[PandaPops]

Im taking a part time course in animation but unfortunatly theres no drawing classes included with them. Im going on to take open life drawing classes in the new year (where theres only a model without instructors) and want to know a good drawing curriculum to follow for animators. Presently im going though glenn villppu`s drawing manual which is great but im unsure of how to really plan out the 2.5 hours of time with model.

[Derek]

Glenn's manual is good, but unfortunately there's a tendency of the people who use it to, somewhat understandably, end up drawing like Glenn does. A bit too much, if you take my meaning. Especially using his pen technique.
You want to go through a progression of understanding gesture, then solidly constructing a body by using simplified shapes and such, then placing the anatomy correctly. So, I would start with a lot of gesture drawing. Even if the model is going to hold a pose for a time, limit yourself to a minute or so, get a quick gesture down. All of your drawings will start with this same minute, this placement of an action first. Quick indications for the line of the shoulders, the hips, the knees, key landmarks on the body so to speak.
Always remember, especially since you'll be animating in time, to exaggerate the pose a bit-really push it, models tend to do what they can do for a length of time, not what is dynamic in a single moment. You are going to have to think of their pose as a moment of an action frozen, and think of where they were right before they got there, anticipate where they are going next.
This may be enough to think about for a start, but I'd also put some time into copying masterful drawings... and study them to see what is in your copies that isn't in your originals, incorprate what you like.

Books to look for to help:
High-Focus Figure Drawing
Figure Drawing for all It's Worth
Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist

I would avoid Hogarth and Bridgman until you can better understand what they are getting at and how to avoid the mistakes and exaggerations in their drawings, and by then, they may be completely unnecessary to you. If you give in to temptation though, look to Bridgman's Human Machine and Constructive Anatomy.

As for planning your time. It usually happens that the first 20 minutes is gestures... so a series of one and two minutes. Then perhaps a break. Then into five and ten minute drawings, followed by another break. I'd maybe avoid going longer than five minutes to start... just get gestures, action. If you're uncertain of your anatomy, drawing skill and such, longer poses may frustrate you. As the poses get longer, you'll have to decide if you want to take all of the time to do one drawing. Usually the timing seems to be broken down into 20 minutes of drawing then a quick break for the model to get circulation back, etc.
Can be as rewarding to keep a sketchbook handy, do gestures, draw the others around you and such...

[ December 25, 2001: Message edited by: Derek Smith ]

[PandaPops]

Thanks Derek, your relpy was exactly what i needed