcommunicatetoanaudiencewhatthecharacteristhinkingin a bigway. “Subtext” is a term that can be helpful in adding depth to yourcharacter’s acting. The subtext of a character’s performance is the true innerthoughtsorfeelingsbehindthewordstheyaresaying.Inanimation,thecluesarein the character’s dialog. Because the voice actors record their performancebeforeanyanimationiscreated,theyareanintegralpartofthecharacteracting.Acarefulanimatorwilllistentothatvoiceactor’slinesoverandoveragainandconsider not just what they are saying but also how they are saying it.Sometimes what the character is saying is the opposite of how they feel, soknowingthat“storybehindtheirwords”(subtext)isimportant.Youmayhaveachance to hint at the internal struggle that character is having by how youillustratethecharacter’sposeandtheexpressionthatyoucreate.

Thischallengeisevengreaterwhenthespokenwordistakenaway.Goneistheinflectionthevoiceactormadewhilespeakingthat lineofdialogthatgavetheaudienceacluetothesubtextinwhatthecharacterissaying.Allthatisleftisthelineofdialoginwrittenform.Thejobofcommunicatingthesubtleactingofwhat your character is thinking falls completely on you, the artist.A goodexampleofthiscanbeseeneverydayincomicbooksandcomicstrips.

Asanexample,imagineyouaresittingdowntodrawthenextinstallmentofthehugelypopularcomicstripyouandyourwritingpartnercreateonadailybasis.Hehasgivenyouthescriptfortoday’sstrip.

Imagine that your strip is about an independent young girl (let’s call her“Sandy”)whoworksatadesignstudiowithabunchofimmatureguys.OneofherfemalecoworkershastakenituponherselftoarrangeablinddateforSandy.It’s with a guy that she knows outside of the office (like from the gym orsomething), and she thinks Sandywould like him.Who themale character isisn’trevealeduntilthelastpanel.(Itissomeonesheknowswell.)

Sheanswersthedoorandallshesaysis.“Oh...it’syou.”Thesubtextofwhatsheisthinkingdependsonwhoitisatthedoor.Issheexcited?Nervous?Depressed? Interested? Scared? Sarcastic? Following are some different posesandexpressionstoshowthedifferentwaystoshowthesubtextinherfeelings.This is an example inwhichbody language speaks volumes.The first pose ishownottodoit–justaplainposethatdoesn’tcommunicateanysubtexttotheaudience.

NotethatyoucanmakeawordBOLDtoaddsomeinflectiontothatword.Youcanalsochangethepausebetween“Oh”and“it’syou”byeitheraddingaperiodor changing it to a comma.These subtlewriting tools, alongwithyourdrawings,helpsellthesubtletyofalinelikethis.

Think of another line that can have many different meanings and createsomesubtlesubtextposesfor that line. It’sagreatexercise togetyouto thinkoutsideoftheboxandreallypushyourcharacter’sacting.Hereareafewlinestotry:

“Whendidyousayyouwantedthis?”“CanItakeyourorder,please?”“Yes,he’smyboyfriendofmany,wonderfulyears.”

To make this even more challenging, try using the three followingcharacters for each situation. Each one should have an attitude depending ontheir“part.”

I’ve given it a trymyself here. I have put the three of them in differentsituations.Canyoutellwhatthesituationisandtheirattitudestowardit?

AlsonoticeinthesedrawingsthatIamtryingtouseasmanydrawingtoolsat my disposal as I can to get these three characters to work as a group tocommunicate ONE idea. Note their proximity to each other, eye direction,silhouette, body posture, and expressions—allworking together tomake thesequicksketchescommunicateastory/situation.

Purpose-DrivenActing

Youhaveheardthelineusedwhenanactorneedstoknowwhatheorsheshouldbedoinginacertainscene,right?Theylookatthedirectorandsay,“What’smymotivation?”Asclichédasthatlinehasbecome,itisstillanimportantconceptto consider in order to give your characters life. As the director of yourcharacters,thinkaboutwhatismotivatingthemtodo/say/emotewhattheyneedto do at that moment. If you don’t think it through, the audience won’tunderstandthepointofyourdrawing/scene/illustration/action.Letmemakethisclear:everythingwedoasaprofessionalartisthasapurpose!

Herearesomeexamples forwhich Iwill stateagoal formycharacterorscene, along with three different ways to accomplish that goal. One versionshouldbetheclearerwaytoillustratethegoal,butIwillleaveittoyouwhichone works best. This is a good test for storyboard and comic book artists topractice.

Johnnyisrunningforhislifefromamonster:

Karenseesafriendandwantstojoinherforlunch:

Theexperiencedacrobatreachesforhispartnermidswing:

Filledwithguilt,DwaynetellsKashathetruth:

EyeDirectionandProximity

Creatinggood,strongposesand interestingcharacters is important,but ifyourcharactersdonotseemtointeractwitheachother,youmissoutonakeypieceofstorytelling. Eye direction is a key element to the illusion of characterinteraction.Take,forexample,FiguresAthroughC.Thisconceptisintendedto“read”asanadultreunitingwithachild,ahappystorymoment.Thisworksasabasic pose, but note that the pupils have been left out in Figure A. Now, inFigureB, pupils have been added, but with the eye direction not quite right.Theyarelookingateachotherbutnotdirectlyintoeachother’seyes.InFigureC, that problem has been fixed. Even with only a millimeter’s amount ofmovementinthepupils,thereissomuchmorechemistrybetweenthecharactersbecausetheyarelookingdirectlyateachother.

Anothercommoneyedirectionmistaketomakeisnothavingtheleftandrighteyeofacharacter looking in the samedirection. Imaginearrowscoming

outofyourcharacter’seyestohelpyouclearlyseewhethertheeyedirectioniscorrectbetweentheeyes.Seethefollowingexamples.

Acommon–andespeciallytricky–eyelooktodrawcorrectlyiswhenacharacter’sheadisturnedawaybuttheirpupilsarelookingbackintheoppositedirection.SeeFigureAforanincorrectwaytodrawthisandacorrectwayusingtheredarrowsasindicators.Inmostcases,themistakeisinnothavingthesameamount of negative space (thewhite part of the eye around the pupil) in botheyes.The top exampleofFigureB shows nowhite negative space on the leftsideofthefareye,soitlooksasthoughthatpupilislookingatamoreextremeanglethanthefronteye.Belowthatisacorrectversionwithalittlebitofwhitenegative spacepeeking throughon the left sideof the far eye.Often it comesdowntoapencil’swidthoflinethicknesstogetthemostsubtleeyedirectionsorexpressionscorrect:sharpenyourpencilsandkeeperasing!

These next two examples, which I call “Young Superheroes in Love,”illustrate how – evenwith the heads of the two characters looking straight ateachotherandtheirbodylanguagespeakingveryloudlythat theyarehappy–the tiniestchangein thepupilsofonlyoneof thecharacters tellsacompletelydifferent story of what they are happy about. These two examples show howpowerfulthepupilsareincommunicatingyourcharacters’innerthoughts.

Proximity is a term Iuse in reference tohowcloseanobject (orprop, instageterms)orpersonistothecharacterthatisactingwiththatproporperson.Isitoraretheyinthecorrectproximitytoyourcharactertogivetherightfeeloremotion?Proximityofyourcharactersworkshand inhandwitheyedirection,becausehowclosethecharactersareandhowmuchtheyarelookingintoeach

other’seyes sayswhatkind of chemistry theyhave for eachother. Think of adrawingofayoungmomandhernewbornbaby.Howwouldsheholdthatbaby?I created four different sketches to show someways to illustrate that pose. InFigureA,sheisholdingherbabyfarawayandinaplainpose.Thoughtheeyedirection and their expressions work, their proximity to each othercommunicatesanindifferencetothebabyonthepartofthemom.InFigureB,theproximitybetweenthetwoiscutdownconsiderably,andnowthereismuchmorewarmthfeltbetweenthetwo.Thisposeworksfine,butIfeltliketheposecouldbeimprovedupon,soIcreatedFigureC,whichaddsmoreemotiontotheposebyaddinga tilt to themom’s shoulders andhead so that theher andherbaby are more horizontally equal in their eye direction, which immediatelybringsevenmorewarmth–especiallyfromthebaby.Icouldhavestoppedthere,butIwentalittlefurtherbycreatingFigureD.Inthispose,Ishiftedthemom’sweight back and brought the baby close to her face.Having their faces touchmakes for the strongest emotional contact you can achieve. Additionally, theposeisstrengthenedbecauseofsometiltstothelegsandastrongertiltandflowtothebody.

UsingPhotoReference

In the last few years, partially because of the advent of the Internet, I havediscoveredtheimportanceofgettingreferenceforwhateveraspectofadesignorillustrationI’mworkingon.Inever traceit,butIuseitasareferencetobringsomekindofextrabelievabilitytowhateverIamdrawing.Wealsoneedtobeinspired.Sometimesaphotoinaclothingcatalogormagazinewillgiveyouanideaforaposethatyouwouldnothavethoughtofonyourown.Specificallyinreference to poses, I know that I can get stagnant and repetitive inmy ideas.Looking at a photo reference is like a shot in the arm and gives me endlessamounts of variations to draw upon.When I look at a photo reference, I askmyselfthesequestions:

Whatismostappealingaboutthispose?(Isthelineofactionthroughtheposestrong,orisittheexpressionoftheface,thefoldsintheclothing?)What can be improvedupon? (Perhapsmoving an armwill give bettersilhouettetothepose?)WhatchangesdoIneedtomaketogetmycharacter intothatpose?(Ifthereferenceisofanadult,butI’mdrawingapreteen;oritmightevenbeaphotoofahumanbutIamdrawingananimalintothatpose!)

I foundagreatphotographofa littlegirlwhispering intoaboy’searandfelt theurgetodrawit.Ididnotwanttocopyit,butlikeImentioned,Ireallywantedtotakefromitwhatwascuteandappealingandmakemyowncharactersdoingthataction.Ididnotchangethecharacterstoomuch,butIdidmakethemalittleolder.TheotherchangeImadewastohavethelittleboy’spupilslookingup, so it seems he’s thinking about what she’s saying a bit more. Here’s theresult:

Next,Iwantedtogivethatchallengetoothersandseewhattheycameupwith.Ialsowantedtocreatemyversionofthesameassignmentforcomparison.Icreatedanoriginalcharacter thatIcall“Ellie theAngel,” thendrewupsomeorthographicsheetsforotherstoseeherfromdifferentangles.IwaspleasantlysurprisedtohaveaCGmodelerinPaskistannamedUsmanHayatoffertocreateadimensionalfigureofEllie,whichisalsohereforyourreference.Additionally,I created some varied facial expressions for Ellie as well as placing her invarious poses.These steps helpedme explore her design and see errors that Icouldtweakalongtheway.

Alongwith the orthographic sheet, these three pages should be plenty ofreferencefortheartstudentstocreatetheirownposesofEllieusingsomephotoreferenceasaguide.Forthephotoreference,Iaskedmyoldestdaughter,Lexie,ifshewouldposeasEllie.Lexiedoesn’tlookthatmuchlikeEllie,butIreallydon’twantherto.

