Elmer Fudd

Elmer Fudd studies and applications at my other blog

Mastering Porky

I'm putting this same post on my newer blog, but since its so relevant to what John K teaches, I'll also put it here.

For the past 2 or more weeks, I have been working on mastering porky. Through copying, drawing from memory and invention (with reference, but it fluctuates how much I use it).

Through this I was able to create the following invented poses:

 

These first two used the above frames from Clampett's Porky in Wackyland as a reference. The rest used a model sheet I made from a variety of 1940s Clampett and Jones frames (posted further below).

These last two I am not so happy with, but I am still learning and don't fully understand how to pose porky in every way, so this still happens a bit. My proportions still vary quite a bit in general etc.

 

Here's the 2nd reference sheet I made:

 

 

 

And here are some of the sketches from my copying / understanding memory work. I like the last one especially (I should go back and do some memory work on that). A lot of the work below was about memorizing and understand the feet.

 

 

 

 

It would probably be a great idea to continue this process. I'm sure it could lead to really mastering porky, where I could invent poses and expressions for him from imagination without references and with correct proportions, construction hierarchy and strong poses.

 

However, right now I am going to move over to doing the same process with Elmer Fudd and later maybe some other simple generic characters. It should all lead to the same goal of being able to create and successfully pose from imagination. I might return to porky later, or just invent a new porky every day. I dunno. 

 

I also should read and practice up on how to pose well ( I have a lot of books etc that address this)

 

Also on the cards is inventing and posing my own characters etc (hopefully incorporating these design principles).

 

I've done a bunch of art stuff that I haven't posted about, including drawing courses and making some of my own comics (not this cartoony though (yet)). This just felt so relevant to the John K training and suggestions that I had to post it.

 

Its interesting to see what happened to the people that posted work on John K's blog years back. Some became super good and went on to kick ass with their own inventions (I think Geneva was one of them). That is really inspiring to see. Many just seemed just to peter out (to be expected). I hope this shows I'm still chugging along (although with a few detours to be sure).

 

Cheers.

Copy, Analyse and APPLY megapost

The path to improvement is clear. It is copy analyse and apply. I've learnt lot from John's Animation school lessons (construction, line of action, proportions, silhouettes, hierachy, overlay checks and more). I understand it all intelectually, but that doesn't count for squat!

What matters is being able to do. To do you must copy analyse and apply. This is what John K's Lesson 9 is all about.

It doesn't literally mean just copy all these model sheets (although that's a great idea)and then your done. What it's really saying is keep copying analysing and applying from great drawings (and sometimes life) all the time, as a training. The more you do, and the longer you have been doing them for, the better off you'll be.

Most people (including myself) forget about the apply part. This is really stupid. You will not much apart from how to copy unless you keep practicing how to apply. I think the best ratio is about 50:50, or one applied drawing for every analysed/copied drawing (maybe a bit more copying at the beginning is ok). It doesn't matter if the applied drawings really suck to begin with, this is part of the process.

Here are some of the applying exercises I do:

1) Change the pose/angle of the character.
2) design a new character (using similar features?)
3) Adopt the same pose with another existing character
4) Draw from memory

There are probably many other variations on this also (maybe some involving a storyline). Experiment!

Anyway, below (and in the post before) are some pages from my sketchbooks that I havent posted yet. Some are applied pictures and many suck. That's ok because it's part of the process.

Soon I will be working through the composition lessons (with the same process) :)

Yes, I will do more overlay checks. It's quite time consuming though (scanning software analysing reworking etc). Great for checking blind spots.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

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See next post

Birdy and the Beast

The lastest thing I have done are these quick key sketches from the Birdy and Beast 1944 Tweety short. I've also done some other things which I havent posted but this will do for now. I'll go back to scanning for next time:

 

  

 

 

Happy Birthday Gemma

I put my animation practice to good use and made this original Bosko-like dance for Gemma's Birthday.

Hope you have a wonderful day gemma :)

THe Points of all this

I've been reading the top cat contruction posts here are some important quotes from that by John K:

• When I am learning something, I tend to draw stiff, because I am thinking about what I am trying to learn. The drawings don't come out all pretty with clean flowing lines and stuff.

         When you study, you are trying to be accurate, as opposed to
         beautiful and flowing.

         Once you have done your stiff drawings, you can loosen up a bit
         and then try again from memory and see if what you learned sunk
         in.

•  I always write notes when I study something so that what I observe sticks with me.

• The point of copying is not just to copy but to understand what is happening in the things you are copying: and then to apply them to your own work

Here, Rodrigo did a careful study of a toy and what it looks like from different angles. This is a great thing to do - IF you then apply some of what you observed to your cartoons.



Rodrigo also sometimes does careful construction studies from classic cartoons - also a good thing - if you then apply it to your own work.

Smiley head turnaround*

This exercise was about working out how lines move on a sphere when rotated. The sphere is the easiest curved shape to work with, as it's contour doesn't change when rotated. I did the following pictures while looking at how lines change on a kneadable eraser.

I came up with some good rules as to how this works (see image below). Basically a line curving the opposite way to a contour will become straight and then bend towards the contour when turned towards it. A line bending the same way as the contour will be stretched out but will not come to form around the contour as it's turned towards it. I hope that makes sense.

Most of these pics below I just did via judgement and logic. Some don't look right, but it was a fun learning exercise. Hopefully I will be able to do some of Preston's eggs from any angle in mind soon.

Applied exercises*

Ok, I am going to start adding applied exercises to this blog also. In a sense, I think this is what all the lessons are pointing towards. John wants us to get to the stage where we can "apply the same principles to your own drawings at will".

I don't think only copying will get me there though. Whenever I attempt a drawing without copying I'm still at a similar stage to what I was before. I think you also need to practice applying.

Here are some of the tools I have been learning that I will be attempting to apply:

1) Construction (the most important)
2) lines of action
3) visualising drawings in 3D, maintaining volumes.
4) protruding/ intruding construction (lesson 6)
5) checking spaces (negative and positive)
6) exaggeration and contrast

I'm sure there are plenty more (silhouettes is one). I'll add these as I go.

Here are examples of the types of applied exercises I'll be attempting:

    •    drawings from memory
    •    new poses
    •    inbetweening via logical construction (not copying)
    •    making new characters
    •    short animations

I'll still be doing plenty of the regular lessons too (with overlay checks). You need both. ;)