Topic 1 - Create Appealing Character Poses

In topic 1 we are introduced to creating strong poses with appeal. We were tasked to show appeal in three different character poses that illustrate excited, devastated and concerned. Our character poses had to be displayed as a silhouette and be designed to be clear, readable, balanced, expressive and with a strong line of action.

While researching and completing the task, I learnt of some key principles that help a character's pose be clear, readable, balanced, expressive and with a strong line of action.

By posing your character as a silhouette, you can ensure it's pose is clear to the viewer. When many of the character's limbs and props overlap in front of the pose, it becomes unclear what is happening within the scene, whereas if the character is clearly defined, the pose is more appealing. By silhouetting the character's pose it allows you to clearly see if the character's pose is clear and readable and is still conveying what was intended.

Another thing to be aware of when posing characters is asymmetry. As shown above, symmetry can be boring in a character and be very two dimensional, whereas asymmetry looks more natural, balanced and adds more depth to a character's pose.

Another very important aspect of posing characters is a strong line of action. The character labelled A has no clear line of action, where as B and C have very strong lines. A strong line of action makes a character's pose more dynamic and expressive. 

My Poses:

Excited

Reference Images:

These reference images show clear and readable poses, strong lines of actions while also being very expressive.

My Character Pose:

Devastated

Reference Images:

The first reference image shows a poor example of posing with a weak line of action and a very symmetrical pose. The second image shows more dynamic poses that have strong lines of action, but these poses are not very clear or readable.

My Character Pose:

Concerned

Reference Images:

These poses are very expressive, some are clearer and more readable than others, but all have a very strong line of action.

My Character Pose:

Reflection:

After completing topic 1 and posing character models as silhouettes, I have learnt that there are principles to be conscious of when posing characters. Making sure your character is clear and readable is not only important to make it aesthetically appealing but also ensure the viewer can understand what is going on within the scene. Using asymmetry is a great way to make your character's pose more balanced and natural rather than stiff and unrealistic. Creating varied and expressive poses that have strong lines of action also has an immense effect on your character's poses as it produces more interesting and dynamic scenes.