Thechallengehereisfortheartiststointerpretthephotoreference(Lexie’sposes)andmakethemintoEllietheAngel.Thatwillmeandrasticallychangingproportions and simplifyingdetails considerablywhile still trying to retain theessenceandcharmin thepose.Eachof the threeartistsweregivenoneof thephotos,andallofthemgotEllietheAngelreference.Thisiswhattheycameupwith:

Artworkby:Pose#1-CraigKnowlesPose#2-ChristianKalfasPose#3-WanNorazuraBintiWanIndera

Ireallylikewhattheydid.Youcanalwaystellwhenanartistishavingfunwith a drawing, and I think each of these artists enjoyed the project. I do seesomeareasforimprovement,soIcreatedmyownEllieversionsoftheseposestopointoutsomeofthosesuggestions.

MentorNotesforElliePhotoReferencePoses

Pose#1isdrawnbyCraigKnowles.Heisobviouslyatalenteddraftsman.Youcan see his drawing knowledge in the dimension and solidity of his Elliedrawing.HealsodidagreatjobmakingitlooklikeEllie.ThethingImissedinCraig’sdrawingwaswhatIfeelistheessenceofthisparticularpose:tome,theessenceofthisposeiswhatInoticefirst–thestronghipthrustandheadtiltwiththecute lookat theviewer.Craiggot the lookwith theeyesandhead tilt,butmissed thestrengthandweightshown in thehipsand legs that is in thephotoreferenceofLexie.Iusuallydonotdrawexactlywhatisinthephotoreference.Ilookforways topushexpressionsandposeswheneverpossible. Inmysketch,notethatIpushedEllie’sleftshoulderdownabitlowerthanitwasinthephoto.

Ifeltlikethiswouldgiveamoredynamicfeeltotheposeandcreateaniceflowfrom theneckdown to theendof thearm. I amstillnot sure showing the farwingisagoodidea.Ithurtsthesilhouetteofthepose.Ididmoveitmoretotheleft,butitisstillobstructingthecheekandbentarmabitmorethanIwouldlike.

Pose#2 is drawnbyChristianKalfas.Christian is also a gooddraftsmananddidagoodjobwiththispose.MysuggestionscenteraroundEllie’shead.InthephotoofLexie,shehasasadlookonherface–kindofadefeated,“Igiveup”kindofexpression.ThatexpressionismissinginChristian’ssketch.AswithPose#1,though,Iwentalittlefurtherwithitinmysketchsuggestion.Lexiehasaslighttilttoherhead,whichIincludedinmysketch,butIpushedtheheavy-liddedfeeltotheeyes.Ialsopushedthefeelofherrestingherheadonherhandby squashing the cheek a bit, with the cheek even compressing into the eyeslightly. Finally, to push the sadness a bitmore, even herwings and halo aresagging. Adding a cloud as the base for Ellie to lean on seemed like a funadditionalso.

Pose#3 is drawnbyWanNorazuraBintiWan Indera.Honestly, I cannotsay enough good things aboutWanNorazura’s drawing of the reclining Elliepose.Thiswasthetoughestofthethreeposes(especiallybecauseoftheangleofthepicture),butWanNorazuramadeit lookeasy.Ididaversionmyself,butIcannotsayifIimproveditmuch.WhatIdidwanttopointoutthatIthinkcouldstrengthenWanNorazura’sposeistheslightlythinnertorsoIgaveElliefortworeasons: (1) it fitsher “model”more, asyoucan see if you lookat themodelsheetsand(2)itopensupthespacebetweenthetipofthehalo,thefarwing,andher bottom. That little change improves the silhouette quite a bit. I did add astronger feel of compression (or squash) toher face,which I thinkhelps also.Finally,IreallylikedthealmostsneakyexpressiononLexie’sfaceinthephotoreference.Ichangedtwothingstotrytoachievethat:(1)I liftedtheeyebrowsand(2)Imadethepupilsmoredirectlyreflectthepupils’directiontotheright.Intheend,IthinkIlikeWanNorazura’sexpressiontothefacemorethanmine,butwouldlovetoseeherswiththeeyebrowchangeandfacesquashIaddedtomine.Thatwouldbethebestofboth,Ithink.

Greatworkbyallthreeartists!

CharactersListeningtoEachOther

Intraditionalanimation(aswellasincomputeranimation)forfeaturefilms,youare“cast”bythedirectorsonwhichcharactersorscenesyouget,dependingonwhatyouaremostproficientatintheareaofanimationacting.Ihaveworkedona variety of different characters, from wildly cartoony (Roger Rabbit) toloudmouth (Mushu) to subtle acting (Young Simba) to very subtle acting(Pocahontas and her hair). Because you don’t always knowwhat youwill beworkingonfromdaytodayorscenetoscene,thebestanimatorsareflexibleintheiractingabilities.Allthatsaid,oneofthetoughestthingsyoucangetplacedonyourdeskisascenewereacharacterislisteningtoanothercharacter.Soundseasy, huh? Well, it is easy – easy to do badly. Easy to make look stiff androbotic!Butveryhard tomake lookcasualorcorrect for theemotionsneededfor that scene. Think about it: all the thingswe do as actorswith a pencil orcursor,wecan’tdo: theflingingaroundof thehands; themadgesturingof thefingers;thesassyheadthrusts;andthecockyheadtiltswiththeraisedeyebrowaddition!Allgone.Anyofthosethingslooksunnaturalwhenyourcharacterissupposedtobeengrossedinwhatanothercharacteristellinghimorher.Maybea slow head nod? Perhaps.A subtle tilt of the head, or a slight smile?Mightwork.Itreallydependsuponwhattheothercharacterissayingincontextofthestory. And that’s the main point here: never forget what your character issupposed to be thinking about what is being told to him or her. That haseverything to dowith howhe or she listens and reacts.Keeping that inmind,whenever possible, I try and keep my listening character slightly occupied.Think about how you listen when your spouse or best friend is telling yousomething.Inmycase,mywifecomeshomefromwork(orIcomehometoher)andwedoaquickrecapoftheday.Meanwhile,ourkidsarerunningupaskingquestions, telling stories, and generally cutting us off. Also, mywifemay beunloading the dishwasher aswe are talking.Me? Imay be going through themailthatcamethatdayandthatissittingonthecounterinfrontofmeasItalk.Lotsofactivityinashortconversation.That’slife.

WhenIwasatDisneyAnimationStudios,theoldanimatorshadawordforthis:business.Givingyourcharactersome“business”inascenemeantgivingacharactersomethingtodowhiletheysaytheirlines–notjuststandinonespot.Ifitwassomethingthatcouldbeusedasatooltosymbolicallymaketheirpoint,all the better. You can go too far and make your character’s business adistraction,butawell-thought-outsmallactionisusuallyaplusinascene.

Earlyon in theproductionof the filmMulan,when Iwas just starting toanimate the littledragoncharacter,“Mushu,” Ihadachallengehitmydesk. ItwasthescenewhereMushuwashidingbehindMulan’sneckscarf,hidingfromthepeopleinthecamp,whilehavingaconversationwithherabouthowto“beaman.” In this scene, he had justmade a joke, so he starts laughing and says,“Hee,hee, Ikillmyself”! In the storyboards,he is inoneposition,behindherheadlaughing.Istartedthinkingabouttheenvironmentaroundhimandiftherewere an opportunity to create some business for him. I listened to EddieMurphy’s(thevoiceactorofMushu)voicerecordingoftheline,andheaddedalittle bit of a whimper sound to the line “I kill myself.” That was it! He’slaughingsohard,he’swipingtearsawayfromhiseyes!Itgavemeavisual toanimate to show how much he loves his own humor. That thought unlockedanother:evenwiththislimitedenvironment–thebackofMulan’shead–IhadsomethingIcouldusethatwaswithinMushu’sreach–herscarfthatheishidingin. I animated the scene so that he is leaning forward at the beginning of thescene,laughing,thenfallsback,grabbingasectionofMulan’sscarfasheleansbacktosay,“Ikillmyself.”Hewipeshiseyesashesaystheline.Itallhappensquickly, but the end result is a slightly more humorous scene that still feelsnatural.Therewasariskofovercomplicatingthescene,butIwascarefulnottooverdothegeneralflowoftheaction–andthegamblepaidoff!

Asanexampleofthis,hereisasimplesituationtoldintwodifferentways.In the first version, it is very straightforward. It works, but is it as visuallyentertainingas it canbe? In thesecondscenario, (steps1-3),hemaybedoingsomething else, but you can still tell he is considering what is being said.Especiallyinhowheresponds,thechangeinemotion–thatisaccentedbyhisaction–ismorepowerful.

Assignment#4

Usingthe“Tommy”modelsheetfrompage70,onceagain,createaseriesofatleastsixtoeightdifferentthumbnailsketchestodescribethisaction:Tommyissittinginachaireatingabowlofcereal(facingthree-quarterfront,pageright).Hehears somethingbehindhim(page left), reacts, jumpsoutofhischair, andrunsoffscreeninthatdirection.Thinkoftheseasroughanimationposes.Theyshouldrelatetoeachother.StrivefortheclearestposetoexpresseachstepoftheactionTommyisgoingthrough.Thinkaboutthishappeningtoyou.Actitoutinamirrorifyouwant.Whatarethekeyposesyougothrough,andhowdoeseachposesetupthenextpose?Createmultiplesketchesofdifferentposestoexploremultiplepossibilities.

Example#1:AlexandriaMonik

MentorNotes

First off, I want to be clear that there are many, many different ways tothumbnailoutanyaction.Thousands,infact.ForeachofthesketchsuggestionsIhavegivenasmymentornotesforthesetwotalentedartists,Icouldhavemadesomany subtle changes and variations –with each change creating a dominoeffectofchangestoeachsubsequentthumbnailpose.Becauseofthis,thewayIapproachedreviewingthesethumbnailsubmissionswas(1)totrytoworkwiththeideatheartisthascomeupwith(hopefullynotlosingthestoryoremotionsthey are trying to show) and (2) going with the first ideas I see that willstrengthenwhattheartisthascreated.

AlexandriadidagreatjobwiththisTommystoryandtolditinaveryfunnyway.Thedrawingsareveryclearlydrawn,but theposesareabitstiffandnotquiteasclearlysilhouettedastheycouldbe.Thatisthebigthrustformysketchchanges indrawings#1 through#3: clarity. I turnedTommy inpose#1 to the(page)leftsothatthearmsaremoreclearofeachother;additionally,Ihavehimmoreslumpedoversothatwhenhegoesintopose#2,thereisastrongerchangeinhisbodyshape.Inpose#3,theimportantthingIamtryingtoshowisgettinghisheadout(freeofhisshoulders)and–mostofall–gettingthecerealbowlflyinginfrontofhimwhereitcanbeseenclearlybytheaudience.Inposes#4and#5,Ithoughtitwasstrongertothestorytosavethegagrevealforpose#6bykeepingthebowlturnedoveronhim.Aslightheadtiltonpose#5alsohelpsto spotlight the eye direction change. In pose #6 – the big reveal – tilting thetorsoandopeningthearmsandlegsupmoregivestherevealofhispantsmessabitmorepunch.Alexandriaalreadyhadtheendingworkingwellinpose#7–IjusthunchedTommyoverabitmoresoheseemedevenmoredisturbed.Finally,Iaddedamilkspilltrailtopose#8sothatthereisalittlebitofa“period”attheendofthisscene.

