70
Animation World Magazine, Issue 2.3, June 1997 Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing by Glenn Vilppu Glenn Vilppu. It always comes as a bit of a shock for students and artists preparing portfolios for animation industry positions that, almost without exception, what the studios first want to see are figure drawings from life. They don't want to see caricatures, cartoons, or copies of the studio's characters. They want traditional, classical figure drawing. Why traditional figure drawing? First, let us look at what skills are needed in good animation drawing. At the top of the list is the ability to communicate movement and personality through drawing. By using simple lines an artist should be able to give a figure a real sense of life and individuality, not just an action pose or stereotypical expression. Next on the list is to be able to draw three dimensionally, to make the characters feel like they are not only individuals, but that they exist in a real world. Since the characters we create and work with are products of our imagination, the animation professional has to be able to draw from his imagination. Next on the list is the ability to consistently draw the same character using the same forms, proportions and details in the particular style that has been set for the production. As you can see, the list is asking for a high level of skill, and we haven't even touched on imagination, story telling and inventiveness yet. Modern Renaissance Drawing So, how do you know an artist has these skills? Figure drawing has been the standard measurement of an artist's skills for hundreds of years, probably from the moment we first started capturing the living world around us. The Renaissance artist was judged by much the same standard as the animation artist is today. The great masters of the past were first story tellers. They had to be able to create figures that the viewers could empathize with so that stories were brought to life with a sense of realism and believability. Animation drawing is, in essence, the closest thing we have to classical Renaissance drawing today. The Renaissance artist primarily created figures to fit an ideal of perfection using simple volumes to construct figures. The constructions of Raphael are no different than many Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.3/issue2.3pages/2.3vilppu.html (1 of 3) [9/6/2000 1:54:00 PM]

Vilppu's Manual of Art

  • Upload
    drjahc

  • View
    268

  • Download
    6

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Animation World Magazine Issue 23 June 1997

Never Underestimatethe Power of Life

Drawingby Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

It always comes as a bit of a shock for students and artists preparingportfolios for animation industry positions that almost withoutexception what the studios first want to see are figure drawings fromlife They dont want to see caricatures cartoons or copies of thestudios characters They want traditional classical figure drawing

Why traditional figure drawing First let us look at what skills areneeded in good animation drawing At the top of the list is the abilityto communicate movement and personality through drawing Byusing simple lines an artist should be able to give a figure a realsense of life and individuality not just an action pose or stereotypicalexpression Next on the list is to be able to draw three dimensionallyto make the characters feel like they are not only individuals but thatthey exist in a real world Since the characters we create and workwith are products of our imagination the animation professional has to be able to draw fromhis imagination Next on the list is the ability to consistently draw the same character usingthe same forms proportions and details in the particular style that has been set for theproduction As you can see the list is asking for a high level of skill and we havent eventouched on imagination story telling and inventiveness yet

Modern Renaissance DrawingSo how do you know an artist has these skills Figure drawing has been the standardmeasurement of an artists skills for hundreds of years probably from the moment we firststarted capturing the living world around us The Renaissance artist was judged by much thesame standard as the animation artist is today The great masters of the past were first storytellers They had to be able to create figures that the viewers could empathize with so thatstories were brought to life with a sense of realism and believability Animation drawing isin essence the closest thing we have to classical Renaissance drawing today

The Renaissance artist primarily created figures to fit an ideal of perfection using simplevolumes to construct figures The constructions of Raphael are no different than many

Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing

httpwwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15400 PM]

A Renaissance style life drawing by Glenn Vilppu

model sheets you see for classical animation Intraditional drawing this is referred to as plasticdrawing or using synthetic forms This allowedthe artist to create fantastic imaginary worldspeopled with figures in the most part drawn fromimagination The beginning compositional sketchesof all artists are more similar than they are differentThe goal is the same to capture the sense of theabstract total A compositional notation by theMannerist artist Tintoretto would fit in quite wellwith rough layout and story sketches from ourcurrent major studios The artists of the past are theinspiration and yard stick of quality that we still use

