ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 4.7 - OCTOBER 1999
(continued from page 1)
To Begin...
We start first by establishing where we want to place the figure on the paper. To do this, we must establish the limits of the model and where these are to be placed on the paper. In "Illustration A," you will notice that the seated figure has a horizontal axis and the standing figure, "Illustration B," has a longer vertical axis.
This is not always quite so obvious, so it is important that you carefully measure to see which lines are longer and place the figures on your paper accordingly. Notice that I have used a series of straight lines to "block in" the rough placement of the figure. Straight lines are essentially easier to see and make judgments with compared to irregular lines. You "block in" the figure by "eye-balling" it, in other words, by making simple unassisted visual judgments prior to actually measuring. As you develop your visual skills, the simple act of making a mental notation is usually sufficient. Now we have reached the point where we start to place the various elements of the drawing more accurately.
Very carefully using the head as a basic measuring unit, find the center of the drawing both vertically and horizontally on both the model and the paper. At the end of this chapter is a simple explanation of how to measure if you are not familiar with this procedure. It is essential that you be very careful in doing this because everything you do from this point on could potentially reflect further errors. It is a good idea to take a separate piece of paper or a ruler to help make sure that, in fact, you have actually marked the center on your paper. From this point on, the process is essentially one of creating a grid by breaking each section down, measuring, and progressively making smaller units. It is important that you pay as much attention to the width of the forms as you do to the length.
Make diagonal lines and extend them to see what other forms they hit. This is the same as checking your vertical and horizontal alignments and adds another means of checking your placement.
The use of the arc works in the same way as the diagonal line and, again, is another tool in the placement of the forms.
On the next page, you will see a visual summary showing the basic tools of the approach we have discussed so far. The accuracy of your drawing will depend on how careful you are. This approach has very little to do with talent, relying primarily on careful observation and patience.
Once you have all of the major elements in place you can start to break the larger units into smaller units. The limitation of this approach is only in how small a unit you are willing to create. I have seen artists who work this way carry it down to the finest highlight in the eye. This approach is, primarily, one of surveying and putting everything in its proper place.
The value in this form of exercise is developing the ability to reduce your subject to two dimensional observations.
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