MENTORSKETCHESforExample#1byTomBancroft

Example#2:BradUlanoski

MENTORSKETCHESforExample#2byTomBancroft

MentorNotes

Brad, likeAlexandria, createdclearlydrawnposesofTommy,and itwasveryeasy forme to seewhat was happening – except for the cereal bowl drop inposes#3and#4.ByhavingTommyturnwithhisarmholdingthebowlout infrontofhim,wecanclearlyseethebowlfallwhenhestraightensfromshockofwhateverhe sees.The secondchallenge that I saw inBrad’sposes is abiggeranimationprinciple that is a commonmistakemadebybeginninganimators. Ihave done it – we all have done it. And that problem is having too many“anticipations”foranaction.Oneofthebasicprinciplesofanimationisthatforeveryaction–say,anarmreachingforward topickupasodacan–youmustanticipate that action bymoving in the opposite direction first. If you look atBrad’sposes#5,#6,and#7,hehasthreeanticipationdrawingsinarow.AfterTommy’s reaction inpose#4,Bradhashim flinghis bodyback, throwinghislegsintheair(inpose#5),thenslammingthemdownonthefloorandcrunchingdown (pose #6), then (pose #7) going into a big, Hanna Barbera–styleanticipation(not that there’sanythingwrongwith that) tohis runoffscreen in

pose#8.Youjustdon’tneedallthoseposesandstopstotheaction.SoIhadhim“movethrough”theactionabitmorebycombiningafewactionstooverlapthemovementabitmore.Inmypose#5,he is jumpingoff thechair, landinginasquash,buthislegisstillup,sothathefeelslikeheisstillmidmovement.Next,Ihadhimstarttomoveforwardinpose#6buthadhisheadgobacktooffsethisfeetmovingforward.Inpose#7,Ithrewhisarmsforwardtoaccenthisfranticfeelingtowardwhateverisoffscreen.Iseethisasacartoonscrambleofhisfeetslidingabit,thenhisbodycatchesup.Hilarityensues.

Thanks to Brad and Alexandria for their nice work on a challengingassignment!

CelebrityArtistAssignment

TerryDodson

ComicBookArtist

AboutTerry

Oregon-basedTerryDodsonhasbeenacomicbookprofessionalsince1993.Hehasworked on such books and characters as HarleyQuinn, Spider-Man, StarWars,Superman,WonderWoman,andtheX-Men,andheiscurrentlydrawingtheDefendersforMarvelComics.TerryisnowworkingintheEuropeancomicsmarket aswell,with thegraphicnovel seriesSonges forFrenchpublisherLes

HumanoidesAssocies. Thiswork has enabled him to do full-color art for thefirsttime.Terryhasalsoworkedintoyandstatuedesign,animation,andvideogames and has had a gallery exhibition featuring his paintings. He remains apopular artist in the industry – a status he attributes in large part to thecontributionsofhiswife,Rachel,whoaddshertalentedinkingtohiswork.Hiswebsiteishttp://www.terrydodsonart.com.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

The first thing I did was to find a composition that would include all thenecessary information/objectsof the setting.Next I figuredouthow to tell thestoryintheproposedcomposition.

Idecidedtousethemainfigure,Emma,asthefocalpieceoftheartandtouse the Looming Shadow, as the secondary focus. This was easily done bymakingEmmathebigelementintheartandhavingherbethe“active”movingobject in the composition. I used a couple of things to bring the secondaryelement, theLoomingShadow,intofocus–IusedthemainvanishingpointofperspectiveontheLoomingShadowtoleadtheviewer’seyetoit,Emma’sbackfoot pointing at the Looming Shadow, the bean bag on the ground leaningtowardtheLoomingShadow,andfinallytheteddybearlookingattheLoomingShadow.

Toadddepthandinterest,Iusedoverlappingshapesinthesetperspective–teddy bear/pillow, then Emma herself (hands in front of head, in front ofshoulders, in frontof legs,one legcrossed in frontof theother), then thebed,chair,desk,monitor,wall,window/frame,shadow,brush,andsky.

Finally, for realism and atmosphere, I like to include little details – thestuffedbear,Emma’stongueouttoemphasizeherabsoluteabsorptionwithhertexting,thetimeontheclock.

READERNOTEPlease see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

Chapter5

StagingYourSceneUsingtheElementsofYourScenetoCreateaComposition

To be able to tell a story with your character, he or she has to live in anenvironmentofsomekind.Itmaybeextremelysimpleorcomplex,butwithoutafeelingof“place,”youraudiencecan’testablishwhereyourcharacteris–andwhere they are going. Does the character come first, with the backgrounddesignedaroundhimorherorviceversa?IliketothinkoftheentiresceneIamtryingtodesign,withthecharacter(s)asjustoneoftheelementsofthatdesign:themostimportantelement,butpartofthewhole.

5StagingYourScene

Tobe able to tell a storywith your character, he or she has to live in anenvironmentofsomekind.Itmaybeextremelysimpleorcomplex,butwithoutafeelingof“place,”youraudiencecan’testablishwhereyourcharacteris–andwhere he or she is going.Does the character come first,with the backgrounddesigned around them or vice versa? I like to think of the entire scene I amtryingtodesign,withthecharacter(s)asjustoneoftheelementsofthatdesign:themostimportantelement,butpartofthewhole.

First,afewdefinitionsmaybeneeded.TherearetwowordsthatIwilluseofteninthischapter:stagingandcomposition.Thesetwowordsaresometimes

usedsynonymously,butthereisadifference.Inreferencetohowwewilluseitinthisbook,compositionreferstothechoicesinvolvedindesigningasceneorpicturewithinafield(orbox).Stagingreferstohowthecharacterisusedwithintheenvironmenttocreatethecompositionthatbesttellsastory.Sostagingisanelementoratoolusedtocreateacomposition.Thinkofstagingyourcharacterlikeastageinaplaythathasbeensetalready;nowyoumustplaceyouractorsandpropsintothatsettingtotellthestoryintheclearestwaypossible.

Asusual,let’sstartwiththebasicsandworkupfromthere–shapesonly.Ourgoalwillbetofillaboxwithonlyfiveelements.Wewillbechallengedtocreate a sceneof somekindbetween the two“characters”: theblack rectangleandthegreyoval.Theotherthreeelements–thestraightline,thewavyline,andthetriangle–willbeusedasourenvironment.

Here’sonewaytodoit:

InFigureA, thestraight linebecomesthehorizonlineandeverythingsitson it. Thewavy line becomes hill shapes, and the triangles stand in for trees.

Thismakesforaflatscene,butitdoescommunicateanideainaclearway.

Oneeasyartisticprincipletoapplythatwillmakeabigdifferenceinhowyouobtainmoredepthisoverlap.Bymovingtherectangleandoval“characters”downandlarger,theywillcoverupthehorizontal“horizon”line.Thisoverlap,asshowninFigureB,oftheshapes“over”thatlinewillgraphicallymakethemfeel like theyare infrontof that line.Making themslightlybiggerpushes thatconceptevenmore,givingthislayoutanevengreaterfeelingofdepth.

And, finally, inFigureC, Ihaveapplied thatsameprincipleofoverlap toevenmoreshapestocreatemultiplefieldsofdepth.Thisdesignalsousesshapesizevariationtopushthefeelofdepthevenfurther.

With only those shapes, how many different layouts can we create? It’salmost endless. It is a bit of a challenge telling a story with just these basicshapesandthesimpleconceptof“depth,”butlet’stryafew.Thegoalistotrytotellastorywithoursimpleshapecharacters.Aretheyfriends?Isonechasingtheotherone?Isoneagoodguyandtheotherabadguy?

Theseareonlyfiveofmany,manysolutionstothisdesignchallenge.Canyouthinkofmore?Tryafew.ItislikeSudokuforartists!

As you can see from the previous example, every illustration is a designwithshapes.Whenyoubreakthingsdowntosimpleshapes,youwillbeabletoclearlyseethethingsthatareworking–ornotworking–inyourcompositions.Bestofall,youfindthesethingsoutwithlesstimeputintothedrawing.

TheRuleofThirds

Whenwefirststarttakingphotographs,suchasthoseofyourfriendsorfamily,thebasicrulewenaturallyfollowistoputthemainsubjectinthemiddleoftheframe. Symmetry (defined as exact correspondence of form and constituentconfigurationonoppositesidesofadividinglineorplaneoraboutacenteroranaxis)isournaturaldefaultwhenwearefirstapproachingthesubjectoffillingaspaceorshape.Wenaturallywanttoplacethingsinthemiddleofthesquare,orifwe have two things, space them evenly apartwithin that shape (FigureA).This is not what is most pleasing to our eye, though. In general, the artistic,creative side of uswants to seeasymmetry in theworld around us, especiallywithin a shapewe are adding elements to – like a blank canvas, for example.Oneof themostbasicdesignprinciples thatwecanapply toourcompositionsandhowweapproachthemistheruleofthirds.Thebasicprinciplebehindtheruleofthirdsistoimaginebreakinganimagedownintothirds(bothhorizontallyandvertically)sothatyouhavenineparts.Thetheoryisthatifyouplacepointsof interest in the intersections or along the lines, your composition becomesmore balanced andwill enable a viewer of the image to interactwith itmorenaturally (FigureB). Studies have shown thatwhen viewing images, people’seyesusuallygo tooneof the intersectionpointsmostnaturally rather than thecenter of the shot. Using the rule of thirds works with this natural way ofviewinganimageratherthanworkingagainstit.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to get out a ruler and make perfect,measuredlinesonyourdrawings.Usethisasaruleassomethingyouvisualizeonyourdrawingsasyouarecreatingyourroughconcepts.

In learning how to use the rule of thirds (and then to break it), themostimportantquestionstobeaskingofyourselfare:

1.Whatarethepointsofinterestinthisshot?2.WhereamIintentionallyplacingthem?

Also, remember that the rule of thirds concept is a design principle thatapplies to all elements of your illustration, including your character’s posing.Note that in pose A I have placed a “thirds” guide around the two poses. IcreatedposeBwiththeintenttobreakuptheplacementoftheknees,arms,feet,andheadinordertomakeamoreinterestingposethatisnotsosymmetricalandevenly spaced.Youwill getmore interesting poses by considering the rule ofthirdslesson.

ChoosingYourShot

Tousetheliveactionfilmanalogyagain,everycompositionweputtogetherislikeascenethatacinematographerwouldshootforafilm.Ineveryillustration,storyboard, comic book, comic strip, or animation that we create, we are theartist, director (for thatmoment at least), and cinematographer all rolledup inone. This is the viewpoint I take when I start a composition. As I start mythumbnail process, I start imagining the environment that my character andsituationistakingplacein.DependingonwhatstorypointIamtryingtoachieveatthatmoment,IstartimaginingwhereIwill“placemycamera.”Thisisagreatwaytofigureoutinteresting“shots”toviewyourscene.Ismy“camera”atalowangle,lookingupatthecharacter/subject?AmIviewingthescenefromhighintheair?WhatanglewillworkbestforthestoryIamtryingtotell?

Followingaresomeofthemostcommonstaging“camera”shots.Theseareimportanttoknowandusebecausetheyareusedineveryfilm,TVshow,comicbook,videogame,andmore.

First,hereisamapoftheenvironmentthatIwillbe“shooting”sothatyouhave some reference of where I am placing the imaginary camera. Actuallysketchingoutamapofanenvironmentisreallyhelpfulsothatyouknowwhatelements(buildings,signs,mountains,trees,etc.)arearoundyourcharacter.Youwillgetabetterfeelingofconsistencyfrompanel topanel thisway.Also,youwon’thaveasmuchguessworkastowhatyoushoulddrawasabackgroundineachshot.

NoteInthefollowingdiscussion,Ireferencewherethe“camera”wouldbeinthemaptocoincidewiththeshotIhavedrawn.