To draw the human figure well from imaginationyou must first be able to draw the simple forms of construction -- the sphere box cylinderand cone -- from memory in any position and combination The famous Flemish artist PeterPaul Rubens said that you can draw anything using a sphere box and cone These simplevolumes are the foundation of good figure drawing and are the fundamental tools of figureconstruction These tools not only help you to draw the figure from imagination but to seethe forms of the model A portfolio will almost automatically be rejected if the figures insidedo not have a clear sense of volume and unambiguous space based on model observation

Geometric volumes are the fundamental tools ofgood figure drawing Drawing by Glenn Vilppu

Form and TechniqueIt is important to understand the difference betweenanimation drawing and drawing for illustration As I havealready mentioned in animation we draw almostexclusively from imagination and hence need to be ableto construct a figure from the minds eye In illustrationthe artist will generally acquire a model or usephotographs to work from if needed The illustrator alsoonly needs the one particular view that he or she is goingto use As such the training tends to develop a strongability to copy a model as well as different techniques forcommunicating the image In my Figure Drawing forAnimation classes I am continually telling the students that we dont copy the model Weanalyze the model As for technique the animation artist must focus on describing formwith as little individual technique as possible An animation is a collective work from manyartists Each artists work must blend in with the direction of the total production and notdraw attention as an individual style

Of course another reason for requiring a degree of skill at human figure drawing is that a lotof animation is based upon human characters The ability to change real forms intoanimation forms requires knowledge of the former You cannot draw something if you dontknow what it looks like Consequently an animation candidates figure drawings must showa fair degree of human anatomy comprehension Problems while drawing from a humanmodel bring into question not only the artists understanding of the figure but also the

Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing

httpwwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15400 PM]

Gesture sketch by GlennVilppu

ability to be able to follow a model sheetAs humans we are so tuned into the subtleties of our forms that a highlevel of skill and development are needed by an artist to create formsthat may seem childish In fact this feat is often the culmination of manydrawings of the human figure by a talented artist whose skills have beenfully developed

Of course there are many exceptions to the above We have all seen thesuccess of characters created by artists with very little formal trainingWhile our industry is better for these exceptions I personally would betmy career on my artistic skills while I tried to develop that next Saturdaymorning superstar However keep in mind that whenever asked aquestion about a particular drawing my late friend Don Griffith theformer head of the Disney layout department would first tell you whathe would do and then he would invariably shrug his shoulders and sayIts your career

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt

Disney Feature Animation Warner Bros Feature Animation and Rhythm amp Hues StudiosVilppu has also worked in the Animation industry for 18 years as a layout storyboard andpresentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Back to the Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1997 Animation World Network

Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing

httpwwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15400 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Glenn VilppuBooks | Videos

Benefit from prestigious life drawinginstructor Glenn Vilppus teaching skills Hismaterial is being used worldwide in coursesfor animation students Offered below areVilppu Drawing Manuals and Sketch Bookas well as 25 video tapes of his classes

Read Vilppus how to instructional seriespublished exclusively in Animation WorldMagazine every other month This is really atreat

Note All Vilppu products are shipped by regular mail

NEWVilppu Portfolio Series Quick Sketch

22 pages85 X 11 inches$595

The first in a new series of books Vilppu PortfolioSeries This series will feature Vilppu drawings the firstone is Quick Sketch In development is a series onFigure Construction and Anatomical notes also AnimalDrawing

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any otherVilppu Item (US)

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any 2 otherVilppu Items(outside US)

Vilppu New Sketching on Location Manual

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (1 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Buy animation booksat up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

154 pages85 X 11 inches$3995

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbookbut what do you draw - how do you get the most out ofit At home or abroad this manual will show you howArtists of all levels will find this book useful

