Tuesday, September 16, 2008

How to Draw Lively Poses - SpongeBob Tip Sheets

These SpongeBob drawing tips were prepared for a class at Nickelodeon in 2005. If you click on any of the images below, you'll see a really HUGE high-resolution version that shows all the details!
On Silhouettes and Clarity
drawing tips 01 Silhouette SpongeBob
One of the big problems with animation studio model sheets is that the characters are invariably standing in completely stiff poses that make them look like they've been cheerfully impaled on a titanium rod.
To help the storyboard artists loosen up a bit, drawings are clipped out of the storyboards showcasing the best of the comedic and dynamic pose possibilities. Most of the artists tack those pose sheets up on the wall, but they soon become little more than wallpaper.
These tip sheets were created to encourage artists to break out of the horizontal and vertical stiffness of the SpongeBob model sheets, and to show how a little bit of movement and action and acting can make the cartoon characters come to life.
If you want to learn how to draw SpongeBob, or how to draw any cartoon characters with a little more zip, I hope these drawing tips will give you some ideas.

Drawing Characters with a strong Line of Action
How to draw SpongeBob cartooning tips 02 Line of Action Squidward

Acting is Movement

How to draw SpongeBob drawing_tips_03_Line-of-Action Plankton

CLICK on any of the images to
view a really BIG high-resolution version

The page below illustrates that characters should use their entire body to help act out the change in expression

How to draw SpongeBob drawing_tips_04_Line-of-Action Mr. Krabs

This page below illustrates stiff non-acting (top pose) vs. dynamic, full-body acting (bottom pose)

How to draw SpongeBob cartooning storyboard tips_05_Line-of-Action Patrick and SpongeBob - Patrick has bad breath

CLICK on any of the images
to view a really BIG high-res tip sheet

Acting with the entire body...
storyboard How to draw SpongeBob tips_06_Line-of-Action-Acting Squidward

If you'd like to see more in this series, please leave a comment below!
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Update! Some very cool people left some very nice comments, so the next batch of SpongeBob Drawing Tips has just been posted HERE


More SpongeBob Drawing Tips

Spongebob Guide to Lively Poses by Sherm Cohen
Of course, I would still like to hear your comments on this series of posts, so please leave your two cents worth below ^_^