ExtremeWideShot (EWS) –Also called anestablishingshot.A far-offshot that showcasesanentire location.Usuallyusedat thebeginningofasequencetoestablishanewlocation–howfaronebuildingisfromanotherandthelike.

WideShot(WS)–Ashot that iswithina locationbutstillshowsagoodamountof it.Agoodshot toestablishwhereyourcharactersarewithinalocation. This example is out far, but this shot could have the charactersfillingtheframeandstillbeconsideredawideshot.

MediumShot(MS)–Ashot that featuresyourcharacters fromthewaistup.

Close-Up Shot (CU) – A shot that features your character from theshouldersuporsomeotherprop/objectinwhichitisthefocusofmostoftheframing.

ExtremeClose-UpShot (ECU) –Usually a shot that iswithin the face,likefocusingonjusttheeyesofacharacter.Canalsobeaverytightshotofanobject/proptospotlightasectionofthatobject/prop(likethebristlesofatoothbrushinacommercial).

The diagram below is a simple “cheat-sheet” guide so you can see howtheseshotsareusedinrelationtoacharacterinfielding.

Subset camera shotsof thesebasic shots are evenmore specific towhereyour“camera” isplacedorhowit isbeingused.Mostallof these termscomefromthe liveactionfilmindustrybuthavebeenmadeapartof theanimation,comicbook,videogame,andevenillustrationindustriesasterminologytohelpdescribeamorecinematiclookthatisthegoalofacomposition.

Hereareafewtermsthatareimportanttoknow:

UPSHOT(or“worm’s-eye”view)–The“camera”islowbutangleduptoviewasubject.DOWNSHOT(or“bird’s-eye”view)–

The“camera”ishighbutangleddown.POINT-OF-VIEWSHOT(POV)–A shot that is supposed to seem as though we are looking through thecharacter’seyesatwhattheysee.OVER-the-SHOULDERShot(OTS)–Thisshotisjustlikeitsounds:thecameraisovertheshoulderofaforegroundcharacter, viewing something in the near or far distance. Used to show thecharacters’ point of view (though not as directly as a POV shot) of anothercharacterorscene.PANSHOT(sometimescalleda“dolly”shot)–The cameramoves left, right, up, or down in a flat, perpendicularway. Thecamera does not tilt its axis but “slides” across a scene, usually to follow acharacteroractionhappening.TRUCKINorTRUCKOUT–This shot is usually confusedwith “zoom in and zoom out” (below), but to“truck”inyour“camera”meansyouarephysicallymovingthecameraclosertoasubject,whichwillactasazoomexceptthatthefocuswillnotchange.ZOOMINandZOOMOUT–Keepingthecamerastationary,butshiftingthelens’sfocustoacloserorfartherawaypoint.Although, in liveaction film, the“truck”and“zoom”definitionsachieve different effects, in the context of drawing they are pretty muchidentical.TILTSHOT–Similar to a pan except that the camera is stationary. This shotwill create aperspectivechangeasyoutiltthecameraupordowntowardthesubject.

Manytimes,thesecamerashotscanbecombinedtocreatemorespecificorcomplexshots.Thischeat sheet shouldgiveyousomebasicknowledgeof thedifferent types of shots you can use for staging your characters in yourcompositions. In the next chapter, we’ll look at how you can use them in avarietyofformatsforvariousformsofmedia.

PointofView

Concentrateonthe“why”ofstagingyourcharacterinthecompositionyouaredesigning.Thiswayoflookingatyoursceneisbestsummedupaspointofview.

ThetwospecificpointsofviewthatIwouldlikeustoconcentrateonarecharacter-drivenandstory-driven.Thegoalofestablishingthemainpointofthesceneistodiscoverthestrongeststagingofyourcharacterthatwillworkbestforthatshot. Ifascene is there to tellastorypoint, that isastory-drivenpointofview;ifitistheretofurtherwhatthecharacterisdoingorthinking,thenitisacharacter-drivenpointofview.Manytimes,ascenehasbothpointsofview.Thistypeofscenecanbeextratricky,somakesureyoustagethescenewell.Herearesomesimplesituations(whichcouldcomefromafilmoracomicbookscript)toillustratedifferentpointsofview.Notethewaystoshoworshiftwhatthefocusisonthroughstaging.

TrevorgoesforitinthefrontseatofPaula’scar.Paulaisshockedandstartstoliftthebottle:

Jennifersmilesathimwarmly:

Thisphraseisreallyjustacharacter-drivenstorypoint.Onecouldsaythatthepartofthephrase,“athim,”isalludingtoastorypoint,soIshowedaviewthat included him also. Richie nervously reaches for the golden goblet that is

abouttofallofftheshakingtable:

Heliftstheboxupforalltosee–it’sFruityCrispyFlakescereal!:

Again, some would say that this is only a story-driven scenario, but the“he” at the beginning makes me think that we could create a version thatshowcasesboththecharacterandthecereal.

Assignment#5

Createtwopanelstoillustratethesamemomentorevent,butfromtwodifferentanglesand/orstoryperspectives.Thefirstwillspotlightthecharacter’sreaction(acharacter-driven point of view) and the otherwill illustrate the story pointbeingmade(astory-drivenpointofview).

Usea5×7-inchrectangleformatforbothpanelsandplacethemtogetheronthe same image or file, with each labeled for that point of view you’veillustrated.Hereisanexamplethatyoucanphotocopy:

Use this situation and character designs: “Megan and Adam are runningthrough the forest singing to each other. They are starting to like each other.NeitherofthemnoticesthepitthatAdamisabouttofallinto.”

Example:AndrewChandler

MentorNotes

ArtistAndrewChandlercreatedthisexample(ontheleft),andIhavetosaythathedid a great job.He thought through this assignment and cameupwith twodistinct solutions – which was the point of this assignment. I am addressingnotesthatIthinkhecanconsiderforthefuturetostrengthenhiswork.

Panel#1–character-drivenpointofview.AcoupleissuesthatstandoutarethathislayoutisverysymmetricalandthattheideaofAdamabouttofallintothe hole isn’t as clear as it could be. Because this is the character-drivenperspectivepanel,Iexpectthatthecharacterssingingtoeachother,wouldbethemainfocusbutIdowanttoseeahintoftheimpendingfall.Becauseofthat,Icreatedalayoutinmyversionofpanel#1thatplacesthecharactersinpositionsthat(1)aremoreasymmetrical(eventheangleofthefallentreenolongerisinthemiddleoftheshot)and(2)showAdamclearly(partofhisfootisbehindthe

log)abouttomakeamistake–withabitmoreofanindicationofatrenchtotheright,also.

Panel #2 – story-driven point of view. This works so well that I didn’tchangehis angle at all.Myonly artistic suggestionshere concerned clarifyingthe characters’ interaction and the fact that Adam is about to fall into a hugetrench.InmysketchImadesuretoplacehimovertotherightmorewithMeganmoretotheleft,alignedwiththefallentree.Finally,Idesignedthebackgroundto have a larger clearing in the sectionwhere are heroes are in order tomakethem stand out more. I did place them in the middle of the panel (as didAndrew), because it seemed like an acceptable situation to break the rule ofthirdsforreasonsofclarity.

CelebrityArtistAssignment

BrianAjhar

Illustrator/CharacterDesigner

AboutBrian

Brian Ajhar’s professional career as an artist has spanned three decades. Hisextensive and diverse client list includes magazines, newspapers, advertisingagencies,corporateclients,andbookpublishers.Hisillustratedchildren’sbookshavebeenpublishedworldwideinamultitudeoflanguagesandhaveappeared

ontheNewYorkTimesbestsellerlist.Brianiscurrentlyfocusinghisattentiononcharacterdesignandvisualdevelopmentforfeatureanimation.

More about Brian and his work can be found on his website,http://www.ajhar.com.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

ThefirstthingIdidwasstudythefloorplan.Theplanprovidedshowsawindowthatislocatedonthewalloppositethefootofthebed.Mostofthefurnitureisonthelampsideofthebed.Ihadtodecideonacameraanglethatofferedthebestpossibleviewandthatincludedthewindowandthemajorityoftheprops.

Ibeganwithseveralsmallthumbnailsketchestoworkouttheplacementofthecharacterintheroom.IwantedtoshowEmmaastheprimaryfigureinthesketch. While drawing, I thought about what Emma would be thinking, hergesture, and facial expressionas she liesonherbed. Idrewseveralposesandangleswhileexperimentingwithherattitudeandwhichdirectionshewouldbefacing.IsettledonEmmafacingtheheadboardoppositethewindowbecauseitemphasized her obliviousness to the impending danger. The point of view Ichosegivestheaudienceafeelingofhervulnerabilityandinnocence.

Emmaisthedominantandmostinterestingfigureinthecomposition.MygoalwastouseEmma’sgestureandpersonalityasawaytodrawtheaudienceinbeforeotherpartsofthescenearenoticeable.

Afterworkingoutthosedetails,Ibegantothinkabouttheshadowyfigureatthewindow.Idrewseveraldifferentsilhouetteshapes,somehumanandsomemonster-like. I chose the monster shadow because it seemed to be the mostinterestingandIlikemonsters.

WhenIdesignascene,Iamalwayslookingtocreatesomethinginterestingwith multiple layers of activity that will entice the audience to follow in aparticularpathofaction.For this scene, theseare the three layersof sequencethatIwanttheviewertofollow:

1. The girl is involved in her own world of texting and not aware of ashadowyfigureatthewindow.2. The shadowymonster is peering in thewindow behind the blinds andlookingatthegirl.3.Thecatissittingonthebeanbagchair,awareofthedangerandlookingupattheshadow,whichisuptonogood.

Thecatwasnotoriginallypartoftheassignment,butIdecidedtoinclude

herbecauseIthinkitaddsmoredepthtothestorytelling.Addingalightsourcefrom a glowing lampwill also createmoremood and drama to the scene andinfluencetheviewertolookfirstatthegirl,thenthewindow,andfinallythecat.

READERNOTEPlease see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

Chapter6

LeadingTheEyePrioritizingbyDesign

Another important concept to keep inmindwhen staging your character in acomposition ishowyourdesign“leads the eye”ofyourviewer.Whenwearedesigninganillustration,weusuallyhaveastorypoint,characterpointofview(which we’ll get to in the next chapter), or a subject or object we want theaudience to look at (or “read”) first. Other parts of the composition may besecondarilyimportant,butthereisalwaysafocalpointtoascene–thatoneareaof the design we want to visually lead the viewer’s eye to. Staging a scenecorrectly is howyou do this.Gooddesign of the image is a large part of thisstaging.

6LeadingtheEye

Anotherimportantconcepttokeepinmindwhenstagingyourcharacterinacompositionishowyourdesign“leadstheeye”ofyourviewer.Whenwearedesigninganillustration,weusuallyhaveastorypoint,characterpointofview(which we’ll get to in the next chapter), or a subject or object we want theaudience to look at (or “read”) first. Other parts of the composition may be

secondarilyimportant,butthereisalwaysafocalpointtoascene–thatoneareaof the design we want to visually lead the viewer’s eye to. Staging a scenecorrectly is howyou do this.Gooddesign of the image is a large part of thisstaging.

Visual“Flow”andTonalStudies

AtDisney,oneof the things thebackgroundpainterswouldsaywas,“Agoodbackground should look incompletewithout the character (level) in it.” Therewasabitofhumilitytothatstatement,butstrictlyfromadesignpointofview,itmeant that thebackgroundwasdesignedwith thecharacter as themain focus.Alltheelementsinthelayoutaswellasthecolorsandlightingchosenpointedtothecharacter–literally.