Vilppu Drawing Manual 176 pages85 X ll X 5 inches$3995

The drawing manual is in 12 chapters Eachchapter corresponds to one week of the basicdrawing course taught at the AmericanAnimation Institute and is the basis ofinstruction by Vilppu at the variousAnimation Studios for both feature Satmorning and computer animation as well asfine artists The manual is being used as atext book in various Colleges Universitiesand private Art schools both nationally andinternationally Supplementary videos arelisted below This Drawing Manual is on therecommended list of Disney and WarnerBros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Sketch Book94 pages (printed on one side only)85 X 11 inches$4000

This is a reproduction of an actual sketch book printed in 1993 coveringone month This sketch book is on the recommended list of Disney andWarner Bros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Animal Drawing ManualXerox copies of the handouts given in class and book in progress$2000

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (2 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Vilppu Poster24 X 40 inches

$2000

Vilppu Videos

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (3 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 2: Vilppu's Manual of Art

A Renaissance style life drawing by Glenn Vilppu

model sheets you see for classical animation Intraditional drawing this is referred to as plasticdrawing or using synthetic forms This allowedthe artist to create fantastic imaginary worldspeopled with figures in the most part drawn fromimagination The beginning compositional sketchesof all artists are more similar than they are differentThe goal is the same to capture the sense of theabstract total A compositional notation by theMannerist artist Tintoretto would fit in quite wellwith rough layout and story sketches from ourcurrent major studios The artists of the past are theinspiration and yard stick of quality that we still use

To draw the human figure well from imaginationyou must first be able to draw the simple forms of construction -- the sphere box cylinderand cone -- from memory in any position and combination The famous Flemish artist PeterPaul Rubens said that you can draw anything using a sphere box and cone These simplevolumes are the foundation of good figure drawing and are the fundamental tools of figureconstruction These tools not only help you to draw the figure from imagination but to seethe forms of the model A portfolio will almost automatically be rejected if the figures insidedo not have a clear sense of volume and unambiguous space based on model observation

Geometric volumes are the fundamental tools ofgood figure drawing Drawing by Glenn Vilppu

Form and TechniqueIt is important to understand the difference betweenanimation drawing and drawing for illustration As I havealready mentioned in animation we draw almostexclusively from imagination and hence need to be ableto construct a figure from the minds eye In illustrationthe artist will generally acquire a model or usephotographs to work from if needed The illustrator alsoonly needs the one particular view that he or she is goingto use As such the training tends to develop a strongability to copy a model as well as different techniques forcommunicating the image In my Figure Drawing forAnimation classes I am continually telling the students that we dont copy the model Weanalyze the model As for technique the animation artist must focus on describing formwith as little individual technique as possible An animation is a collective work from manyartists Each artists work must blend in with the direction of the total production and notdraw attention as an individual style

Of course another reason for requiring a degree of skill at human figure drawing is that a lotof animation is based upon human characters The ability to change real forms intoanimation forms requires knowledge of the former You cannot draw something if you dontknow what it looks like Consequently an animation candidates figure drawings must showa fair degree of human anatomy comprehension Problems while drawing from a humanmodel bring into question not only the artists understanding of the figure but also the

Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing

httpwwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15400 PM]

Gesture sketch by GlennVilppu

ability to be able to follow a model sheetAs humans we are so tuned into the subtleties of our forms that a highlevel of skill and development are needed by an artist to create formsthat may seem childish In fact this feat is often the culmination of manydrawings of the human figure by a talented artist whose skills have beenfully developed

Of course there are many exceptions to the above We have all seen thesuccess of characters created by artists with very little formal trainingWhile our industry is better for these exceptions I personally would betmy career on my artistic skills while I tried to develop that next Saturdaymorning superstar However keep in mind that whenever asked aquestion about a particular drawing my late friend Don Griffith theformer head of the Disney layout department would first tell you whathe would do and then he would invariably shrug his shoulders and sayIts your career

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt

Disney Feature Animation Warner Bros Feature Animation and Rhythm amp Hues StudiosVilppu has also worked in the Animation industry for 18 years as a layout storyboard andpresentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Back to the Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1997 Animation World Network

Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing

httpwwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15400 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Glenn VilppuBooks | Videos

