I started this blog because I enjoyed documenting the creative process during the development and production of the Hellboy Animated movies. I thought I could do the same with whatever project I was currently working on. However, I'm currently storyboarding and writing for shows belonging to other people, projects that I'm not at liberty to discuss. That's why you've seen so much stuff pulled from old stuff. But as long as people are finding it interesting I'll keep dishing out this odd potpourri.
Remember when you were little and learning to "color between the lines" was a huge accomplishment? Adults use that phrase to describe the stifling of creative instincts. In reality, it's a kid working on his hand/eye coordination. There's nothing wrong with it, in fact, it's a necessary step in development. But maybe it's that early goal that sets kids thinking that they have to draw with clean, scratch-free lines. More likely it's just that kids grow up wanting their doodles to look like the thing they're copying.
But it's important to get over that. Loosen up! Don't worry about the clean lines as much as the general feel. After that you can tighten up, especially if you're working digitally. Don't spend time erasing or tracing. It usually robs your drawings of life and creates distortions of form and your figures lose structure. Jack Kirby told artists to throw away their erasers. Today I want to share some work by Willard Mullin, sports cartoonist that said much the same thing.
Most of you don't check out the comments under the posts so you missed it when my high school pal, Leo Brodie, pointed to the ComicCrazy blog that has scanned the lessons from the Famous Artist Cartoon Course. Mullin was one of the instructors.
There's not much I have to say about this stuff. Just open your brain and pour this stuff in. It's not just the looseness, of course. It's about capturing the essence of a pose and exaggerating it. Precisely what a 2D animator does.
This sort of thinking is where you start whether you're drawing Ben 10, Darkwing Duck, Batman or Phineas and Ferb. Of course, you tone down the degree of caricature depending on the style of the character. But why not take a moment and try pushing your poses as much as Mullin does here. If you're drawing superheroes I bet you'll come up with something akin to Jack Kirby's work. I think it was Jules Feiffer who said that when Captain America threw a punch it seemed like his feet were never closer than five feet apart. Check out this drawing inked by Chad Frye. See if you can push that action even more.
Or try it on your own characters. Come on, what's it gonna hurt? Spend some time really loosening up. -- Tad
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