Loosing Up A Character

[lavallelee]

My drawings and animations always seem to be really stiff, I suggest tutorials on loosing up characters. When they are just talking with each other or doing anything really. Anticipations I'm also pretty bad with. How do you go about doing them or planning them out.

Those are some techniques I would love to learn. :)

[Lauren C]

Some times I have the same problem, and what I've found that helps is exaggeration. Exaggerate the emotion, expression or pose you are try to portray, and it helps bring a little extra life and personality into your work. You don't have to go completely over board, but just push it a little. It works for me, so hopefully that helps you.

[Alexandra Poston]

I feel what really helped me loosen up is by going to life drawing sessions and realizing a real line of force through which each character balances itself. After getting a large pad of newsprint and just drawing away at the human form (which is everything but stiff) I really felt my hand loosen up and grow confidence. Having confidence in your drawing and even just trying to get rough and sloppy with it will help, I think, however far fetched that may seem.
Making a rough drawing before getting down into something serious will really help keep life in a drawing - that's why Disney encouraged artists to make 'ruff' pencil tests before getting down to business.

[lavallelee]

i actually did some life drawing 6 months ago, i paid for a model too

this was the outcome

http://www.myanimespace.org/animation/lifedrawing3.gif

http://www.myanimespace.org/animation/lifedrawing1.gif

i would love more life drawing classes, when i move to florida next month im going to look into some classes for life drawing in orlando

[Don Bluth]

My drawings and animations always seem to be really stiff, I suggest tutorials on loosing up characters. When they are just talking with each other or doing anything really. Anticipations I'm also pretty bad with. How do you go about doing them or planning them out.

Those are some techniques I would love to learn. :)

First of all, read the tips and tricks in the drawing category. Here's the link: http://www.donbluthanimation.com/tips.php?c=1
What comes to mind for loosening up your drawing style would be drawing with a softer lead, preferably a 6B and holding your pencil in the sketch position (pencil parallel to the paper). Drawings are similar to a Rorschach test. An artists drawings will reveal whether he/she is organized in his/her thinking or overly neat and tidy or conversely, overt and adventurous. Are you adventurous? Take chances; it's only paper.

[Thinktink606432]

Are there any books or dvd's that help just with this. I mean i am only in the 9th grade so i have a while to go but i still only have 3 years.

[zanekohler]

Are there any books or dvd's that help just with this. I mean i am only in the 9th grade so i have a while to go but i still only have 3 years.

There are a couple of books coming out in a few weeks that are getting high praise.

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes, Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures
Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes, Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lecture

From what little I have seen of them they look to be pretty good.

As far as dvd's ... Glenn Vilppu has made a few but I have not seen any to know how they are. http://www.vilppustore.com/anatdvd.htm

I have a few more life drawing books at home that I will browse through and mention if any touch on the subject.

Great that you are starting early! Good luck and keep it up!

[Draconis]

The structure of man DVDs by Riven Phoenix are excellent! I'm in the middle of doing them and have learned way more than all the life drawing classes combined. The best thing is that they're reasonably priced too!

http://the-structure-of-man.blogspot.com/

[jeremyhopkins]

Based on your flash work, I think you might struggle with seeing form in terms of rhythm rather than shape. Its very easy in flash to draw a symbol and tween to get instant motion but you're not animating the forces that act on that shape. If its alive, then there with be internal forces as well as external forces acting on the character. It starts with what the character is thinking and proceeds to pose the body based on that thought. Drawing from life is super important but what is really important is to bring those studies into your animation. Research, study physical and emotional nature of your subject in quick sketches or mentally record them and then apply that knowledge to your cartoons. If you work quick, it can force you to simplify and distill the essence of your pose. More of that information is mentioned in Walt Stanchfield's notes & books as well as on Don's site.

[lavallelee]

wow lots of replys!!! thanks everyone

I actually bought 1 life drawing dvd, http://www.billbuchman.com I plan on doing his lessons, but he uses alot of art supplies I don't have, this is why im planning on taking life drawing classes in orlando (if i can find any)

as for what you said jeremy you are right, i do struggle

which is why i want to start over from scratch basically relearn to animate and draw, i will get those Walt Stanchfield books as soon as they are released. I am hoping to break free of the quick stiff style i use, and open up and give more life to my cartoons.