Benefit from prestigious life drawinginstructor Glenn Vilppus teaching skills Hismaterial is being used worldwide in coursesfor animation students Offered below areVilppu Drawing Manuals and Sketch Bookas well as 25 video tapes of his classes

Read Vilppus how to instructional seriespublished exclusively in Animation WorldMagazine every other month This is really atreat

Note All Vilppu products are shipped by regular mail

NEWVilppu Portfolio Series Quick Sketch

22 pages85 X 11 inches$595

The first in a new series of books Vilppu PortfolioSeries This series will feature Vilppu drawings the firstone is Quick Sketch In development is a series onFigure Construction and Anatomical notes also AnimalDrawing

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any otherVilppu Item (US)

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any 2 otherVilppu Items(outside US)

Vilppu New Sketching on Location Manual

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (1 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Buy animation booksat up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

154 pages85 X 11 inches$3995

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbookbut what do you draw - how do you get the most out ofit At home or abroad this manual will show you howArtists of all levels will find this book useful

Vilppu Drawing Manual 176 pages85 X ll X 5 inches$3995

The drawing manual is in 12 chapters Eachchapter corresponds to one week of the basicdrawing course taught at the AmericanAnimation Institute and is the basis ofinstruction by Vilppu at the variousAnimation Studios for both feature Satmorning and computer animation as well asfine artists The manual is being used as atext book in various Colleges Universitiesand private Art schools both nationally andinternationally Supplementary videos arelisted below This Drawing Manual is on therecommended list of Disney and WarnerBros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Sketch Book94 pages (printed on one side only)85 X 11 inches$4000

This is a reproduction of an actual sketch book printed in 1993 coveringone month This sketch book is on the recommended list of Disney andWarner Bros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Animal Drawing ManualXerox copies of the handouts given in class and book in progress$2000

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (2 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Vilppu Poster24 X 40 inches

$2000

Vilppu Videos

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (3 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 3: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Gesture sketch by GlennVilppu

ability to be able to follow a model sheetAs humans we are so tuned into the subtleties of our forms that a highlevel of skill and development are needed by an artist to create formsthat may seem childish In fact this feat is often the culmination of manydrawings of the human figure by a talented artist whose skills have beenfully developed

Of course there are many exceptions to the above We have all seen thesuccess of characters created by artists with very little formal trainingWhile our industry is better for these exceptions I personally would betmy career on my artistic skills while I tried to develop that next Saturdaymorning superstar However keep in mind that whenever asked aquestion about a particular drawing my late friend Don Griffith theformer head of the Disney layout department would first tell you whathe would do and then he would invariably shrug his shoulders and sayIts your career

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt

Disney Feature Animation Warner Bros Feature Animation and Rhythm amp Hues StudiosVilppu has also worked in the Animation industry for 18 years as a layout storyboard andpresentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Back to the Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1997 Animation World Network

Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing

httpwwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15400 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Glenn VilppuBooks | Videos

Benefit from prestigious life drawinginstructor Glenn Vilppus teaching skills Hismaterial is being used worldwide in coursesfor animation students Offered below areVilppu Drawing Manuals and Sketch Bookas well as 25 video tapes of his classes

Read Vilppus how to instructional seriespublished exclusively in Animation WorldMagazine every other month This is really atreat

Note All Vilppu products are shipped by regular mail

NEWVilppu Portfolio Series Quick Sketch

22 pages85 X 11 inches$595

The first in a new series of books Vilppu PortfolioSeries This series will feature Vilppu drawings the firstone is Quick Sketch In development is a series onFigure Construction and Anatomical notes also AnimalDrawing

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any otherVilppu Item (US)

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any 2 otherVilppu Items(outside US)

Vilppu New Sketching on Location Manual

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (1 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Buy animation booksat up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

154 pages85 X 11 inches$3995

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbookbut what do you draw - how do you get the most out ofit At home or abroad this manual will show you howArtists of all levels will find this book useful

