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Topic: Question for John [Poses] (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Darren Taylor
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 6:39am | IP Logged | 1  

Hi John. I was giving a little thought to poses. Action poses specifically.

My first being aware of poses was when I'd catch myself going, "That's cool!" and later wondering why is it so cool? Eventually someone in a professional position within the industry says the standard address to "wannabees", about how the Action poses are the easy bit and the quiet poses are the hard ones and therefor the ones that an artist really needs to practice.

Good advice I'm sure but a little further down the line, I begin to look at artists work with slightly better educated eyes and wonder, do artists have a larger catalogue of quiet poses than action ones?

As an artist yourself, you know that your understanding or your art and form matures and evolves with every passing day. So over time your positioning and foreshortening all have an impact on what were once, say, stock poses for you giving them a new lease of life.*

Hearing that you will experiment on huge fundimental changes, like the orbitals effect on the skull in a 3/4 shot. Or stride to show various ethnic groups more convincingly. I wonder whether you consciously look at finding action poses beyond those which you might comfortably normally utilise?

I wonder if there is a fine line in way of "pay-off" between Dynaminisim and accuracy? When you see someone in a pair of tights with real human porportions and effected by bang on foreshortening there's a sort of less than impressive feeling from it than one that shirks a lot of these. That said shirking these rules leads to art that is so far beyond convincing that it's all Pop & Crackle with no substance.

Just curious to your thoughts on this tightrope?

* By stock poses here I'm not looking to imply anything other than the fact that there are only so many way to show someone punching, running, taking off and landing, for example.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 6:51am | IP Logged | 2  

Here's a jumble of answers. Stick with me!

Dynamism is very often at the expense of realism. Rob Liefeld is living proof of this. But so, at the other end of the spectrum, are Neal Adams and Joe Kubert. The reason the latter get away with it and the former does not, is that Neal and Joe actually know what they're doing. They have studied and learned human anatomy, so when they do something "wrong", for effect, they know that it's "wrong". Liefeld has proven time and time again that he does not.

Dynamic poses are, of course, about exageration, while "quite" poses are just the opposite. I saw an interview with Stan once, in which he noted that Marvel comics were more exciting than DC's because (at least back when he gave the interview) Marvel comics were more dynamic. As stan put it, in a Marvel comic people don't reach for the phone, they reach for the phone!!. Even if the pose is prosaic, the artist will choose the best and most dramatic camera angle or framing, to make the simple shot leap off the page.

Incidentally, there's a simple test for whether or not you are drawing a page in as exciting a way as you can, and that's your own level of excitement. If you're bored, chances are your readers will be too!

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John Mietus
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 11:40am | IP Logged | 3  

Brief Joe Kubert aside. I was drawing a figure standing once, and Joe
walked by, looked at it, took a piece of tracing paper, placed it on top,
and redrew the figure, saying:

"Okay, the way you have him standing there, he's just standing there --
there's no tension to the scene. If you draw him with his legs spread so
his pelvis is where the center of his gravity is, slightly forward, and have
his upper body relaxed, there's a passive tension and laid-back strength
to the pose. Now he's cool, but clearly capable of springing to action if he
needs to. Passive tension."

And I noticed, ever sense, that's Joe's standard pose for a protagonist who
is just standing -- his hips are slightly tilted forward, his legs spread
slightly and his shoulders relaxed.

Edited by John Mietus on 23 June 2006 at 11:43am
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Flavio Sapha
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 11:44am | IP Logged | 4  

Priceless.
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Gerry Turnbull
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 12:33pm | IP Logged | 5  

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Tony Cranfield
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 12:42pm | IP Logged | 6  

 

 I always thought posing would be approached in the same manner as in "classical" animation. With the "Key Pose" being the apex of the action and then the artist just frames the "camera" to focus on the most dynamic angle possible..

I really like John's last peice of advice.. good stuff that..

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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 12:50pm | IP Logged | 7  

Gerry -

That book was so influential to me.
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Gerry Turnbull
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 1:12pm | IP Logged | 8  

its a fantastic book, every comic art fan should own a copy.And some Pro's too i think.
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Ben Mcvay
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 1:12pm | IP Logged | 9  

I love that book too. All of that Kirby, Bucsema and romita art in B&W. Great stuff.
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Marcus Kelligrew
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 1:15pm | IP Logged | 10  

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is just about my drawing bible.
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Gerry Turnbull
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 1:16pm | IP Logged | 11  

have you all seen the dvd?

 

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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 23 June 2006 at 2:03pm | IP Logged | 12  

I haven't - I'd surely be interested in it though.
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