I've spent the last couple of months poring over these volumes. I'm not studying to be an animator, but much of the content can be applied to cartooning and illustration as well, especially those lessons dealing with storytelling. The one lesson that Walt continuously brings up is that, as a storyteller, it is not the artist's job to copy the model. Instead, the model is there to act as a guide. It's okay, in fact it's essential, to make changes in your drawing that better serve the story, even if it doesn't match what you see before you. Do not draw what you see because what you see doesn't necessarily represent the story you're trying to tell. Not to say that it isn't important to understand anatomy and being able to draw what you see, but sometimes you will need to translate that pose for a character that isn't human. As an animator or cartoonist, when was the last time you had a talking mouse modeling for you?
Much of what Walt Stanchfield teaches in these hand-outs deals with drawing from live models and capturing the essence and energy of the story in quick gestures. Forget about the detail. The idea is to capture the story quickly with few lines, gathering just enough information so that the drawing can be refined later on. The monthly Dr. Sketchy sessions that I go to is a perfect place to practice this type of drawing. I've gone on and on about how I'm not happy with the way I draw and how I don't know what I'm doing and wah, wah, wah. I was hoping to put some of Walt's teachings to the test last Thursday. I'm still hung up on producing something akin to a finished work and find myself bogged down in detail, but I think these are an improvement in what I've done recently. Take a look:
