Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Plausible Impossible: Weight and DUMBO...

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!