These are my answers to the written questions for Human Anatomy and Form! Make sure to change it up a bit :)
Many people feel that animated movies are primarily made for children and cannot be as poignant as non-animated movies. Why do you think this is? Explain why you agree or disagree with this viewpoint.
I disagree. Anime can be made into movies and most anime is not intended for children. Anime, especially ‘slice of life’, can be extremely depressing and have a dark plot, whereas others can be based around action or your typical hero. Many people think that animated movies are only for kids because of the large number of companies specifically built around making movies for young audiences such as Disney, Pixar, Nickelodeon, and much more.
An animated character’s pose has the ability to non-verbally communicate a lot and the same is true in real life. Briefly describe three different circumstances when a person’s pose non-verbally communicates what they are thinking or feeling. Be sure to indicate what feeling each pose expresses.
A character is holding his fists tight, shaking and silent. His entire body is shifted into an aggressive stance; hunched over with a look of pure rage painted on his face, this character is enraged. Another character is standing stiffly, playing with their thumbs as a huge, and obvious, fake smile is plastered on their face. Their body is constantly moving, hair frazzled. This character is anxious or uncomfortable. Finally, a girl is red-faced, her eyes not making contact with the boy in front of her. She keeps shifting her weight between each leg, attempting to cover her face in the process. This girl is embarrassed.
Is it possible to create believable animated characters with no prior knowledge of human anatomy or body mechanics? Why or why not?
It is not. Even stylized art is based around anatomy and body mechanics; take a look at Disney characters and compare them to a beautiful statue in a museum. They both have the parts and proportions that humans do! This was something I learned in art class a few years ago. Every single art style is based around a specific structure and anatomy, no matter what you’re drawing. Body mechanics are important when it comes to animating too; if you don’t animate a walking cycle on a human correctly, it can make the entire animation look off. Even if it’s a small thing, it can cause a huge shift in quality.
You’ve learned the importance of observing and studying the human body and real-life movement to help draw believable characters, but do you think the same applies to inanimate objects? Is it necessary to study and observe stationary objects to better your drawing of them? Explain.
It is important to study everything that you’re drawing. Even if you aren’t making a realistic portrait, you still want to study the object in question. How light bounces off of it, if it has shadows, or even how it sits. Studying objects that you’re drawing can give you a good idea of the colors to use as well.
What are some of the drawing practices suggested in the unit that might also be useful for a screenwriter or novelist? Explain.
Show, don’t tell. By creating a scene where the character is voiceless but possesses an expressive pose or body language, the reader will feel the intense emotions rather than just be told about it. Expressive poses add dynamic and feeling into movies and books, it helps the audience realize that they’re not just some stiff characters who can only speak their emotions unless that’s what you’re going for.
