How To Draw Character Poses

Tony Bancroft

Your Instructor

Tony Bancroft is an animator and director, with over 30 years of experience in the animation industry. When working with Disney Studios, Tony co-directed the feature film Mulan and created characters like Pumbaa, from The Lion King; Kronk, fromThe Emperor's New Groove; and Cogsworth, from Beauty and the Beast.

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English

English, French , 1 more

Subtitles

Spanish

What you'll learn

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Description

Are you fairly good at coming up with characters, but somehow feel that they are a bit stiff and unnatural, with stances that seem a bit 'awkward'? Or do you tend to draw standard poses for standing, sitting, walking, etc. and want to infuse them with life, to make them more interesting?

There are lots of tutorials these days on character design, but far less teaching how to create poses and gestures for those characters. A well-drawn pose plays a big role in effectively conveying a character's emotions and unique personality, be they a sinister villain, a courageous hero or an amusing side-kick.

In this course, Tony Bancroft, shows you how to do just THAT, drawing from his wealth of experience in the animation industry, having worked with studios like Disney and Warner Bros. He explains the key principles used in cartoons to make movements believable and entertaining and demonstrates the techniques for applying these concepts to your artwork.

At the end of this course, you'll think about illustration in a whole different way and have a new set of skills at your disposal to create characters that practically jump off the page!

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Who is this course for

Artists who want to draw appealing poses for their characters that convey their personality and emotions
Those interested in learning essential posing concepts to tell a story through their artwork

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This course includes

Requirements

Some previous art experience needed
Just a paper/sketchbook and a pencil! (The instructor uses Photoshop, but you can use any drawing tool/software you wish.)

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Lesson Plan

with Tony Bancroft

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Introduction

01:21

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Get to know your instructor, Tony Bancroft, and the cartoon characters that he created.

What is a Pose?

13:32

A pose doesn't only refer to a model's position on a magazine cover. 🙂 In the world of art, a pose captures a character in one moment in time, portraying their action, emotion and personality in a single illustration.

When you understand what makes a good pose work, your picture can paint a vivid story that draws the viewer in. Tom delves into this subject in this first lesson, demonstrating how different poses change the vibe of an illustration.

1.1

What is a Pose?

06:54

1.2

Assignment

06:38

Line of Action

16:22

The line of action is the central thrust of a character's pose, following a directional curve. It is an essential tool that professional artists and animators, like Tony, use all the time when drawing, to create a natural 'flow' in the pose and a sense of energy.

In this lesson, you'll see several examples of different kinds of 'lines of action' and learn the basics of how to use them for your own characters.

2.1

Line of Action

16:22

Relaxed Poses

14:37

'What do I do with my hands?' The age-old question!

Not only does this issue come up at a family photo-shoot, but making your illustrations look natural and relaxed when inactive can sometimes be tricky too!

Discover the key aspects of drawing relaxed poses that look believable, such as how to position the hands, elbows and shoulders. Tom also discusses ways to modify a pose to communicate a variety of feelings, eg: boredom, worry, disinterest and curiosity.

2 Cheat Sheet Guides Included

3.1

Relaxed Poses

14:37

Tilts and Twists

12:43

Adding twists and tilts is a great way to make your characters appear less stiff. Not only does it enhance their personality, but it makes the pose a lot more interesting too!

This is something we all do naturally, but don't necessarily think of. As you learn about this concept in this lesson, you'll be more conscious of it and be better able to implement twists and tilts in your drawings.

4.1

Tilts and Twists

12:43

Weight, Balance and Silhouettes

26:56

Tom discusses three important principles of drawing good, clear poses, covering each one in a separate lesson and giving lots of examples of each:

– Weight: giving substance to a form, making objects and characters appear light or heavy

– Balance: ensuring that a pose adheres to gravity's pull, so it's not off balance or likely to topple over

– Silhouettes: creating clarity in a pose, making it easy to identify, avoiding confusion

3 Cheat Sheet Guides Included

5.1