Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
By setting such constraints at the outset, you are then free to give
consideration to particular aspects of the subject and omit information that
is either unnecessary or at least of lesser importance to the immediate needs
of the research. You can see that there will almost certainly be a need to
create many such drawings, each of which deals with a different aspect of a
subject.
Anatomy
The study of basic human anatomy can be a very useful undertaking for
artists, designers, and animators. However, it might not be necessary for them
to have a particularly in-depth knowledge of the workings of the human body
in order for their particular practice to gain a great deal from such study. Much
of animation deals with the human figure, even though a lot of the animation
may be abstracted to some degree and in extreme cases the anatomy and
movement of human characters may barely resemble the human form at all.
Nonetheless, an understanding of the human form, the way it works and the
range of movements it is capable of making will inform the animator's work.
In a similar way, understanding the basic anatomy of quadrupeds will also
prove of some use. To help with this idea, there are some first-rate texts on
human and animal anatomy specifically aimed at the artist. In addition to the
chapters in this topic, I have listed a few texts in the bibliography that you
may find of some use for further study.
Construction
Drawing the human figure can be a rather daunting undertaking. To
make things a little clearer, particularly when you're drawing a figure for
animation purposes, it might be useful to try to see past all the surface
detail to its underpinning structure. If we can begin to understand how a
figure is structured, we will be better placed to draw and animate it. The
aim is to simplify a complex structure to a level whereby the action and
dynamics can be more clearly captured, reproduced, and understood.
Animators in the Disney studio did much to promote this way of animating
using a simplified structure that was designed specifically to disregard
all the unnecessary detail that wasn't immediately relevant to the
action, movement, and performance of the piece. In this way the most
complex structures are reduced to a series of spheres, cubes, cones, and
cylinders. If we understand the construction of figures in these simple
terms, it becomes easier to interpret rather complex structures in terms of
movement, stripped away of unnecessary detail and information that can
only confuse the issue. Of course, once the movement is captured to the
animator's liking, it is then possible to add the necessary detail. In this way
the process of animation can be differentiated from that of drawing. This
concept is particularly important for animators specializing in 2D classical
animation.