Vilppu Drawing Manual 176 pages85 X ll X 5 inches$3995

The drawing manual is in 12 chapters Eachchapter corresponds to one week of the basicdrawing course taught at the AmericanAnimation Institute and is the basis ofinstruction by Vilppu at the variousAnimation Studios for both feature Satmorning and computer animation as well asfine artists The manual is being used as atext book in various Colleges Universitiesand private Art schools both nationally andinternationally Supplementary videos arelisted below This Drawing Manual is on therecommended list of Disney and WarnerBros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Sketch Book94 pages (printed on one side only)85 X 11 inches$4000

This is a reproduction of an actual sketch book printed in 1993 coveringone month This sketch book is on the recommended list of Disney andWarner Bros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Animal Drawing ManualXerox copies of the handouts given in class and book in progress$2000

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (2 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Vilppu Poster24 X 40 inches

$2000

Vilppu Videos

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (3 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 4: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Glenn VilppuBooks | Videos

Benefit from prestigious life drawinginstructor Glenn Vilppus teaching skills Hismaterial is being used worldwide in coursesfor animation students Offered below areVilppu Drawing Manuals and Sketch Bookas well as 25 video tapes of his classes

Read Vilppus how to instructional seriespublished exclusively in Animation WorldMagazine every other month This is really atreat

Note All Vilppu products are shipped by regular mail

NEWVilppu Portfolio Series Quick Sketch

22 pages85 X 11 inches$595

The first in a new series of books Vilppu PortfolioSeries This series will feature Vilppu drawings the firstone is Quick Sketch In development is a series onFigure Construction and Anatomical notes also AnimalDrawing

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any otherVilppu Item (US)

Free Shipping onthis itemwhen orderedwith any 2 otherVilppu Items(outside US)

Vilppu New Sketching on Location Manual

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (1 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Buy animation booksat up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

154 pages85 X 11 inches$3995

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbookbut what do you draw - how do you get the most out ofit At home or abroad this manual will show you howArtists of all levels will find this book useful

Vilppu Drawing Manual 176 pages85 X ll X 5 inches$3995

The drawing manual is in 12 chapters Eachchapter corresponds to one week of the basicdrawing course taught at the AmericanAnimation Institute and is the basis ofinstruction by Vilppu at the variousAnimation Studios for both feature Satmorning and computer animation as well asfine artists The manual is being used as atext book in various Colleges Universitiesand private Art schools both nationally andinternationally Supplementary videos arelisted below This Drawing Manual is on therecommended list of Disney and WarnerBros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Sketch Book94 pages (printed on one side only)85 X 11 inches$4000

This is a reproduction of an actual sketch book printed in 1993 coveringone month This sketch book is on the recommended list of Disney andWarner Bros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Animal Drawing ManualXerox copies of the handouts given in class and book in progress$2000

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (2 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Vilppu Poster24 X 40 inches

$2000

Vilppu Videos

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (3 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 5: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Buy animation booksat up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

154 pages85 X 11 inches$3995

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbookbut what do you draw - how do you get the most out ofit At home or abroad this manual will show you howArtists of all levels will find this book useful

Vilppu Drawing Manual 176 pages85 X ll X 5 inches$3995

The drawing manual is in 12 chapters Eachchapter corresponds to one week of the basicdrawing course taught at the AmericanAnimation Institute and is the basis ofinstruction by Vilppu at the variousAnimation Studios for both feature Satmorning and computer animation as well asfine artists The manual is being used as atext book in various Colleges Universitiesand private Art schools both nationally andinternationally Supplementary videos arelisted below This Drawing Manual is on therecommended list of Disney and WarnerBros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Sketch Book94 pages (printed on one side only)85 X 11 inches$4000

This is a reproduction of an actual sketch book printed in 1993 coveringone month This sketch book is on the recommended list of Disney andWarner Bros Feature Animation training

Vilppu Animal Drawing ManualXerox copies of the handouts given in class and book in progress$2000

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (2 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Vilppu Poster24 X 40 inches

