Drawing body structure for animation: i Need Help!

[Paul Fierlinger]

You are hopeless. You are looking for magical secrets to be revealed to you because a few cliches should get you going. It won't work that way buster. Either go to art school or get off your ass and draw, draw, draw. There are no shortcuts, no work-arounds. BTW, where did you get your TVP dongle from if you can't afford a $20 book?

[slowtiger]

One day, when I grow up, I want to be as grumpy as Paul.

[Fabrice]

However i hope someone of you has these books to copy for me (using scanner or how preferred by owner):
- animation the mechanics of motion
- the animators survival kit
- how to draw comics the marvel way
- simplified drawing for planning animation

@ ebphoto : This is not legal. Please restrain yourself to ask for pirate stuff here (even books scans ...), or get banned !

- - - - - -


My 2 cents : Rather than asking for pirate scanned books :
if I may suggest, you can use a software like Poser to have some references poses of various characters/animals from any angle of view. It doesn't replace real life observation, but it helps to save money on books if you can't afford them.
it sounds like the old Poser version 6.0 is now free. see : http://www.clubic.com/telecharger-fiche10340-poser.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ebphoto]

Thanx for your suggestion Elodie
Paul the reason was that each library don't has all books that i'm lookin' for and i can't have too much accounts.

However last night i've acquired 3 books: Animation the m. of m., how to draw by buscema e animators kit.

[Paul Fierlinger]

One day, when I grow up, I want to be as grumpy as Paul.

If you're not grumpy now, forget it. It takes a lifetime of practice and I started at three.

[Klaus Hoefs]

If I may give an advice. Invest little money, just buy a pencil, one sharpener and get some sheet of papers from anywhere and start to draw. In almost any situation and everywhere - don't care for people looking at your drawings but watch them in everyday situations.
This is not easy to do - you need discipline, a strong will and endurance. I never would draw by looking at 3d-software or even by looking at books: this is not real life and it is not your life.
If you have a bundle of drawings ask a friend or teacher what they do think. Ask for improvements. Maybe come back here. Then take some time again and ask again.
For to learn to draw you need time. And this kind of learning will never stop.

[Fabrice]

I never would draw by looking at 3d-software or even by looking at books

nb: I was just advising a free 3D software (with characters you can pose easily) to avoid to pirate any anatomy or pose book. (why asking for illegal stuff when some legal ones exists ... )

That's said, drawing from the real life is a better way to become animator.

[Paul Fierlinger]

It's a tradition of this young art to have animators study figure drawing from live models just because animation is the art of putting life into drawings. In my view, anyone learning to draw for 2D animation should draw with motion in mind from the beginning.

When I am designing a new character for a new film I never resort to the architect's formatting of front, rear, side and top view with maybe a few very basic poses, carried over mostly from the world of fashion design. These are model sheets which come later.

I start with rough drawings of in-motion keys with some inbetweening thrown in; usually I begin with a character sitting in a chair, standing up, and turning partially around. I think it is important to visualize a character in continuous motion, looking its prescribed age and acting its script given role. Copying other people's work is useless, unless you want to develop yourself into a versatile animator for the commercial world, with an eye on gaining a reputation for being able to animate in any artist's style. In that case one should acquire the habit of for ever visiting as many art exhibits, museums and illustration books as possible.

Whatever the case may be, this is a very different approach to drawing than illustrators, graphic design artists, and fine arts painters are taught. I don't see that the author of this thread understands this. To draw in the style of Marvel comics is not learning to draw for animation. Several attempts of this are popping up here and there and nothing that I have seen so far has been successful only because the gestures of these characters were never intended to end up becoming actual motion anymore than city statues of horse riders.

[ebphoto]

It's a tradition of this young art to have animators study figure drawing from live models just because animation is the art of putting life into drawings. In my view, anyone learning to draw for 2D animation should draw with motion in mind from the beginning.

When I am designing a new character for a new film I never resort to the architect's formatting of front, rear, side and top view with maybe a few very basic poses, carried over mostly from the world of fashion design. These are model sheets which come later.

I start with rough drawings of in-motion keys with some inbetweening thrown in; usually I begin with a character sitting in a chair, standing up, and turning partially around. I think it is important to visualize a character in continuous motion, looking its prescribed age and acting its script given role. Copying other people's work is useless, unless you want to develop yourself into a versatile animator for the commercial world, with an eye on gaining a reputation for being able to animate in any artist's style. In that case one should acquire the habit of for ever visiting as many art exhibits, museums and illustration books as possible.

