??poses??

[professorx00]

so how do you all come up with poses? I always have trouble with picturing poses. I also have trouble taking a pose and then making it look more dynamic.

later
dave

[bleupencil]

I'm very lax lately... most of my sketches end up being people just standing around. Booooooring! Really though, when I actually draw something more, the poses are based on the character's emotion and/or actions/scenario.

So that's a key, try to give them a scenario, maybe a little gag or moment or something, and work from that. The character is your actor, they need something to work with here to make it interesting. Understand how they feel, how they react to certain situations or ideas, etc, and base your decisions on that.

Thumbnailing is a fantastic way of figuring out what poses work. This will help you find something more dynamic as well.

Just experiment and push the pose to the extremest you can think of. Then if it seems too much, tone it down a little. Play with it. That's what sketchbooks are for!

Hope that helps :)

[ElusiveMoose]

(Standard Preface: I don't know what I'm talking about. Anyone that takes my advice and/or opinions as Fact, Representative of Professional Standards, or anything more than Wild-Man, Drunken Gibberish should seek medical attention immediately. Not available where prohibited by law. Your results may vary. Certain restrictions apply.)

OK, my take on poses is this:

1) Animate thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Not actions or poses.

This comes from Frank and Ollie and is my #1 rule. So, I base my poses on what the character is thinking or feeling. How would (s)he react, stand, etc.

Often, I just stand up and act it out. Get in the moment. Feel what your character is feeling. Then look in the mirror (or videotape yourself).

Of course, this doesn't always give you the nicest looking pose, so...

2) Modify pose for silhouette and composition.

Basically, take the initial pose and now work it in with the background and surroundings. Make a decent composition, and make sure to silhouette the action/pose as much as possible for an easy read by the audience.

Now, we have a pose, it looks nice, but is it strong or dynamic?

3) Exaggerate

Push the pose a little. A little more. A tad more. There...


Anyway, that's the way I do it, or try to anyway. Unless I'm just feeling belligerent. Then all rules are out the window.... :D

Good luck....

[kdog]

I dont have much to add, as most people here are way past me in terms of artistic talent, so I'll just echo the sentiment that thumbnail sketches are invaluable, and of course repetition. But for poses, just thumb a bunch of stick figures to get the feel youre going for. Use your squash & stretch techniques. Im sure if you can put some feeling & emotion into a sack of flour then you can do the same with person/character. The other thing I try to keep in mind (& its more of a timing thing) is that thought always preceedes movement. Noone just does something in a vacuum, there is always some sort of motivating force behind an action. Your chars personality should play into this as well of course.

Give this site a look, Ive learned alot from the "how-to" & "craft of making cartoons" sections.
http://tallgrassradio.com/tgr0043.htm

hope that helps generate some ideas :)

[Simon Smith]

"when in doubt, act it out"

Everything else was pretty much sum'd up by moose. A great resource is Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks.... it's still the best animation book i've ever perchanced by far. It's pretty much all words and no pictures, but you'll really get to understand how great character animation works.

[professorx00]

thanks everyone this has been helpful

:)