Tohelpvisualizethispoint,IaskedmyfriendMeganCrispifIcouldusesomeofherrecentpersonalwork.Shecreatedaprojectsoshecouldexperimentwithabeautiful,stylizedillustrationstyleofherown.ShehaschosentocreatevisualdevelopmentartworkforanimaginaryanimatedversionofthestageplayWicked. Megan designed development pieces to illustrate “moments” in thestory,evenaddingbackstorytoshowwhatthemaincharacterswerelikeaskids.

Aftersketchingthumbnailsofwhatthelayoutmightlooklike,Meganthencreates simple tonal studies of the layouts. Tonal studies are a great tool forestablishing– throughonlyahandfulofvaluesofgray–where thedarkareasandlightareasofanillustrationshouldbe.Thisverysimplifiedvaluestudyingray thenbecomesyour template for translatingyour illustration to color.Thetonesshouldhelpleadyoureyetowhereyouaudienceshouldlookjustasmuchasthedesignofthelayoutcomposition.Asyoucanseefromthefollowingtonalstudyforthe“GirlReading”illustration,thelayoutisnotfinalizedandstillatanearly stage of exploratory development. Even simplified like this, though, thetonesanddirectionalelementsofthelayoutsreallymakethecharacterstandoutnicely.

In the final piece, you can see that Megan made many changes andadditions that really strengthened the appeal and directional layout of theillustration.Onechangeshemadefromthetonalstudywastoreversethewillowleafcolors.Theinsidecolorisnowlighterandtheoutsideisthedarkertone.Shemade this change because she decided that her character was going to be alightershadetomakeyoureyegotothecharacter’seyes.Theruleofthumbinall tonal studies is dark against light (or vice versa). In her tonal study, thecharacterwasdark,soshewentlightwiththewillowshapebehindher;oncethecharacterchanges,thebackgroundcolorneededtoalso.

Ifyoulookatthesubsetillustration,whereI’vegoneoverthelayoutwithred arrows, you can see clearly how well she planned out her shapes in thecomposition to lead your eye toward the character – specifically, her face.Meganusedtheshapesofthetree,theclouds,andotherbackgroundelementstocreateavisualflowwithinthelayoutthatmovestheaudience’seyesrighttothecharacter.Thecolors and tonesaddmoreclarity to that senseofdirectionandflow.

In thenext example fromMegan’s “Wicked” illustrations, this one called“Getting Closer,” we see even in the rough tonal study a very clear, simplelayout thatmakes themain characters the focal point.Again,Megan,uses the“dark against light” rule tomake her characters really stand out.The sharpestcontrast on your illustration should be between the background and thecharacter(s)youare trying toput a spotlighton. In this case, thebridge is the

darkestelementinthetonalstudy,whichworksaswell,butasyoucanseeinthefinal, Megan has changed a few more things. The bridge is now more of amediumdark tone,which leaves thecharacters as thedarker tone.Tobe sure,Meganhasmadethelightest,clearestareaofthelayout(themiddleareaofsky)theplacewherehercharactersare.

Fromacompositionperspective,Meganmadesomestrongadditionstothelayout. Some of the new bush and tree shapes help break up the symmetrynicely.All theelementsaid in leadingyoureyedirectly toward thecharacters.Asyoucanseeinthefigureabove,theelementsofthetrees,bridge,andcloudsallworktogethertohighlighttheyounglovers.Greatjob,Megan!

Shape-BasedComposition

OneofthemostfamousanimationlayoutartistsisMauriceNoble,along-timeheadof the layout department atWarnerBros.Animation,whoworked in thesameunitasthegreatdirectorChuckJones.Together,theyworkedonmanyofthe timelessBugsBunny shorts and theperennial classic, theHow theGrinchStole Christmas TV special. Part of Noble’s brilliance was his use of strong,simple shapes to define the spaceswhere the animationwas to take place. AMaurice Noble animation layout looks like it’s a film or theatre set. All thebackground elements frame the “stage”where the characterwas to act.Manytimes,Noblewouldliterallyplaceacolor-basedspotlightonthegroundforthecharacterstobeplacedin.IhavelearnedalotaboutcompositionfromMauriceNoble.MygeneralapproachtocreatingroughlayoutsissomethingIcallshape-basedcomposition. Thisway of thinkingworks hand-in-handwith the “visualflow”pointsImentionedearlierregardingMeganCrisp’swork.

Toshowanexampleofthiswayofthinking,I’llworkonashortdescriptionthat is likewhat an artistwould get from awriter or editor on an illustrationassignmentforabookormagazine:

Bob and Johnny are walking far down the path in the scary forest,when suddenly a strongwind comes up behind them, slinging leaves alloverandmakingthemtakeoffrunning.

First off, this is the kind of problematic description youwould really getfromaneditorofacomicbook,magazine,orchildren’sbook.Inthedescription,manythingsarehappening.Firsttheyarewalking,thentheyarescared,andthentheyarerunning.Whichoneisit?Youcan’tshowallthree.That’syourjobasanartist, tomake that kind of decision on howbest to show the description – atleastonebestway.

Tostartwith,Iamgoingtouseaverticalrectangleshape.Becausethisisamade-up assignment, I could use any shape I want, but I like to decide onsomethingandworkwithinthatchallengethebestIcan.Ihavethoughtaboutit,and I like the idea of illustrating the action as part of the description – beingscaredand runningaway from thewind thathaswhippedup– rather than thebeatbeforewhentheyarewalkingalong.Idecidethatmygoalwillbetoshowascary forest and have the audience’s eye go to the two figures, scared andrunningaway.Iwanttheshapesofthetrees–andmayberocks,too–topoint

towardthefiguresinthedistance.Imaywanttohavedarkcloudsandtheleavesblowinginthewindasvisualelements,too.IfeellikeIhavesomeclearideasonwhatIwantandIhavenotevenstartedtosketchyet.

HereishowIapproachthedrawingusingshape-basedcomposition:

With a little bit of an idea of what I want (as stated previously), I start“finding” the illustrationbydrawing in the shapes I thinkwill accomplishmygoals.Inthisearlyphase,Iamalsothinkingabouttheruleofthirdswithregardto where I place shapes. I drawmy rough, exploratory sketches in light-bluepencilatthispointbecauseitdoesn’tsmearasmuchandIcandropoutthebluesketch line later in theprocess.Evenat this early stage, I am loosely thinkingabouttheendcolorandlighting.Iplacemytwofiguresattheendofthepath,

butinacleararea–thiswillmakethempopoutagainstthebackgroundandalsogivesme the ability to use the trees as framing elements around them. I haveaddedsomeredflowlinesforyoutoseethedirectionalflowmoreclearly.Mysketchmaynotmakemuchsensetoanyoneelsebutmeatthispoint,buthey,Iamonlyfiveminutesintotheillustrationatthispoint!

Ilikewherethissketchisgoing,soIstartdefining(inbluelinestill)someof the treeelements,where themoonlightsourceshouldbe,andevensomeofthebranches.NotethatIamtryingtoskewthetreeshereandthereandbreakuptheirplacementsothatIdon’tgetstraight,boringverticallines.Varietyiskinghere.Mynextstepistostartrefiningthings(thoughstillinaroughsketchform)in termsof actual shapes in graphite pencil. I pick the two figures as the first

thing todefine,because theirposesandclarityaremost important. ItwillalsohelpmemovethetreesaroundabitwhenItiethemdownlater.Istartaddingintheforemostelementnext– the leaves thatseemtobechasingthemoff.Theyare the strongest directional element and, in my mind, the protagonist in myillustration–atleastsymbolically.

This phase continues the last phase of roughly defining the shapes ingraphite. At this point, I am trying to emphasize the secondary directionalelements – the trees and all their branches.As Imentionedbefore, Iwant thetreestohavevariety.Iestablishedthatintheblueconceptphase,butnowIamadding the limbs and pushing those elements even more. Although mostbranches are pointing skyward, I ambreaking some away to point downward,especiallyiftheycanpointtowardmykeyfigures.Inthesky,whichIconsidertobe the third-leveldesignelement, Iaddedthecreepyclouds thatseemtobefollowingthecharacters.Mygeneralgoalatthisphaseistoaddstrengthtowhat

is already working directionally. I consider where every rock, log, branch, orcloudthatIdrawshouldbetoaddtotheflowofthescene.

AndnowIcome to the finishingphaseof the sketchconcept.Rememberthat this isnot a final illustration I amcreating,but a tight conceptdrawing–something very similar to what I would show a client as one of manypossibilitiesforabookillustrationorfilmorTVvisualdevelopmentart.Inthiscase,finishingthesketchmeanscreatingatonalstudy–justusinggraytonesinPhotoshop toestablish the lights anddarkareasof the illustrationwithaneyetowardclarifyingtheelements.First,workinginPhotoshop,IusetheChannelstooltoselectthebluelevelinmyRGBscanoftheartwork.IthengotoModeandselectGrayscale.Thisstepknocksouttheblueandleavesmewithjusttheblackgraphite linework. Ihaveamuchtightersketch. Inowaddanother levelformygraytones.AsImentionedinthebeginningphase,Iwantthecharacterstostickoutagainstthebackground.Myfirsttonaldecisionisthereforetomake

thefarbackgroundalightareasothatmydarkfiguresareclearagainstit.Iamnotamasterofcolor,soIworksimplyatthisstage.Itendtousethreelevelsofgray – light,medium, and dark –withwhite and black beingmy darkest andlightestelements.Fivetonesisplentytoestablishasimplegraytonalstudythatwillmakethingsmoreclearandgiveaclient/artdirectoragoodideaofwhatthescenewill look likewhen finished incolor.Remember: the strongestcontrastsworkbest: lightagainstdarkordarkagainst light.Light tonesrecedeanddarktonescomeforward.Iusedthattheoryinthisillustration.

IhaveaddedthisillustrationforyoutoseetheelementsIusedtopushtheflowand subliminaldirectional lines in the final roughconcept.Mostof themwerethereevenattheearliestphase,butnowIhaveevenmorewitheverylog,branch,leaf,andcloudIaddedtothecomposition.Fromstarttofinish,thistookme about an hour and a half to two hours to create this shape-based

compositionalsketch.Ifthiswereforaclient,Iwouldmostlikelycreatetwoorthreemoresketchesforthesamescene,especiallyasthedescriptionwasahardonewithmanyvisualoptions.

DeterminingPriorities

ThefirstthingIdowhenpresentedwithanartisticchallengeistoestablishmypriorities.IfIhadtomakealistofwhatelementsIwanttheviewertoseefirst,thensecond,third,andsoon,whatwoulditbe?Establishingthislistinmyheadbefore I sketch gives me a direction. Without a goal and priorities for anillustration,youhaveno ideawhetheryourcomposition is successful. Iwouldnotknowhowtodesign thecomposition to lead theeyeof theviewerwithoutsuchalist.Ultimately,Iwouldbedrawingaimlessly.

Toillustratethispoint,I’llgivemyselfashortstorydescription(similartowhatabookillustratororcomicbookartistwouldget)tostageandlayout:

Aman,unconsciousonhisbedroomfloor,withabottleofpoisonnexttohim.

