This week, I learned the 12 Principles of Animation and Golden Pose. One important thing I learned is that a pose is not only about placing the character in a position. It should also make the action clear at first glance.
The course introduced Clear Silhouette as an important part of a good pose. Even when the character is shown as a black and white silhouette, the action should still be easy to understand. Different parts of the body should not overlap too much.
I also learned about Line of Action. The body can use an S-shaped or C-shaped curve to create a sense of movement and make the pose feel less stiff.
There are also Balance & Weight, Asymmetry, Exaggeration, Emotion and Personality. These helped me pay more attention to the position of the hands and feet, the balance of the body, and avoiding having both sides of the body doing exactly the same thing.
Golden Pose Practice
Before, I mainly focused on whether the hands and feet were in the right positions. Now, I pay more attention to whether the whole pose looks natural and clear.
Because I did not study animation systematically before, I usually looked at my work as a whole and judged whether it looked right. Now, when I design a character pose, I start to pay more attention to silhouette and the line of action. My tutor also gave me some feedback about my poses. I need to pay more attention to the C-shaped line of action, especially the position of the bends in the legs. The two legs should not bend in exactly the same way. I also need to avoid making the arms and legs too straight, so the pose can feel more natural and have more movement.
This feedback made me realise that small changes in a pose can make a big difference. I want to pay more attention to these details when I make my next animation.