Monday Morning Marty & Minnie -- One Defining Line
Which one's Marty and which one's Minnie?
Talk about simplification! This is a good exercise for artists to help define their characters, real or fictional, and help them distill the essence of their personalities: draw one line that best represents the person (or animal) concerned. Can you guess which one is Marty and which is Minnie? (I'm not sure I made the definitive lines for them, but this is a good start.)
Now, unlike other forms of simplification this one may or may not bear any visual resemblance to your subject, though it often can. Your line should bear as many of the same characteristics as your character's persona. Is your character swift or slow? Ambitious or lazy? Focused or all over the place? Honest or shifty? Smooth or awkward? Your subject's determining line should reflect that.
Now here's the payoff: when you draw your subject, try to use this defining line as often as you can. Look for places where the physical likeness and this defining line meet, and accentuate those points as much as you can. You'll have a portrait or a likeness that doesn't just convey the subject's look, but the subject's personality and character.
Labels: illustration, Marty, Minnie, theory, tutorial
Stumble It!
posted by Ted Slampyak @ 12:04 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Are you going to tell us which, so I will know if my guess is correct? I very much enjoy your tutorials.
Oh, no, Grace. That's not how it works! First you bravely guess, THEN I tell you if you're right!
I'm really pleased that you like the tutorials, Grace! Please write often with your feedback!
And, of course, with your guess!
My guess is that Minnie is on the left as she is more "tiggerish" and Marty is on the right because he is not so bouncy. I could argue the other way though--that the right one is Minnie as she is longer and sleeker, and Marty has a choppier body.
Well put. You are in fact right when you said Minnie's line was on the right. But you're not WRONG when you said you can see how the lines could be attributed the other way.
Remember, the point of this exercise isn't necessarily to find the one right answer for a particular project, but rather to try and impart the subjects character and personality into every line you put down. If you're doing that, your work will be communicating more than just the physical appearance of your subject.
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