ABSTRACT
It is a personal pleasure to have watched the progress you have made in the evening drawing sessions. I think it is time to remind you that the ability to be aware of the various gestures, emotions, and general body language, and the ability to capture them in a drawing is a vital step in becoming a good animator. You should realize that those beautiful, expressive gesture drawings you have been making are the very backbone of a scene of animated action. Of course, along with this, there must be the ability to incorporate acting, timing, and all those myriad details like squash and stretch, anticipation, interpretation of dialog, etc. So in addition to the gesture sketching, lectures, films, and discussions with knowledgeable coworkers, I recommend that you study the Art of Animation by Don Graham and the lectures by Eric Larson. If you don't have a copy of either, see Bill Matthews or myself and we will see that a copy is made available. This is not to suggest that any one or two sources of information will transform you suddenly into a master, but certainly the process of learning is ongoing and we have to remain active in our search.
