Hello, and welcome to Workshop 07!
Im honored to have been asked to run this, and I hope Ive come up with something that will spark your interest and get your synapses firing.
If you havent met me through these boards, my immediate connection here is as a cartoonist with work regularly published in Playboy. But Im primarily an animator, with my own production company here in New York. So Ive chosen to combine the two, and in the spirit of two earlier Workshops, by Paige and Pointblank27, this one is based on animation.
The idea is to take a character who has appeared in some of my work, and assume that shes going to be animated. Here she is:
Lets call her Mandy. Shes been in last months Playboy, and in a couple of pieces Ive posted on the Web, so I guess that makes her a continuing character. Ive come up with a personality profile for her, based on her appearances so far, and well use that as the basis for the assignments in this Workshop.
Shes a bit of a clich, no doubt about it; but cartoonists deal with instantly recognizable types all the time. The secret is to twist that clich enough so that it seems fresh. So here goes:
Mandy is a gorgeous, sexy young woman who is not aware of how she affects people - shes basically an innocent. She does not dress glamourously, or in an attempt to be sexy, but whatever she puts on just comes out that way. The proverbial potato sack would look like one of Victorias best-kept Secrets if she put it on.
She is guileless, not to say clueless - she isnt the stereotypical dumb blonde, she just has no agenda, no wish to deal with anyone except in a straightforward, honest manner. Unfortunately, she assumes that everyone else feels the same way, and its not often the case. And this can get her into trouble from time to time. Nevertheless, she shrugs off disappointments and goes on with her naivet and optimism intact.
Shes also remarkably clumsy; but she manages to pull that off as a sort of grace. She may look silly, but she never looks BAD. She loves the outdoors, and animals. In fact, shes sort of a modern day nymph, although with clothes (usually...well, often. Okay, sometimes).
Now, your assigment (if you choose to accept it) is to take this character, keeping in mind her personality, and draw her in the following situations - one active, one passive:
a. An action pose, running, jumping, you name it - but with the important point being her attitude. Shes determined. She has a goal. Not running FROM anything, but TO something. Or jumping, or riding, or swimming, or - your choice.
b. Very simple - shes sleeping. But keep in mind, again, her character. Clumsy sleeping? Naive sleeping? Express her personality not through action this time, but simply by her pose.
As you see, the idea is to show her as a character, through pose, action, expression, etc. Keep in mind her backstory - where shes coming from, and who she is. Not just some babe running or sleeping - THIS babe running or sleeping. In animation, as in life, character and mood affect, or determine, action. The attitude is the motivator of the action. If she were frightened, shed be running in a different way.
By the way, although in a real animated production, youd have to draw her in the same style as I have (and by all means, do so if you wish), Id love to see her interpreted in your own individual styles.
Heres her starring appearance in Playboy last month; as you see, shes trusted someone again.
Well have to assume, for the purposes of this Workshop, that the tattoo was of the easily removable variety (a decal, perhaps, lovingly and painstakingly hand-rubbed...sorry, uh, where was I?), and she doesnt have it anymore. And apparently her eyes can change color - lets settle on green, though.
Thats it - enjoy!
And a big thank-you to Ben Tan, for asking me to do this, and helping me through the process!
Dean Yeagle
Im honored to have been asked to run this, and I hope Ive come up with something that will spark your interest and get your synapses firing.
If you havent met me through these boards, my immediate connection here is as a cartoonist with work regularly published in Playboy. But Im primarily an animator, with my own production company here in New York. So Ive chosen to combine the two, and in the spirit of two earlier Workshops, by Paige and Pointblank27, this one is based on animation.
The idea is to take a character who has appeared in some of my work, and assume that shes going to be animated. Here she is:
Lets call her Mandy. Shes been in last months Playboy, and in a couple of pieces Ive posted on the Web, so I guess that makes her a continuing character. Ive come up with a personality profile for her, based on her appearances so far, and well use that as the basis for the assignments in this Workshop.
Shes a bit of a clich, no doubt about it; but cartoonists deal with instantly recognizable types all the time. The secret is to twist that clich enough so that it seems fresh. So here goes:
Mandy is a gorgeous, sexy young woman who is not aware of how she affects people - shes basically an innocent. She does not dress glamourously, or in an attempt to be sexy, but whatever she puts on just comes out that way. The proverbial potato sack would look like one of Victorias best-kept Secrets if she put it on.
She is guileless, not to say clueless - she isnt the stereotypical dumb blonde, she just has no agenda, no wish to deal with anyone except in a straightforward, honest manner. Unfortunately, she assumes that everyone else feels the same way, and its not often the case. And this can get her into trouble from time to time. Nevertheless, she shrugs off disappointments and goes on with her naivet and optimism intact.
Shes also remarkably clumsy; but she manages to pull that off as a sort of grace. She may look silly, but she never looks BAD. She loves the outdoors, and animals. In fact, shes sort of a modern day nymph, although with clothes (usually...well, often. Okay, sometimes).
Now, your assigment (if you choose to accept it) is to take this character, keeping in mind her personality, and draw her in the following situations - one active, one passive:
a. An action pose, running, jumping, you name it - but with the important point being her attitude. Shes determined. She has a goal. Not running FROM anything, but TO something. Or jumping, or riding, or swimming, or - your choice.
b. Very simple - shes sleeping. But keep in mind, again, her character. Clumsy sleeping? Naive sleeping? Express her personality not through action this time, but simply by her pose.
As you see, the idea is to show her as a character, through pose, action, expression, etc. Keep in mind her backstory - where shes coming from, and who she is. Not just some babe running or sleeping - THIS babe running or sleeping. In animation, as in life, character and mood affect, or determine, action. The attitude is the motivator of the action. If she were frightened, shed be running in a different way.
By the way, although in a real animated production, youd have to draw her in the same style as I have (and by all means, do so if you wish), Id love to see her interpreted in your own individual styles.
Heres her starring appearance in Playboy last month; as you see, shes trusted someone again.
Well have to assume, for the purposes of this Workshop, that the tattoo was of the easily removable variety (a decal, perhaps, lovingly and painstakingly hand-rubbed...sorry, uh, where was I?), and she doesnt have it anymore. And apparently her eyes can change color - lets settle on green, though.
Thats it - enjoy!
And a big thank-you to Ben Tan, for asking me to do this, and helping me through the process!
Dean Yeagle
for last weeks workshop! Although I still have to revisit Fabula's "flapjacks" 
