Gesture Sketches / Sketchbook Update

I got pretty down about my art a couple months ago and decided, against all odds, to actually do something about it. For 21 days I did 7 gesture sketches in my sketchbook before bed: small, loose drawings to capture a pose.

I started off a little shaky and unsure, but soon got into the swing of things.

 

 Things became smoother once again when I started referencing poses found online.

There's a notable difference between my start and end pages, and I've found it very helpful in my art - not just for sketching out poses, but getting me back into the habit of using my sketchbook again.
I've produced some bigger pieces based on some of the gesture sketches I completed during this time, and I can see its helped my characters look much more natural and relaxed:

2D Head Turn and Take

Next in 2D we were tasked to create a head turn, followed by a surprise take, with an attribute such as hair or long ears with which to demonstrate overlap and followthrough. To begin with, we had to create a turnaround showing front, profile and 3/4 views of our character. I decided to revisit my character Noelle, previously seen in A Walk Cycle, But Not.

Noelle turnaround.

First I worked out the basic movement of the head as it turned, and then recoiled in surprise.

I then added detail with the face and eyebrows, giving the character expression.

Next I drew out Noelle's hair, giving it drag and followthrough separate from the movement of the stiffer head.

Finally in the roughs stage, I sketched out the pupils, exaggerating their shrink to emphasise the character's shock.

I then inked the animation:

And lastly I added colour.

I am pleased with this work, however I know it is not as good as it could be - there are a few slightly odd movements in the top of Noelle's hair, particularly as she first comes to a stop after turning, and some inconsistency in the size of her eyes and the edges of sections of hair. I am most pleased with my final sketched version of this piece, and may revisit the inking and colouring stages in the future.

Drawing for Animation - Toy Story

Our first task for Drawing for Animation classes was to take a toy on a week of adventures.I started with a few warm up sketches of my toy, a small dinosaur figure with a fluffy body, and a couple of colour experiments.

My toy's week began with simple adventures, exploring a tipped over drink can and a trip to the laundry.

He then decided to visit my desk, climbing my pot plant and engaging in a stand-off with another round, spiky creature.

The next night we cooked together, and my small friend attempted communication with the suspiciously dinosaur-like ladle.

To finish the week, we visited the beach together with the Pride Society, where my dinosaur posed in front of a flag.