Captain Character Part Two - What They Look Like (OUAN404)

I experimented with a whole load of body shapes for MILAN TURNER. I found it hard at first to push the boat out and come up with some really unconventional shapes. Our tutor told me to let my hand draw in a random direction and play around with the shape I had made, but it was very difficult to break from the style I have become accustomed to over the years.

We were taught that many animated characters are first imagined as just one or two basic shapes, and then elaborated upon. This is what makes them recognisable.

The "Inside Out" characters all originated from super duper simple shapes

I came up with a few decent torso shapes with ellipsis', pears and squares and stuff. In the end, I decided that Milan Turner would look more regular shaped. He isn't super healthy or unhealthy so there is no need to emphasise much weight or muscle. As well as this, I think that had I gone too exaggerated with the torso or stomach, then the character was in danger of slipping into the realm of being too much of a cartoonish stereotype.

I liked this slouched posture with the three circles in the middle.  It has a look of uncouth-ness to it.

Then I elaborated further with the basic body shape I chose of a long oval, drawing small variations on it to see how they affected the character. The dimensions could make him look stocky, densely packed together, lanky or very airy and light. 

MILAN TURNER wears a very long and baggy tank top, so you can't really tell where his torso ends and his legs begin. I wanted his body shape to be lean and not too bulky, to reflect his abundance of spritely youthful energy. He also wasn't allowed to be so tall that he could be incredibly clumsy.

And then I drew a few basic action poses, to get MILAN TURNER's character across. I'm pleased with the sense of vitality and motion in these.