[zanekohler]

That is a good attitude. I had to sort of undo what I had learned once. I had taken a few years of life drawing at my local community college. No internet back then... so all I heard to be in animation was you should draw from life.
In that class it was not about human form. More about drawing "hills and valleys" as the teacher used to say. It was an eye opener when I attended a small atelier where a lot of professionals were teaching and or attending. I was actually crushed at first. I thought I was going to come in for a couple of classes, complete my portfolio and apply to a college animation program. I realized how little I knew. Slowly after time it started to stick.

With all that said it can be frustrating relearning, but you will get there! I will end by paraphrasing something Chuck Jones said "Everybody has about 8000 bad drawings in them. The more and sooner you do them the quicker you can get to your good ones."

[WillW]

I had this a while back too, I new some of the principles but I didn’t know how to really make animation come to life. I realised after some thought that I was thinking too much on the details of the character rather then paying attention to how it was moving. I practised drawing rough images, displaying enough information to show enough details for clean up but drawing each image quickly to keep the motion fresh in my mind. you can then take the animation from there and tweak parts easily and then inking the final frames.

one of the things that helped me understand rough drawing well was looking at David Colman’s work on deviant art, he’s a character designer who used to work for Disney. It shows just how rough you can go and still translate enough information to know what’s going on.

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Thumbs-for-Dean-Yeagle-77166679

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Elephant-Studies-classhandout-96449794

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Boxer-costumeclass-106645418

just my 2 cents

[johncbeggs]

I had this a while back too, I new some of the principles but I didn’t know how to really make animation come to life. I realised after some thought that I was thinking too much on the details of the character rather then paying attention to how it was moving. I practised drawing rough images, displaying enough information to show enough details for clean up but drawing each image quickly to keep the motion fresh in my mind. you can then take the animation from there and tweak parts easily and then inking the final frames.

one of the things that helped me understand rough drawing well was looking at David Colman’s work on deviant art, he’s a character designer who used to work for Disney. It shows just how rough you can go and still translate enough information to know what’s going on.

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Thumbs-for-Dean-Yeagle-77166679

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Elephant-Studies-classhandout-96449794

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Boxer-costumeclass-106645418

just my 2 cents

I liked the elephants alot, I kinda get the feeling that their alive and moving like an elephant would I suppose :).

[zanekohler]

I had this a while back too, I new some of the principles but I didn’t know how to really make animation come to life. I realised after some thought that I was thinking too much on the details of the character rather then paying attention to how it was moving. I practised drawing rough images, displaying enough information to show enough details for clean up but drawing each image quickly to keep the motion fresh in my mind. you can then take the animation from there and tweak parts easily and then inking the final frames.

one of the things that helped me understand rough drawing well was looking at David Colman’s work on deviant art, he’s a character designer who used to work for Disney. It shows just how rough you can go and still translate enough information to know what’s going on.

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Thumbs-for-Dean-Yeagle-77166679

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Elephant-Studies-classhandout-96449794

http://davidsdoodles.deviantart.com/art/Boxer-costumeclass-106645418

just my 2 cents


I just got David Coleman's Animal character design book (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Animal-Character-Design/dp/0979068606/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240423005&sr=8-2). Such fantastic drawings of animals. I totally recommend it.

[Snapai]

*snip*

I will end by paraphrasing something Chuck Jones said "Everybody has about 8000 bad drawings in them. The more and sooner you do them the quicker you can get to your good ones."

That's Kimon Nicolaides, from "The Natural Way To Draw", actually. :) Though it wouldn't surprise me if Chuck Jones quoted him.

[zanekohler]

That's Kimon Nicolaides, from "The Natural Way To Draw", actually. :) Though it wouldn't surprise me if Chuck Jones quoted him.

Yeah it is funny you mention that... after typing that I saw it pop up elsewhere with what I assume was their name. I had met Chuck Jones way back and he was quoting everybody from Dr. Suess to Mark Twain. He even may had mentioned their name... but I don't remember. It's a good one tho. :)