Istartaskingmyselfquestions:ifIwereviewingthisscene,whatwouldIthinkoffirst?Whatkilledthisman?Whoishe?Wherearewe?Didsomeonedothis to him?Why did this happen? (The last question is something we can’treallyshowinoneillustration,butwecouldhintatit.)

After thinking about those things, here are my priorities based on thepreviousdescription:

Firstpriority:seeing thatpoisonbottle(andbeingable toread the labelclearly)Secondpriority:showingthebodyThirdpriority:establishingthebedroomsetting

Mynextstepistostartmakingsmall,loosethumbnailsketches–drawingasmanyversionsofthissceneasIcanthinkofandusingthedesignprinciplesalready discussed. Basically, I’m moving the “camera” around the room andmoving(staging)theelementsintheroomtowhereIneedthemtobe.Thistimearound,wewant tohaveanevenmorecarefuleye tostageelements inawaythatwillleadtheeyetothepoisonbottle.

Sketch#1:

Myfirstsketchisjustokay.Everythingisclearlystaged,whichisgood.Butthecompositionistopheavy,meaningthatmostofthedetailofthedrawingisinthetophalfofthedrawingwithverylittlehappeningonthebottomhalf.Mostimportantisthatthebottleisunclear.Itcouldbeabottleofcoldmedicine,forallweknow.

Sketch#2:

Thissketchisdramatic.Nowwecanseethatitispoisonforsure,andthat’sgreat!Ilikethedramaofseeingthedeadguy’sface,too.OneproblemthatIseeisthatit’snotclearwhereweare.Wecan’ttellthatitisabedroominthisone.

Sketch#3:

Muchbetter!Wenowhave interestingdepth to the imageandcanclearlyunderstandourstorypoints:thepoison,theguy,andthebedroom.

Butcoulditbebetter?Yes. Sketch #3 addresses the important story points, which is most

important,butneverstopthere.Thiscompositioncanbestrengthened.Thereareacouplethingsthatcanbeimproved.

Sketch#3:Sketch#3breaksupintothreedifferentplanes:

Sketch#4:Alloftheplanesarefairlyevenlyspaced.That’soneproblem.Theother is that theelements in the illustration lead

theeyeallovertheroomratherthantothepoison:ourmainstorypoint.Becausewetendtolookatthemiddleofanimagefirst,thisisusuallyagoodplacetoputyour focal point. (Note: dead center is not strong design, but just off centerworkswell.) In sketch #3, the body is in themiddle, so it becomes the focalpoint.

Two thingswe can try are using design elements in your composition toleadtheeyeinastrongerwayandbeingmorecarefulabouthowwebreakupthecomposition.

Let’s do some more thumbnails to try and find some solutions to thoseproblems.Sketch#4:

This sketch is stronger. Imade itmoreof aworm’s-eyeview,putting thepoisonontheleftwiththebodyfacingtowardsit.Makingthebedasleigh-stylebed and putting a window across the room not only creates a littledrama/movement in the room but also provides design elements that pointtowardthepoison.

Sketch#5:

Thisversionisevenstronger!Wearenowlookingdownonthesceneabit,sothepoisonisabitsmaller,butmanyofthestagingelementsaredirectingoureyetowardit–includingthebody’sfootandthepoisonousliquidcomingoutofthebottle.

Whichone isyourfavorite?Icoulddomanymore,but Ihopewith theseyou get the point. Leading the viewer’s eye andmaking artistic priorities areimportantpartsofstagingacomposition.

CompositionforaClient

Recently I was asked to create concept designs for a computer-generatedanimationseriesbeingproducedbyTheChristianBroadcastingNetwork(CBN)calledSuperbook. Each episode teaches kids a moral lesson through a Biblestory. In the series, two kids and their robot friend travel back in time, viaSuperbook,towatchtheBiblestoriesunfoldfirsthand.Artistically,eachepisodepresents a complex challenge in creating iconic images that best sum up thestory,characters,emotion,andthelessonthatisbeingtaught.

First, a little technical background: Superbook is a computer-generatedanimatedseries,butallthecharacters,environments,props,andstoryboardsarecreated with traditional drawings that are sent to the CG animation studio inChina to be translated (modeled) into computer animation. Because I amworkingontheDVDcoverartworksimultaneouslywiththeepisode’sanimationproduction, I use the traditionally drawn character designs and backgroundvisualdevelopmentpaintingstocreatemyconcepts.TheMayaartistswillthenuse my drawn concepts and recreate them in the computer using the CG-modeledcharactersandenvironmentstoproducethefinalartwork.ThisiswhyartistswillalwaysbeneededintheCGproductionprocess,asitiseasierforanartist toconceptualizethroughsketchesandmakechangesquickly.Artistsalsoprovideagreattoolofexperimentationforthedirector,whichsavesmoneyfortheproduction.Icallthatjobsecurity!

Iwasasked tocreateconceptdesigns for theSuperbookepisode“Roar!”,whichtellsthestoryofDanielandthelions’den.Normally,Igetinstructionsorthoughts from the director and/or a producer. Since all of the key decision-makersweretiedupwithotherepisodesinproduction,Iwasaskedtocomeupwithmultipleconceptsandtheywouldpickone(hopefully)thattheylikedbest.Myfirststepwastoreadthescript.WhileIreaditImadenotesonwhatthekeymomentsinthestorywere.Themainpointsandcharactersinthestoryare:

KingDariuswantseveryoneinhiskingdomtoworshiphim,nottheGodofIsrael.His royal advisors convincehim topassa law that says that anyone seenprayingtoGodwillbekilled.Daniel, aman of great faith, openly prays toGod; the royal advisors seehimandhavehimarrested.

The king respects Daniel but knows he must follow through with thepunishment, sohehasDaniel thrown into the lions’den (apit),placingahugerockoveritforthenight.KingDarius has a sleepless night and rushes to the pit first thing in themorning,orderingthattherockbepulledback.AllpresentseethatDanielisaliveandhasbeenmiraculouslysavedashisGodhascalmedthelions.KingDarius is repentant and orders a new law for his kingdom: that allshouldworshiptheGodofDaniel.

Withthesestorybeatsinmind,Ibeganthinkingabouttheprioritiesofthestoryandwhatwasimportanttoshowinmyconcepts.Iputthemintoamentalorder so that I could decidewhich things to focus on, andwhich elements orcharacterswerelessimportant.Theyare(inorder):

Daniel,chained,payingforhisfaithThelions,lookingfierceTheuncertainKingDariusTheroyaladvisors,lookingconnivingThepresent-daykidsviewingthesceneandfeelinghelpless

I then gathered all the development artwork I would need to make myconcepts as true to the series episode as possible.Below are the 2D characterdesignsdrawnbythetalentedGregGulerforthisepisode.

Thereweresometrulyusefulenvironmentaldesignscreatedoftheexteriorof the Lion’s Den Arena, drawn by J. Michael Spooner and painted by LinZheng,andtheinterioroftheLions’DenwhichwasdrawnbyPhilDimitriadisandpaintedbyLinZheng.Botharebeautifulaswellashistoricallyaccurate.

Withall the researchdoneand thevisualdevelopment artwork inhand, Iwas ready tobegin. Iwanted tocreateavarietyofdifferentways to show themainscene:Danieleitherabouttobeorinthelion’spit.That’stheheartofthedramaofthestory,whichisusuallywhatyouwantportrayedonthecover.

Becauseofmyloveofcomicbooksandanimation,Iliketocreateasenseofmovementinmyillustrationswheneverpossible.Idrewconcept#1becauseitshowsadramaticscenewithsomeaction.Thisconceptplaysupthedangerofthesituationandgivesthe“what’sgoingtohappen”feeling.Itdoesnotillustrateany of themoralmessages though.And the king’s remorse is not highlightedhere,either.

Icallconcept#2the“direct”concept.ItshowsaboundDaniel(obviouslyintroubleforsomething)andafuriousking,literallypointingintothelion’spit!Foracoverimage,beingasclearaspossibleisoneofthemostimportantthingsyoucando,soforthatreason,Ilikedtheideaofthisone.Buttheconceptstillshowsonlytwocharactersanddoesnotfeelveryepic.

Concept#3isallabouttryingtotellasmuchofthestoryinonepictureaspossible.Ilikedthisonealotbecausemostofthecharactersandtheirrolesinthestoryaredepictedclearly.AlthoughIthinkithitthelevelofdramaIwanted,itisalessexcitingdesign.Itisaverysymmetricaldesignoverall,whichisokayinsomesituations–butIthoughtmaybesomethingelsecouldbeevenbetter.

Forconcepts#4and#5,Iwentformoreofacinematic,movieposterfeel.The show’s producer and I are big fans of artistDrewStruzan’smovie posterdesignsforepicworksliketheStarWarsseriesandIndianaJonesfilms.Ilookedathisworkforinspirationonthesetwoconcepts.Hispostersarecollagestyle,withvignettesof filmmoments,close-upsofcharacters,explosions, full-figureimagesofthestarcharactersinanactionpose,andstrongdesign.Ilikeelementsof both of these, but what I like most is that they show the emotions of thecharacters.ThebeamoflightshinningdownonDanielissymbolicofhisfaith,whichIalsothoughtwasimportanttoinclude.

In the end, the producers picked concept #1, and I was happy with thatdecision. I look forward toart-directing theCG team towardcreating the finalcolorimage.

Assignment#6

Using a 6×11-inch (horizontal) shape as your template, create an interestingcompositionofapreteenlittlegirl(seethe“Emma”model)lyingacrossherbed,casuallytexting.Unbeknownsttoher,sheisbeingwatchedbyashadowyfigureoutsideherwindow.Youmaycreatemultiplesketchestodiscoverthebestangle(or“shot”)toillustratethisscene.

ButIwantyoutouseonlytheseelementsandthisformattoherroom:

Usethe“Emma”characterfrompage44. A double-size bed, a nightstand with a lamp and alarm clock on it, amake-uptablewithamirrorattached,afree-standingdresser,asmalldesk,abeanbag,andafewaccessoriessuchascoathookswithscarvesandhats,posters,abulletinboard,booksandmagazines,arug,andacomputer.

Usethelayoutontherightfortheroom:

Ididnotgivethisassignmenttostudentartiststocreatetheirversionwith

my supplemental mentor notes. This assignment was what I gave to theprofessionalartistswhoseworksappearthroughoutthisbook.Lookathowtheytackled the assignment and how varied their points of view all use the samematerials anddescriptions. It fascinatesme to see thediversityyoucanobtainwhen giving the same project to different artists. Some stayed close to mycharacter design, butmost did their versionof thedesign. I love themall andwouldbehardpressedtopickafavorite!ThankyoutoBobbyRubio,JeremiahAlcorn, TerryDodson,BrianAjhar, Sean “Cheeks”Galloway, Stephen Silver,andMarcusHamiltonforyourefforts!

Try thisassignmentonyourown.Thereare still a few thousanddifferentwaystoaccomplishthisgoalsuccessfully!

CelebrityArtistAssignment

MarcusHamilton

ComicStripArtist

AboutMarcus

Marcus was born in Lexington, North Carolina, and graduated from AtlanticChristianCollege inWilson,majoring inCommercialArt. In1965,heandhiswifeKayemovedtoCharlotte,whereheworkedintheartdepartmentofWBTV.

In1972,Marcusbeganacareerasafreelanceillustratordoingartworkforsuch publications asGolfDigest andSaturdayEveningPost. But in 1993, hiscareer and life took an abrupt turn when he responded to a TV interview inwhichHankKetcham, creatorofDennis theMenace, suggested thathewouldliketoretiresomeday.Overathree-yearperiod,Mr.KetchamtrainedMarcustotakeoverdrawingthedaily(MondaythroughSaturday)cartoonpanel,whichissyndicatedworldwide.

