I’m still mid class on the puppet animation, but it’s already had a huge impact on how I look at positioning my dolls.
If you look at almost any doll photo – mine included – they all look like they hit that point in Madonna’s “Vogue” song where she says – “Strike a pose.” They don’t look as if they’ve been caught mid-motion. Instead, the look decidedly as if they’ve been standing in that exact same spot for the last hour or so, and could easily hold the same pose for several more hours
According to the Chiodo Bros (who now make up some of the most enjoyable minutes of my day), that’s all wrong. Even a doll who is standing still should not be in an entirely neutral position – both feet firmly planted, arms at the side, head straight forward. Neutral position makes a doll look, well, like the inanimate thing they are.
Instead, you want to find a pose that suggests that the doll has been caught mid-motion by the camera, or is just about to start moving, sort of like this.
Jinjur caught mid-walk
Not quite right, but you get the idea. If your doll *is* caught just standing or sitting around, then it should be in something other than a solid neutral position – have it put it’s weight on one leg, move the head to one side, flex the arm, etc.
Jinjur strikes a non-neutral pose
Another point, which may be somewhat more relevant in animation, is that movement should occur on two axes – not just one. So, a doll that turns its head to the side might also slightly dip or raise it.
Jinjur turns her head to the side on two axes
I took the pictures for Monday’s episode after watching a bit of the posing class. I think the picture of the two dolls cleaning looks pretty convincing, although Jinjur could be putting a little more muscle into it.
Buu and Jinjur detail cleaning the bathroom
But, even after taking a bunch of shots, Jinjur looks both like she’s standing still and like she’s not working at all to lift an object which seems like it must be pretty heavy for her.
Jinjur removes dog hairs from the couch
Fortunately, there’s a whole segment on pushing and pulling heavy objects, so hopefully I’ll pick up some pointers 🙂