$2000

Vilppu Videos

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (3 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 6: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Vilppu Poster24 X 40 inches

$2000

Vilppu Videos

Animation World Store

httpwwwawncomawnstorevilppu (3 of 3) [962000 15425 PM]

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 7: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Animation World Magazine Issue 33 June 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online Gestureby Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppu demonstrating drawing techniquesthat every animator should knowQuicktime 1 12 MBQuicktime 2 11 MBcopy Glenn Vilppu

IntroductionThis is the first in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major animation studios both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Each lessonwill also have short video clips of me demonstrating the material discussed

Glenn Vilppu All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

Drawing as it is practiced in the animation industry today mostapproximates classical drawing in the tradition of Raphael DaVinciPontormo and other great draftsman of the past The drawings of the pastwere used primarily in planned stages toward the creation of paintingssculptures and murals As such they were practical pragmatic steps inrepresenting ideas The classical approach of constructing forms in aneffort to create the ideal perfect form along with the desire for claritytransition and ease of understanding are the same requirements of goodanimation drawing The main difference is in the ideal of the form created

`Drawing from imagination toward a conceptualized ideal is the norm in animation

Drawing from the imagination toward a conceptualized ideal (the model sheet) is the normin animation The drawing that we do from the human model is research that helps us tobetter understand the human form and its movements Unlike the illustrator learning to copythe model has very little value for us Rarely do we work from the model except in training

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (1 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 8: Vilppu's Manual of Art

situations One of the primary requisites in order to create is the ability to draw from ourimagination Understanding and being able to create believable attitudes and movementsie bringing our characters to life with our acting is the basis of our art A child learning tospeak starts by mimicking the sounds that he hears and slowly develops the relationship ofsounds and meanings that we call speaking This is unlike most training in drawing giventoday that teaches to mimic nature without an understanding of the elements of visualcommunication Of course there are those individuals who through an innate talent havedeveloped this ability of communication in the same way that there are accomplishedmusicians who do not read music

Alexander Marshack was commissioned by NASA in1963 to write a book in collaboration with Dr RobertJastrow to explain how man reached that point in scienceand civilization to make it possible to plan a mannedlanding on the moon The research led to his book TheRoots of Civilization Marshack draws the conclusion thatone of the basic elements that distinguishes man frommost other animals is his ability to think in sequence Heuses the analogy of sending a man to the moon in hisdiscussion he talks about how impossible the task ofsending a man to the moon is when considered as a

whole but taken as a series of small steps or problems it becomes possible As each step isbroken down into even smaller steps the impossible becomes possible The main element isthe building of one step upon the previous in a time factored manner The pace of learningof any given subject after the initial rapid advancement seems to move upward in evershortening steps while the time between those steps seems to stretch out longer and longeruntil we begin to wonder if there is any movement at all

Everyone talks about being on a plateau or hitting a new level or experiencing the learningcurve (a classical example) without actually understanding that each level of developmentis in effect a level of complexity that must be absorbed before one advances to the nextlevel Trying to skip levels of development only slows you down and creates frustrationsthat jeopardize the achievement of your long-term goals Yet to accomplish anythingcomplex there are three basic elements that are required First you need a plan orapproach second you need the knowledge to put the plan into effect and third you musthave the spirit to carry it through to completion

`Each step being broken down into even smaller steps makes the impossible becomepossible

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (2 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 9: Vilppu's Manual of Art

The basis of my teaching is the development of anapproach that allows you to acquire knowledge and visualskills in a systematic way building upon yourunderstanding and abilities in logical simple steps I havemade a real effort at trying to keep each step as simpleclear and logical as possible In fact many of the steps inmy basic approach seem so simple and basic that quiteoften the student tends to ignore developing thesefundamental skills feeling that he has advanced beyondthem My experience has shown me that the majority ofstudents problems in drawing are with the basic elementsor tools of our trade If you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn askeys on a piano the more keys you have the wider range of possibilities you can enjoy Ofcourse you can make music with just a few keys but that should be based on choice notlimitations

