The final animation(s) I looked at as research for my Visual Language brief was the 'Little Mermaid' series. Though I know for the most part of the three films she does NOT have legs which is a vital part of the human form, the way the animators have made her move is something worth being looked at.
Firstly, since she is underwater, it is vital that her movements portray this to the audience as we can't actually SEE the water, only what is in it. By this I mean, the other than her fins, we can't decipher she is underwater, as there are factors such as she is talking and breathing. If it wasn't for her movements, we wouldn't have known any better.
Each character moves with grace, which is a nice surprise considering that there is a certain strength that you have to use when swimming, and it is quite hard to look graceful unless you are a professional swimmer. And it is illustrated all in the arm movements. Other than legs, arms are one of the best ways to portray someone's pose. Legs are a good way to emphasise the weight someone is pressing, but arms are the best way to portray the action of someone. As done well in the little mermaid.
I think this would be really good to consider when drawing my walk cycles. Since people generally walk similar, I think exaggerating the arms would be worth trying out, and seeing if it works. I think arms can dictate when someone is graceful or not, for example shoulders slumped, or shoulders straightened, and I would like to try and replicate than in my life drawings.
No comments:
Post a Comment