OnMay28,2005,MarcuswasawardedtheNationalCartoonistsSociety’sannualawardforBestNewspaperPanelof2004inScottsdale,Arizona.

You can see more of Marcus Hamilton’s artwork athttp://www.dennisthemenace.com/marcushamilton.html.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

First, I do a rough sketchof the room todefine theplacementofprops in thescene(sketch#1).Thisstephelpedmetorealizethatthe“camera”wouldneedtobe facing thedirectionof thewindowso that the shadowy figurewouldbevisible.IfeltthatitwouldworkbettertohaveEmmaintheforeground,soitisobvious what she’s doing. To give the shadowy figure (in window) enoughexposure,theanglewouldneedtobelow(sketch#2).Sketch#3wastogetallofthefurnitureandpropsinproperperspectiveandposition.

ThefinalpieceistheplacementofEmma,innocentlyenjoyingtextingherfriend.

READERNOTE

Please see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

Chapter7

PuttingitinActionCreatingaCharacter-DrivenIllustrationfromStarttoFinish

Nowthatwehavegonethroughtheelementsofexpression,posing,andstagingforyourcomposition,nowcomesthefunpart:creatinganillustrationfromstartto finish. Ihada recent request thatmakes foragoodexample to lookatasaprogression.AfriendofminewhoisatalentedillustratorinChinaaskedmeifIwouldillustratemyversionoftheancientChinesestory“JourneytotheWest,”also known as “TheMonkeyKing,” for an art book hewas compiling for aninternationalaudience.Thisstoryisasoldastheirlandandisengrainedintheirculture.Themore I researched the story, themore intimidating thenotionwasformetoillustrateanimageinspiredfromit.

7PuttingitinAction

Now that we have gone through the elements of expression, posing, andstaging for your composition, now comes the fun part: creating an illustrationfromstarttofinish.Ihadarecentrequestthatmakesforagoodexampletolookatasaprogression.AfriendofminewhoisatalentedillustratorinChinaaskedmeifIwouldillustratemyversionoftheancientChinesestory“JourneytotheWest,”alsoknownas“TheMonkeyKing,”foranartbookhewascompilingforan internationalaudience.Thisstory isasoldas their landand isengrained intheirculture.ThemoreIresearchedthestory, themoreintimidatingthenotionwas for me to illustrate an image inspired from it. Much like our own earlyAmerican or European folk tales, the story is grim at times and has manyelementsthatmeansomethingwithinthatculturebutmightnottranslateaswellto others. Still, the heart of the story is about a character, SunWukong (theMonkeyKing),whomustovercomehugeobstaclesandmightyfoestofindhisdestiny.Thisisthecorestoryofmanymyths,legends,andDisneyfilms,soIfeltalittlemorecomfortableillustratingmypieceofit.

Step1:Research,Research,Research

WheneverIstartanewcharacterdesignorillustration,IdoasmuchresearchasI can on the subjectmatter. If I am designing a cartoon bear, Iwill go to theInternetandresearchpicturesandanatomyofrealbears.Iwillmostlikelylookat some versions of cartoon bears also, but it’s important to remember theaspectsofwhatmakesabearlookrightbeforeyoucaricatureit.Andthisruleistrueforthisproject.Iwentonlineandsearchedforinformationconcerningthe“MonkeyKing”(SunWukong)characterandhisstory. I foundmanydifferentversionsofhowpeoplehavedrawnhiminthepastandsomegoodinformationon his story, abilities, and personality. SunWukong is a mighty fighter withmany magical powers. I’d already started thinking that my illustration wouldmorethanlikelycenteraroundafightsceneofsomekind.

Step2:CharacterDesign

My second step was to start designing the Monkey King character. When Idesigncharacters,Iconcentrateontheshapesthatmakeuptheirdesign.InthecaseofSunWukong,muchofwhatIreadaboutthecharactermadehimsoundmischievous and cocky. I tried to include that spunky side to his characterdesigns.Myfirstcharacterdesignwasfine–butnotwhatIwasreallyinterestedin.

Togettoknowthecharacterdesignabitmore,Ididafewdifferentfacialexpressions and poses. Because I am only doing the one illustrationwith thischaracter, this stepmight seem like overkill – and it is, a bit – but doing thishelpsmesolidifyhisshapesinmymind.

I wanted the finished illustration to have a stylized look, so I kept

simplifying the design until I had one I liked.This designwas the fun style Iwantedtodraw!

Step3:ThumbnailLayouts

WithSunWukongdesigninhand,itwastimetoworkoutwhatkindofpictureIwantedtocreatewithhim.Becauseofmyanimationbackground,Iliketoputasmuch “movement” as I can intomy illustrations. I knew Iwanted to create afightsceneofsomekind.IcreatedatleastninedifferentthumbnailsketchestofindanideaIlikedbest–that’smanymorethanInormallysketchout.Throughmy research, I discovered that the Monkey King fights a few different foes,includingafiredragon,athree-headedcreature,andothers.Atthesametime,Ithoughtaboutdifferentlocationsforthisfightanddecidedthatanaerialfightonmystic clouds (Sun’smode of transportation) somewhere in amountain rangesimilartotheHimalayaswouldbeinteresting.Ibegancreatingsmallthumbnailsketchestovisualizedifferentideas.IknewIwantedtheillustrationtobeatwo-page“spread,”soImadesuretoplanoutthecompositionsothatnoimportantelements (likeheads, arms,or legs)were in themiddleof the layout.AnothergoalIhadwastocreatecompositionsthatdrewyoureyethroughtheillustration.Different elements in the illustration should visually lead your eyewhere youwant the audience to look. In this case, Iwanted theMonkeyKing to be thethingyoulookedatfirst.Secondwouldbehisfoe,andthirdwouldbewhattheyarefightingover–anancientBuddhisttemple.The“JourneytotheWest”story,likemostancientChinesestories,hasstrongelementsoftheChinesecultureandreligiousbeliefs interwoven into the story.My thoughtwas thatbyadding thetempleintotheillustration,IamimplyingthattheMonkeyKingisdefendingit.

IcreatedthumbnailsketchesAthroughFfirst.Thesesixroughthumbnaillayouts were all over the place, with different Sun Wukong poses, differentangles,andmultiplevillainstosingulardragons.InsketchC,Ievenhadmultipledragonsattackinghimatonce,withhimreadytotakethemallon.Ilikedsomeoftheseconcepts,butintheend,IlikedthesimplicityofSunWukongfightinganiconicChinese-stylefiredragon.ThethreeIgravitatedtowardthemostwereAbecauseof themidair fight (though Ididn’t likehowSun’sbodywasgoingthroughthegutterinthemiddle)andBandFfortheirfun,action-basedfeel.

IfeltlikeIneededtodigalittledeeperandnarrowmyfocusonceIknewwhatIwanted.Icreatedthreemorethumbnaillayouts,#1through#3,inwhichIwastryingtoworkouttheMonkeyKingandthefiredragon’sposes,aswellashow the background would work with them. I played with the symbolism ofwhereIplacedthetempleinallthree.Inthumbnail#1,it’sbelowSunWukong,soitfeelsasthoughheishoveringoveritinaprotectivepose.In#2,it’sbehindhim, which strengthens the feel that he is defending it by placing himselfbetweenitandtheevildragon.In#3,it’sbetweenthem;intheend,Ichosethisversion because it felt the most like them both fighting over it because it’s

between them. Itmade SunWukong look a bitmore on the offensive, also. Ipicked #3 for that reason, but also because I liked the feeling that thiswas a“moment”withinthebattle.Theblastoffirehasjustleftthedragon’smouthandSunWukongisevadingitwhilewindingupforahugestrike.

Step4:Inks

Withagoodideaofthelayout,designs,andthecharacterposes,Iwasreadytowork on the final artwork. If Iwere coloring this illustrationmyself, Iwouldprobablydoa larger, tightpencilsketchof thesceneandstartcoloring thatonthecomputer.ButIhaddecidedthatIwouldrathernotusemylimitedcolorandpaintingabilitiesonthispiece,soIaskedmygoodfriendChuckVollmerifhewould digitally paint it. Because he had agreed to it beforehand, I decided IwantedtogivehimthetightestlineworkIcould,sothatmeantinkingit.Ialsowanted Chuck to have full flexibility on the color and effects he wanted toachieve,soImadesureIcreatedthefinalartasalayeredPhotoshopfile.Ibeganredrawing all the elements separately. I inked each of them with Pitt Brushmarkers on separate pieces of paper. I then scanned each element into thecomputer and put the final inked image together to match my thumbnail.Because each character,mountain, cloud, and templewere on separate levels,this gave me the opportunity to subtly move the elements around to avoidtangents as much as possible. Many of my inked lines – in the backgroundcloudsandmountains,especially–weremuch too thickanddistracting in thisphase,butIknewitwouldn’tmatterinthefinalcolorphase.Chuckwoulddropthelineworkoutcompletelyinthebackgroundlaterintheprocess.Ontocolor!

Step5:ColorWizardry

Color “wizardry”may sound a bit overblown, butChuckVollmer– likeotherincredibly talented digital painters – can make this part of the process lookmagical.IhaveknownChuckfor20years.WeworkedtogetheratWaltDisneyFeatureAnimation inFlorida forabout12of thoseyears.Hewasa traditionalpainter in the Background department and I was upstairs in the Animationdepartment. Disney is very departmentalized, so we rarely had a productionreasontointeract,butIalwaysenjoyedsneakingdownstairstoseewhatChuckwaspaintingandwatchhimforabit.Imissthesmellofpaintandtherainbow-colored splatter of paint that he would have all over the edges of his desk.Because painting an illustration is a book-length topic in and of itself, thefollowingdescriptionsofChuck’sprocessarehighlycondensed.Needlesstosay,therearemany,manymoresubstepswithinthesefew.

Ihad loose ideasofwhatcolors Isawinmymindfor this illustration,soour first step was to open up the digital inks file and discuss the color. Theimportant color instructions I gave Chuckwere some specific color reference(see the reference sheet at the beginning of this chapter) of Sun Wukong’scostume,thefactthatthedragonwasafiredragonandsothereforeshouldhaveplentyofyelloworangeand/orredinhim,andtheideathatitshouldbearoundsunset.OneofChuck’sfirstpointstodiscussiswherethelightsourcewas.Wasthesunsettingontheleftorright?This,andthefact that thefiredragonitselfwouldbe radiating light, are importantbenchmarks tohelpChuckdecidehowtheillustrationshouldbelit.Wediscussedhowthelightcouldbeusedtoaccentthecharactersandhelp themstandout.Withall those thoughts swirling inhismind,Chuckstartedpainting.

Most painters start with dark colors first and then work from there withlightercolors.Chuckalsolikestostartwiththecharacterswhoaregoingtobethemainfocus.Establishingsomeof thosedecisionsearlyhelpsyoumake thenext color choices as you continue on through the painting.He decided to gowithadarkerreddragontomakehimlookevil.Healsoknewthathewouldbelighteninghimashewent,sostartingwithboldcolorslikethiswasagoodidea.Healsostartsworkinginthecloudsbehindthedragontoseehowthecolorsareworkingtogether.

