Poses : first time for everything

Now before I start this theres a bit o disclaimer....I mean *ahem*

Disclaimer:
I am by no means a "pro drawer" these are just things I think about ( sometimes ) when I draw. Just sayin "pro drawer" shows that I am far from teachin anything on anything. I draw for fun and fun only. So if you get messed up because you follwed this stuff Im not liable. If on the other hand it helps you in any way, please pepper me with gifts and accolades. ( Preferably more toys for my office as I have some spare space....)
With that said on with the show.

So basically I wanted to make a video demonstration of this but I have yet to figure out how to get the videos down to size. So pics and me blathering like I know what Im talkin about will have to do for now.

Ok, so basically I start with ( you guessed it ) line o action. This is basically where the fun lies. What gives poses the energy. And curvy ones are what gets the blood goin! Once I get a good curve, I set this up as my spine as shown heeyah:

I then figure out what my head and torso are doin. I figure they live there right on the line o action in wondeful harmony. If Im doin something more cartoony I usually use half spheres and if Im puttin torque in the spine I use more of a box shape. (Diagram B.) I do this so that I can see that my shoulders and hips are at contrasting angles. Contrast is what makes the sauce spicy! This pose is more front / back , so I didnt worry about it as much as the front / back bend in the spine made me pretty happy.

Then its on to the arms n legs . I usually make the arms on one curve and the legs on another or use the continuation from the line o action . In this pose, I put one leg and both arms on the line to make em feel like they are tied into the action. (or am I kidding myself?) Again, if Im doin more of a cartoony pose, I tackle the arms and legs like tubes and use spheres at the joints.


Thats pretty much what goes through my mind as Im drawing. ( Im not technically savy by any means so theres nothing fancy to what I do ) I try to observe these things when lookin at reference and love watching cartoons because its easier for me to see it in simpler shapes. In turn, that has helped me to see it in life drawing as well. Here some more poses that you can use to find those lines of action and see how I construct some of my poses as well as some art. I was hopin to get some animation up, but I will leave that for the next post. Any questions, another topic or I missed something important( shocking...) feel free to comment or email me. If all goes ok, I will test out the next bit o tips in video form as Im lazy and hate typing....

Its my sons birthday on the 15th and my wifes on the 20th. They are the the reason why I wanted to share some tips. To show them that Im takin the steps the best I can. Happy Birthday.

Remeber to love who you are and savor who you can become. Peace and thanks for stopping by and readin this.

thanks to bad mutha... shut yo mouth Danny Williams and to Kick ass Reed Eriksson for comin up with the topic of posing. Thanks guys!