Category: Tips/Demos

A Quick Look at Posing


“Discipline in animation is the challenges and limitations you set for yourself.” — Chuck Jones 

Today, we’re gonna look at two simple yet beautiful poses from one of my favorite Warner Bros shorts, Robin Hood Daffy, directed and designed by Chuck Jones. When looking at animation posing, it’s important to ask what makes a pose great. Again it’s all about seeing. The qualities described here are a small indication of what goes into good staging, drawing and design when it comes to character work.

Daffy Duck by Chuck Jones, from Robin Hood Daffy, 1958.

Pose #1:

  1. Strong Line of Action, bowed towards an imaginary opponent, gives the character excellent weight and sense of direction.
  2. Usage of a near-perfect profile head shape allows the open mouth, beak and overall pose to read with absolute clarity.
  3. Back foot is clearly angled towards camera, slightly tilted forward giving it form, perspective and depth that contrasts nicely with the profiled flatter placement of the front foot all the while forming a stable support of the body.
  4. Evidence of weight in the bend of the legs and folds in the clothing, exercising principles of compression and expansion.
  5. Elbows are anatomically marked and angled to indicated slight foreshortening of forearms.
  6. Arms are splayed out in a non-parallel fashion, so the action-expression never reads flat.
  7. Slight tilt of the top of hat shows animator has left nothing out in terms of weight.
  8. Straight dropped line of the vest not only depicts weight but contrasts nicely against the curve of the back; it also parallels the vertical line at the front of the hat.
Daffy Duck by Chuck Jones, from Robin Hood Daffy, 1958.

Pose #2:

  1. Tilted angle of hips justifies weight distribution to the back leg and corresponds to the opposing tilt of the shoulders. The overall shape of the pose is tight, simple and balanced.
  2. One fist is sillouetted against open space while the other fist visually overlaps the body, giving depth and variation.
  3. Angle of shoulders and arms indicate foreshortening and give force to the bent arms.
  4. Squash of lower mouth/beak works nicely against the stretched hat on top of the head.
  5. The bunching up at the knees again gives weight and volume to the clothing as well as adding to the direction of the leg action.
  6. Showing the underside of feet gives perspective to the foot movement and adds appeal.
  7. Line of action of the body extends all the way through to the end of the feather pulling the whole pose together.
  8. Foot is placed solidly on the ground and gives perspective to the ground.

What’s Not Acceptable

MIlt Kahl’s standards were (and still are) the highest when it comes to character animation.

“I don’t mean to say that I’m all these things, but I try. I got accused over the years of being a fine draftsman. Actually I don’t really draw that well. It’s just I don’t stop trying as quickly. I keep at it. I happen to have high standards and try to meet them. I have to struggle like hell to make a drawing look good.” — Milt Kahl

Life is hard. So is making art. But it’s important to at least try to do better. And that means, some things we just can’t allow ourselves to accept if we are to be good artists. Here are a few that come to mind:

  • Doing things halfway with half effort or at half quality when you know you could do better.
  • Leaving things in a state or condition that makes it hard for others to follow up on. It’s not cool and it’s unprofessional.
  • Not giving your full attention to whatever you’re doing. When you’re doing a task, there should be nothing else on your mind but the task. (This is the toughest, so it’s more a “try” rather than a “must.”)
  • Heading into a performance, such as animating in Maya, with little vision or preparation. That’s a definite no go. (Abstract or personal art can be exceptions.)
  • Not putting ideas on paper and depending soley on your memory or feeling. This is a visual craft, layout your plans visually.
  • Assuming other people always know better, or always assuming that you do. Instead, listen to the work; the right answers will come from there.
  • Doing things out of order. Examples: animating when you should be planning, polishing when the acting and design choices are poor.
  • Overrationalizing things or overreacting to your emotions. Use your intelligence but follow your heart. Guide your passion with reason.
  • Rushing into things. Nothing good ever comes from rushing.
  • Allowing technique to override imagination. Your skills are there to support your ideas not the other way around.
  • Trying to be efficient instead of effective. Only by doing things the right way will you avoid wasting time.
  • Disrespecting your tools. Keep them clean, orderly and well-maintained . Treat them as you would treat your body and you will be rewarded during its usage.
  • Working when you have no energy or the ability to be mindful. It’s not possible to do good work in a poor state.
  • Spending too much time with people who are too rational, critical or cynical, for they will drain you of all your energy and passion.
  • Accepting laziness or inferior results. The artist who accepts lower standards soon loses his ability to see and do.
  • Overdoing it. Sometimes it’s best to leave it alone and say it’s done and move onto the next step or next piece.
  • Constantly doubting yourself (and others). Doubt impedes possibilities.
  • Using your reference as your roadmap. If you do this, you’re only copying and not creating.
  • Leaving critical issues for later. Examples: trying to solve story issues while animating or waiting to solve acting or weight issues during polish.
  • Believing that your skill or your personality alone will cover for your other deficiencies. It won’t. The code is pretty simple: do good work and be good to others. Always.
  • Not returning other people’s emails or phone messages. The people who sent them to you will remember.
  • Being too obsessed with success or failure. Both are imposters.
  • Spending every day and all day doing what you don’t want to do. Either learn to love it or, if it’s really a torture, leave it; doing a job you hate helps no one.