Since the basic approach that I use in teaching is one where we analyze the model and notcopy it the approach itself helps us acquire the knowledge needed about our subject I usethe word subject not model because the basic elements of this procedural approach apply todrawing anything be it a tree interior or figure You cannot really draw something unlessyou know what it looks like The more knowledge you have of whatever it is that you aredrawing the better off you will be

An extremely important element of knowledge is that we must develop our ability to use ouremotions Probably our most important skill is to be able to communicate our feelingsthrough our drawings and to draw upon our own emotional experiences at will One of myfavorite sayings is `

You have to be emotional about your intellect and intellectual about your emotions

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (3 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 10: Vilppu's Manual of Art

A particular difficulty I have in teaching such a systematicapproach to drawing is that the end result can too easily be amechanical and boring formula I continually have to keepreminding the student that there are no rules What I amteaching are visual tools and strategies for approaching thefigure a means for helping students to understand what theyare looking at In the end it is up to each individual to bringto his drawing that spark of life

You will find me stating over and over again`There are norules just tools Visual tools are fundamental concepts usednot only to aide us in drawing but in seeing These in somecases consist of procedures and in other cases elementssuch as the box and sphere A large part of this course is infact the development of these tools

I will end this introduction with my favorite quote by an artistwhich exemplifies the pursuit of drawing excellence that wecan only hope to achieve

From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things When I was fifty I hadpublished a universe of designs But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worthbothering with At seventy-five I have learned something of the pattern of nature of animalsof plants of trees birds fish and insects When I am 80 you will see real progress At ninetyI shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself At a hundred I shall be amarvelous artist At a hundred and ten everything I create a dot a line will jump to life asnever before To all of you who are going to live as long as I do I promise to keep my wordI am writing this in my old age I used to call myself Hokosai but today I sign my self `TheOld Man Mad About Drawing (The Drawings of Hokusai Introduction by StephenLongstreet Borden Publishing Co)

Lesson 1 GestureThe action of a figure is usually expressed as gesture It means the movement and attitudeof the figure It is body language and all of those subtle differences that characterizeindividuals whether they are human or animal In this regard when I refer to the model Imean not only a model posing for short poses of thirty seconds to three minutes but alsopeople who are not posing and are in real life situations We use essentially the samelearning procedure in what is referred to as the quick sketch It will be assumed that forthe sake of learning at this point they are the same Other terms used for what we callgesture are attitude and body language

`Gesture is the single most important element in the drawing

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (4 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 11: Vilppu's Manual of Art

No matter how well a drawing is rendered without thatfeeling of individuality that we experience in looking at reallife the drawing is nothing more than an academic exerciseLong before we can actually see a persons face we canrecognize him by all those elements that make up thatindividual such as his general bearing proportions of hisbody how he dresses how he walks and holds his head

I am going to present this material in a series of stepsstopping to explain and clarify points as I go In reality ofcourse it is never quite this neat or simple Many of thesteps are actually done simultaneously The total is asummation of the action in simple terms and is essentiallywhat this lesson is about The illustrations are examples of this total which is what youshould in a sense see before you start the drawing

`You are not only learning to draw but to see

Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it from memory When doing gesturesketches you do not usually have the luxury of models holding still while you drawPractice this skill continually wherever you happen to be - on the bus watching televisionor in the shopping mall In looking at the action or gesture it is important to try to grasp thetotal before you put a line down Practice looking at your subject and then drawing it frommemory This exercise is particularly useful when you dont have your sketchbook with you(which should never happen) or are in situations where it is awkward for one reason oranother to be drawing When drawing in your head go through the same steps and use thesame imaginary lines you would if you were drawing on paper You draw with your mindnot your hand Then when you can redo the drawing on paper With practice you will beamazed at what you can do but it takes practice

The Basic ProcedureYou should do each drawing using the same series of steps until it becomes second nature toyou like how driving a car becomes almost automatic Start the drawing with simple linesthat take in the total action of the figure without worrying about the shape A simplesequence of steps is indicated in the following examples Remember there are no rules justtools

