In our first week of lectures we learnt about shape and form. Any kind of drawing starts with basic geometric shapes, then it develops into a life-like object with the help of shadows, lighting and contour lines to create form. Shape and form is important in animation as it is the most important fundamental to practice – it is how any kind of drawing comes to life. I was given exercises to practice this fundamental before I continue with my world project. I followed my tutors warm up exercises to bring us back to basics and improve our skills for our next tasks.
Source: Week 1, Lecture – Form and Shape, Form and Shape part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.mp4
I practiced some line strokes to see how stable my hand was when drawing, switching from looking at the screen vs looking at my drawing tablet to compare my results.
Similarly, I practiced with how I drew curved and ‘s’ lines. I moved on to the basic shapes and their developed forms. In addition, I drew in fitting faces.
I experimented more with freely drawing circles. To combine the basic shape of a circle and a rectangle, we can make the shape of a flour sack. I experimented with how a flour sack behaves relating to its weight.
For homework we were to practice studying and understanding underlying forms. I took three of my favourite cartoon characters and studied their forms. At first I traced over their constructive forms with my phone screen. I then found the characters overall shapes, whether it was circles, rectangles and triangles. Next, I brought in the shapes with contour lines and re-drew the body. This practice allowed me to familiarise myself with the character and draw them in multiple poses.
Here I have drawn Marcy from the show Amphibia. Her form consists of irregular, rounded shapes and proportions are very cartoon-like. Her shape can be described as round and bouncy.
Here I have drawn Eda from The Owl House. Her form consists of sharp, diagonal lines and her proportions are long and thin. Her shape can be described as realistic and fine.
Here I have drawn Amethyst from Steven Universe. Her form consists of regular, rounded shapes and wide-body proportions. Her shape can be described as a mix of a cartoonish and realistic form.