ABSTRACT
I have been stressing “essence” drawing and may be running the word into the ground, but I feel strongly about the word. Anatomy and mechanics are always present, too, but in the end the essence of each pose must prevail if we want to win the award for best-animated scene (‘ scuse me – scenes). Things to think about include proportion, anatomy, line, structure, weight, negative space, angles, squash and stretch, perspective and more, but you can be off in lots of those areas if you have the essence of the pose. The word essence to me is almost philosophical in meaning – “that in being which underlies all outward manifestations….” Applied to drawing it is the motive, mood, or emotion as displayed through the gestures of the physical body.