Whatever the case may be, this is a very different approach to drawing than illustrators, graphic design artists, and fine arts painters are taught. I don't see that the author of this thread understands this. To draw in the style of Marvel comics is not learning to draw for animation. Several attempts of this are popping up here and there and nothing that I have seen so far has been successful only because the gestures of these characters were never intended to end up becoming actual motion anymore than city statues of horse riders.

Paul, thinking during these days also at your words i better mean what you and other persons says to me... I think there is good suggestions but in my life happened things that pushed me to find priciples of animation. A lil exaple: what is the stride, the passing position etcetera 'n how those are constructed? Another example is: since i was a lil child i started to drawn 'n using painting, when i'm rising i lost the sense of proportions of characters 'till to hate the school of visual art. I dn't like to draw but trust me about it i appreciate I appreciate the artistic sense of the black line on white paper, especially if he becomes animated. As absurd as I appreciate the uniqueness, just as if it were a work of art. So now i need to find an acceptable way to get proportions for my characters..., perhaps, in the end will come with practice staff a way of drawing but I realize that to create cartoons however tends to standardize some technical process of realization 'n i've not so much time to spend for it...

[ten_zero]

Here is my advice for Anime as directed Grendizer/Goldrake emotion, not Animate as motion picture,

1. Keep having an observing eye.
__ Do not think to draw realistic, just croquis human action*(2) in 1~3 minute with simple wood marionnette*(1).
2. Buy some Rhodia dot pad No.12 or 16 (also postcard / agenda sketchbook).
__ Always carries it with pencil, fountain / Frixion or ball point pen
3. Doodling and croquis everyday -breaktime at Bar or Cafe, Football game player action-. replace from a nightcap to Rhodia dot pad. *(3)
4. Sometimes hand copy (means for practice) Goldrake charactor, TEZUKA Osamu "Drawing Manga" or "Cartooning Animation 1 With Preston Blair".

Spoiler : Keep close if you have not intelesting Japanese Anime Charactor design :

Did you know ARAKI Shingo, a Goldrake chief animator carrier began from Manga artist for kids ?


Just Keep drawing with passion. Enjoy .

http://tezukaosamu.net/en/iroiro/26.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

doodle.png

[ebphoto]

Here is my advice for Anime as directed Grendizer/Goldrake emotion, not Animate as motion picture,

1. Keep having an observing eye.
__ Do not think to draw realistic, just croquis human action*(2) in 1~3 minute with simple wood marionnette*(1).
2. Buy some Rhodia dot pad No.12 or 16 (also postcard / agenda sketchbook).
__ Always carries it with pencil, fountain / Frixion or ball point pen
3. Doodling and croquis everyday -breaktime at Bar or Cafe, Football game player action-. replace from a nightcap to Rhodia dot pad. *(3)
4. Sometimes hand copy (means for practice) Goldrake charactor, TEZUKA Osamu "Drawing Manga" or "Cartooning Animation 1 With Preston Blair".

Hi ten-zero, i'm not sure to undestand what you write, please can you be more clear?
(for example i don't know what means the word Croquis)

Thank you!

[ematecki]

The best way to translate a word :
http://www.wordreference.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Croquis : http://www.wordreference.com/fren/croquis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Croquis = Sketch.

[ten_zero]

Hi ten-zero, i'm not sure to undestand what you write, please can you be more clear?
(for example i don't know what means the word Croquis)

Thank you!

Excuse me, I supposed you are from France.
Because for you seems a big fan of Grendizer (as〝グレンダイザー〟in Japanese and "Goldorak" in Français).
And I am not an English native speaker.

Wikipedia English (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) said :

Croquis drawing is quick and sketchy drawing of a live model.
Croquis drawings are usually made in a few minutes, after which the model changes pose and another croquis is drawn.

What do you say in your home language as drawing body struct practice by speed sketch ?


One of "Croquis" book I use　(107×153mm 100 sheets, about 2 euro).

[Fabrice]

I guess it's difficult for many of us : we have french, english and japanese people here in the same topic.

[ebphoto]

Ten-Zero Thanx for the explanation and links, you are right as Fabrice!
However no i'm italian 'n my english lang is the worse on the planet. I was a grendizer fan, now i'm not
I think Ten-Zero and all persons on this post are really right however time is not ever enough to do things that i want concretize...
I posted a new link to a short video that shows my sketches that are concretized while in this post people suggested me how to learn to draw, if anyone wants says his though about it ok it's a good way to learn something good

Thank you!