MAY 2016
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!!
Watch this video all the way through, then we'll talk...
Fred Astaire was one of the greatest dancers of all time. Studying any dance action can be very important to animators - even if they are not trying to animated dance in the first place! The beauty of dance - whether that dance be modern, ballet, tap, hip-hop or otherwise - is that you learn the visual storytelling essentials of poise, balance, emotion and gesture. Within even the most simple of dance movements there are things going on that most people never see, yet these can often be core fundamentals to animated movement.
With this in mind, study the action above again and again and pick out the 3 most important poses that define a core element to the story of this dance. You may choose the most gymnastic of poses, the most fluid points in one action, or just random storytelling poses that are more to do with emotion or attitude than anything else.
It is not at all required that your draw your character as Fred Astaire - you can use any character design or styling that you like.
What is important however is that you capture the essential pose and attitude of the moments you select and that - probably most important of all - you identify the balance, or lack of it, in the action. (Clue: In a balanced pose the center of gravity is over the point (foot) or points (feet) of contact with the ground. Therefore a character who is seeking acceleration, or is meant to be falling, will not display that kind of balance in their pose.) Consequently, if your character study is meant to be in balance, then you must emphasize that. If its not meant to be in balance, you must show that also!
Rules: Your 3 pose drawings have to be on a single page file, and the closing date of your entries is Sunday, May 29th, at Midnight (Pacific Time).
'Good luck' one and all!