Lesson 2

Shape

Here I am trying to capture the pose with a simple a shape as possible. I added more detail to some of the pose shapes in order to clarify the main idea. But generally, the simpler the shape the clearer the pose.

using as simple shapes as possible to define a pose

comparing the posed line of action with the shape

By comparing it to the line of action I can push and pull the shape to better convey the main idea.

adding fleshed out poses to the shapes 01

adding fleshed out poses to the shapes 02

adding fleshed out poses to the shapes 03

It's cool how you can instantly see where you can push a pose, just by looking at the shape.

Lesson 1

Line of Action

I always thought that the line of action was in the spine. but this makes so much more sense. lol

the line of action is just the line that captures the main idea of a specific action.

I find this to potentially be a powerful tool, now that I know how to use it !

the green lines you see in the image above are alternative lines of action.

I jotted down some of my thought along the way. comparing the line of action to the shape, and how it differs (many time I tend to look at the contour instead) and I looked at opportunities for adding line-weight to the line of action where gravity pulls the most. The strongest thing about line of action is the indication of force direction. 

It really clears things up for me.

I'm still a bit off in some of them, I think I'm still looking too much at the contour.

practise, practice, practise.

the suggested corrections make totally sense to me, considering the main idea of the pose.

and sometimes you just have to exaggerate the line of action to clarify the pose.

I also tried to study the line of action in various mediums.

line of action in photos

line of action in traditional paintings

line of action in movie frames