Jumping ahead a bit, Chuck next established the Monkey King’s colorsbasedon the reference Igavehim.Hewasalmost fully renderedat thispoint.Chuck also added a nice sunset feel to the sky and established the darkmountainsintheback.Chuckwasunsureaboutthedragon’scolorsatthispoint,sohelefthimaloneforawhile.Beforeheevenpickeduphisstylus,ChuckandIknewthatthefiredragonwouldbethebiggestchallengetothecolorprocessofthisillustration.Thatpremonitionwascomingtrue.

ThenextmorningIcameintoworkandsawthisversionofthefiredragononhismonitor!Chucksaidhewenthomethenightbeforeandwrestledwithhisthoughts on what the dragon should look like. He had come up with thissemiradicalideaofusingsomegreenswithinhisbodycolorsandswitchingthereds toorangesandyellows.Hewanted toachieve the feeling that thedragonwasburningfromthe inside. I loved it!Hehadalsopainted in the temple, thecloudthedragonwason,andtheinitialcolorsofthefireball.Itwasstartingtocometogethernow!

At thispointonan illustrationproject, thingsslowdownforChuck.ThispointisalsothefunpartforChuck:thedetailwork.Thebigdecisionsaremade– theones thatkeephimupatnight–andnowhecan justpaint.Thebiggestchangeat thispoint is thathe turnedoff theblack linework in thebackgroundclouds,themountain,andthetemple.Thischangesoftenedthebackgroundandmadetheforegroundfiguresstandoutconsiderably.

On the next two-page spread, you can see the final illustration. Chuckaddedsomeglowinglightingeffectstothefireball,butthebiggestchangeisthathe“colorized”allofthecharacter’sblacklinework.Thiseffectreallymakesthecharacters come to life for me. The goal is for the characters to pop off thebackground, but alsoworkwithin it – andnow theydo. I couldn’t behappierwiththepaintingonthisillustration!

CelebrityArtistAssignment

JeremiahAlcorn

Illustrator/CharacterDesigner

AboutJeremiah

Jeremiah“Miah”Alcornisavisualdevelopmentartist,illustrator,anddesignerworkingintheillustrationandanimationfieldsfornumerousclientsinvariouspositionsglobally.HelivesinAlabaster,Alabama,withhiswife,fourchildren,twodogs,onecat,onefrog,andfourturtles.Miahisreallytallandlikestowearflip flops – a lot. You can see more of his artwork online athttp://www.alcornstudios.blogspot.com.

HisThoughtsontheAssignment

With this particular scenario, I knew from the beginning that I didn’twant toactuallyshowtheshadowyfigureatthewindowitselfunlessIabsolutelyhadto.Idon’tknow...theadditionoftheunknownforEmmajustseemedtomakeanalreadycreepysituationthatmuchmorealarming.Notsureifthatcomesacrossor not, but that’s what I was hoping to get in there. In considering differentapproaches, trying toget the threat actually in the roomwithEmmasomehowseemedlikeaninterestinggoaltoo.IfIshowedthefigureontheoutsideofthewindowlookingin,therewasstillthebarrierofthewall/windowtoaddacertainlayerofprotectiontothesituationforourtexter.Byturningthecameratowardthewall,Iwashopingtoaddtothesuspenseofthescenarioabitbyremovingthatvisualbarrieroftheoutsidewall/window.Althoughwegetsomesmallhintsof thewindowframewithin theshadow, theshadowitself isstillactuallyonawall inside the protection of the house. Is it a little scarier this way? I don’tknow,butIwantedtoat leastgiveitashotandseewhatwaspossible.Withintheshot itself, Ichosea lowercameraangle tomakeEmmaseemsmallerandallowmore room for the cast shadow to seem larger. The tilt of the windowtoward Emma was also done to make the shadow more overbearing andthreatening.

READERNOTEPlease see page 141 for the description of assignment #6.All celebrity artistshavecreatedartworkwiththesameguidelinesgiveninthatassignmentsothatwecanseetheirequallystrongbutvariedapproachestothesamechallenge.

IndexPagereferencesfollowedbyfindicatefigure.

A

Acting,purpose-driven,81–85,85f–86f

Ajhar,Brian,120–121

Alcorn,Jeremiah,158–159

Alluring,53,54f

Angle,12–13,12f–14f

Asymmetry,109,109f,112f,SeealsoSymmetry

B

Balance,60–61,60f–61f

Bancroft,Tom,99,101

Baxter,James,65

Bodylanguage,55–56,55f–57f

C

Chandler,Andrew,119

Charactersdesign,148–149,148f–149f

-drivenpointofview,106f–107f,116–117,SeealsoPointofviewlisteningtoeachother,96–97posing,50–75

balance,60–61,60f–61fbodylanguage,55–56,55f–56fcompression,58,58f–59fmovement,62–64,63f–64frunning,65–69,66f–69fwalking,65–69,65f–69fweight,57–61,57f

ChristianBroadcastingNetwork(CBN),136

Clarity,17–19,18f–19f

Clients,compositionfor,136–140

Close-upshot(CU),113,113fextreme,114,114f,SeealsoShots

Clothing,8,8f

Colorwizardry,153–157,154f–157f

Compositionforclients,136–140defined,106shape-based,128–131,129f–131f

Compression,58,58f–59f

Core,9,9f

Crisp,Megan,125–127

Crossedeyes,33,33f,SeealsoEyes

D

Depth,6–7,6f–7f

Dimitriadis,Phil,138

Display,53,54f

Dodson,Terry,102–103

Dollyshot,SeePanshot

Downshot,115,SeealsoShots

Drag,63–64,63f–64f,SeealsoMovement

Dynamicposes,53,54f

E

Establishingshot,SeeExtremewideshot(EWS)

Extremeclose-upshot(ECU),114,114f,SeealsoClose-upshot(CU)Shots

Extremewideshot(EWS),112,112f,SeealsoShots

Eyebrows,34,34f

Eyes,30–33,30f–31fcrossed,33,33fdirection,87–90,87f–89fwalled,32zombie,32,32f

F

Facialexpression,26–49eyebrows,34,34feyes,30–33,30f–31fcrossed,33,33fwalled,32zombie,32,32fmouth,35–36,35f–36fneck,37–38,37f–38fnose,39,39fpliabilityin,41–43,41f–43f

G

Galloway,Sean,48

Groening,Matt,32,32f

Guler,Greg,137

H

Hamilton,Marcus,142

Hayat,Usman,92

Henn,Mark,79

HowtheGrinchStoleChristmas,128

I

Inks,152–153

J

Jones,Chuck,128

“JourneytotheWest”(“TheMoneyKing”),146

K

Kalfas,Christian,95

Knowles,Craig,95

L

Lineofaction,10–11,10f–11f

Listeningtoeachother,96–97

Løken,OleChristian,22–23

M

Mediumshot(MS),113,113f,SeealsoShots

Micek,Jaclyn,73

Midsection,9,9f

Monik,Alexandria,98–99

Mood-to-poseratio,66

Moore,Freddie,41

Mouth,35–36,35f–36f

Movement,62drag,63–64,63f–64f

Mulan(film),96

N

Neck,37–39,37f–39f

Noble,Maurice,128

Nose,39,39f

O

Overlapping,107

Over-the-shouldershot(OTS),115,SeealsoShots

P

Panshot,115,SeealsoShots

Pascua,Elaine,71

Perspective,6–7,6f–7f

Photoreference,91–94,91f–94f

Pliability,inface,41–43,41f–43f

Pointofview(POV),116–117character-driven,106f–107f,118–119story-driven,106f–107f,119,SeealsoShots

Pose(s/ing),14–16,15f–16falluring,53combiningwithexpressions,54,54fdisplay,53dynamic,53storytelling,53

Priorities,determining,132–135,133f–135f

Proximity,90,90f

Purpose-drivenacting,81–84,85f–86f

R

Research,147

Rubio,Bobby,24–25

Ruleofthirds,109–110

Running,65–69,66f–67f

S

SevenDwarfs,41

Shape-basedcomposition,128–131,129f–131f,SeealsoComposition

Shotschoosing,111–115,114fclose-up,113,113fdownshot,115

extremeclose-up,114,114fextremewide,112,112fmedium,113,113fover-the-shoulder,115point-of-view,116–117tilt,115truckin,115truckout,115upshot,115wide,112,112fzoomin,115zoomout,115

Silhouette,17–19,18f–19f

Silver,Stephen,74–75

Simpsons,The,32

SnowWhite,41

Spooner,J.Michael,138

Squash,41,42f,58

Staging,scenes,104–121,107f–108fdefined,106pointofview,106f–107f,116–119shots,SeeShots

Story-drivenpointofview,106f–107f,116–117,SeealsoPointofview

Storytelling,53,54f

Stretch,41,42f

Struzan,Drew,140

Subtext,81–84,82f–84f

Superbook,132–135,138f–140f

Symmetry,109,109f,SeealsoAsymmetry

T

Thumbnail(ing)layouts,78–80,80f,150–152,150f–152f

Tiltshot,115,SeealsoShots

Tonalstudies,125–127

Truckinshot,115,SeealsoShots

Truckoutshot,115,SeealsoShots

Twinning,5,5f

U

Ulanoski,Brad,100–101

Upshot,115,SeealsoShots

V

Visualflow,125–127

Vitolo,Pasqualina,21

Vollmer,Chuck,152–157

W

Walking,65–69,65f–67f

Walledeyes,32

WanIndera,WanNorazuraBinti,95

Weight,57–61,57f

Wicked,125

Wideshot(WS),112,112f,SeealsoShots

Z

Zheng,Lin,138

Zombieeyes,32,32f,SeealsoEyes

Zoominshot,115,SeealsoShots

Zoomoutshot,115,SeealsoShots

TableofContentsTitleCopyrightIntroductionForewordAcknowledgmentsChapter1.NowWhat?1NowWhat?TwinningUsingPerspectivetoCreateDepthClothing:DepthKillers?UsingtheCoreLineofActionDramaisnotVerticalStep-by-Step:CreatingaPosefromStarttoFinishedColorClarityandSilhouetteAssignment#1Example#1PasqualinaVitoloExample#2byOleChristianLøkenCelebrityArtistAssignmentChapter2.TheFace2TheFaceEyesEyebrowsTheMouthTheNeckTheNoseUsingtheFacialElementstoEmoteAssignment#2Example#1FranciscoGuerreroExample#2LaurenDraghettiCelebrityArtistAssignmentChapter3.PosingYourCharacter3PosingYourCharacterBodyLanguageWeightandBalance

TheMechanicsofMovementWalksandRunsAssignment#3Example#1ElainePascuaMentorNotesExample#2JaclynMicekChapter4.Acting4ActingThumbnailingSubtextPurpose-DrivenActingEyeDirectionandProximityUsingPhotoReferenceCharactersListeningtoEachOtherAssignment#4Example#1:AlexandriaMonikExample#2:BradUlanoskiCelebrityArtistAssignmentChapter5.StagingYourScene5StagingYourSceneTheRuleofThirdsChoosingYourShotPointofViewAssignment#5Example:AndrewChandlerCelebrityArtistAssignmentChapter6.LeadingTheEye6LeadingtheEyeVisual“Flow”andTonalStudiesShape-BasedCompositionDeterminingPrioritiesCompositionforaClientAssignment#6CelebrityArtistAssignmentChapter7.PuttingitinAction7PuttingitinActionStep1:Research,Research,ResearchStep2:CharacterDesignStep3:ThumbnailLayouts

Step4:InksStep5:ColorWizardryCelebrityArtistAssignmentIndex