character drawing
Much about illustration depends on intent. Life drawing is about observing and capturing life as it appears. Objectively, to learn the hand eye coordination to draw life as observed. And subjectively, to look for stories to tell. Character drawing has a slightly different intent. Instead of capturing life as it is, I intentionally filter and interpret what is observed. Adapting, exaggerating, and expanding upon direct experiences to find fun ways to illustrate the world as I want to see it.
MOTION
Character is look and style, but like a real person, character is more than skin deep. A character is what they do, how they do it, and why.
Exercise Part 1 / Divide a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper into 8 frames. Complete 8 thumbnail gestures drawn from a specific activity or sport. Find reference on YouTube, Pinterest, or Instagram. Use references that are inherently about movement. If working from video, pause or take screen captures. Use the photos only as a learning guide. Don’t zoom in or draw a sequence. And don’t copy directly. Keep the drawings expressive and quick, under 10 minutes each. Focus on movement and communicating the action and motion. Exaggerate, stylize, and make the drawing yours. Draw as silhouettes and/or simplified line drawings / 1.5 hours.
How does motion enhance the action in a drawing? Why does movement make an image more visually engaging? How does body language, proportions, foreshortening, and balance produce a more convincing action?
sequence
I’ve selected skaters to draw because skateboarding is more than an activity. It’s a lifestyle and an identity that can be readily communicated in a drawing.
Exercise Part 2 / Cut your gesture drawings out and try to arrange them in a sequence. Adapt, edit, or redesign the actions and the characters so all drawings have the same character design and corresponding movements. String the drawings together to form a series, add or substitute in-betweens to smooth out the transition between key frames. However this is not an animation so the movements and pacing do not need to to be strictly sequential. Create a 6-9 frame sequence. / Draw as silhouette shape with minimal line / 2 hours.
How does arranging images in a specific order change the drawings? What happens inbetween the frames when you juxtapose drawings together?
story
A skater projects personality and action clearly. Everyday life is more subtle. However, every day actions can say a lot about a character.
For homework follow the same procedure as in class but draw from your own direct experiences and observations.
Exercise Part 3 / Observe yourself or others and draw the everyday actions of people you encounter. Drawings should depict an activity being performed (not a pinup pose). Do 8 gesture sketches of actions and movements you observe. As before stylize and exaggerate to make the drawings your own. If drawing a stranger try to take mental pictures of them and then draw a caricature based on the memories instead of drawing direct. This is not an observational exercise, instead it is about capturing character in movement and action. Traditional and/or digital. Silhouette and limited line, B+W. / 1.5 hours.
Part 4/ Combine the drawings into a series. Add or substitute to create a logical sequence. Redesign drawings to have one consistent character throughout the series. 6-9 frames. Draw with silhouette and limited line, include one greyscale tone or colour. / 3 hours.