This sequence from my new favorite Disney film of all time, "Dumbo", exemplifies an aspect of animation (and artwork in general) that has become the overwhelming feature of my own work: The idea of the "Plausible Impossible" (term by Walt himself) in terms of weight and balance.
This clip from Dumbo would obviously be impossible, but it looks so believable because the animators understood how to render, balance, and move masses that feel like several tons. I love how the gossip hordes continue their bitchy little quips the entire time. Characters that express weight are FELT by the viewer, you can FEEL the precariously balanced fleshy pachyderms.
In my paintings I create configurations of people piled on top of one another. The configurations look like they may work, although impossible, I draw them to look and feel believable. After studying this Dumbo clip, look for a more "fleshy" and pliable variation of what is above, which, comparatively, my drawing looks dull flat and boring (ummm.. perspective patrick? use it you knob!). You can learn a lot from studying the masters!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Plausible Impossible: Weight and DUMBO...
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5 comments:
Interesting comparison.
Your drawing poses an additional problem.
In the Dumbo scene you have three elephants, in your drawing you have a gazillion dudes.
You either have to treat each guy as individual mass or group them as units.
but anyway on your drawing the whole mess leans to the right side and the only thing that makes the viewer doesnt recognize this leaning is the composition trick you have used with those pipesystem that brings the drawing in balance. i mean ive seen a lot of your drawings and paintings in this category and this one isnt the best example to show what you are talking about. anyway the post is cool and points on a really important thing that we can miss from a lot of animation where weight doesnt predominate. anyway this post is in a great relation with the one "blood and positure" because that one was aboute (almost) the same phisical illustrating problem. keep up posting and post more, im starving to read and hate to wait always for weeks:D
cheers man!
about dumbo we also can relate this to the blood and posture because how the elephants skins are stretching under the other's feet, is showing their weight just as blood or action lines show us the direction and dash of the movment
Pat . . . it was great seeing you at Bill's the other afternoon. I look forward to reading about your year in Singapore. You must be there now. As a fellow alum of Olive Jar I wish you the best. Let me know if you see any interesting stop-mo in Singapore . . . and keep creating the "plausible impossible" .
Tom Gasek
hey man, whats up with you? your blog is dieing and im starving!
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