Step OneStart with a simple oval for the head imagining acentral axis so that the oval clearly represents the tiltand lean of your subject Use a simple dot on the topto indicate when the head is tilting toward you andpossibly an ellipse for the eyes to help show moreclearly the action of the head

Step Two

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (5 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 12: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Draw a line from the head representing the neck This line is not necessarily any actualcontour or line that you see on the model but a general feeling of the attitude of the modelContinue this line representing the neck pulling from the head into the upper body down tothe hips You should be more concerned with the how the lines show the action of themodel rather than any actual line that you see on the model Look at the examples on thispage to see the variety of ways that this can be accomplished These are not the traditionalstick figures that you see in many basic books on drawing They are lines that show the flowof the movement and relationship of the parts in a simple way

Step ThreeContinue in the same way drawing the legs Notice that all of thelines do not have to be connected Remember there are no rulesjust tools It is important to remember the simple fact that whatthe viewer sees is the lines you put down on the paper The lineshave to convey the sense of action in your subject by themselvesTo give a sense of movement and continuity you must draw eachline in such a way as to have one line lead you into the next

Step FourNow add the arms and hands in the same manner that we drewthe legs Again they do not necessarily have to be attached butmust indicate the movement and general placement

In practice these steps should take you a maximum of 30 seconds with 10 to 15 secondsbeing the average

You should practice these simple steps as often as you can In a regular day class I will havethe students doing this lesson for six hours

Continue this simple first step in feeling the form then go a step further and start pushingoutward with your lines Feel how forms contract and stretch pinch and expand Look atthe sample drawings

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (6 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 13: Vilppu's Manual of Art

The hardest part of this lesson is to overcome the desire to copy themodel Remember we never copy the model but analyze it

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American AnimationInstitute the Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept WaltDisney Feature Animation and Warner Bros Feature Animation andis being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industryfor 18 years as a layout storyboard and presentation artist Hisltdrawing manual and video tapes gt are being used worldwide ascourse materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June1997 issue Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing Hisdrawing manuals and video tapes may now be purchased in theAnimation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

[about | help | home | infoawncom | mail | register]

copy 1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml (7 of 7) [962000 15531 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 14: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 35 - AUGUST 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online SphericalForms

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Download Quicktime movies of master drawing instructor Glenn Vilppudemonstrating drawing techniques that every animator should know copyGlenn Vilppu

Quicktime 1- 846 KB

Quicktime 2 - 1 MB

Quicktime 3 - 11 MB

This is the second in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliates overseas Eachlesson will also have short Quicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazineit is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Lesson 2 Spherical FormsNow that youve mapped out the action of the posethe next step in the process is to define your figure in3-D space Learning to see your subject in terms ofsimple shapes and forms along with values is one of thebasic elements in learning to draw I refer to this abilityto see and use basic forms as visual tools These visualtools like any tool help you to accomplish certain

tasks Without the right tools doing anything becomes much more difficult

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (1 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 15: Vilppu's Manual of Art

This course is designed step by step to give you those tools andbasic skills in using them However the design of a course doesnot guarantee that you will learn those skills automatically Youhave to put in the time and effort to do the learning To doanything successfully you must apply three basic elements firstyou must have a plan of attack or approach second you need theknowledge to put that plan into affect and third you must havethe tenacity to carry it through to completion

First you must have a plan of attack or approach second youneed the knowledge to put that plan into affect and third youmust have the tenacity to carry it through to completion

These first lessons are the most critical and are the most deceptively simple in appearanceThrough experience I have found them to be the most difficult for the student because ofthis apparent simplicity Everything depends on your putting the time and effort into theseinitial lessons Lesson one was a good example of what seems to be simple but is somethingthat in reality is only truly mastered after a lifetime of effort

Lets Get DrawingStart by drawing a series of spheres onyour paper first singularly and thenin pairs overlapping and changing insize in relation to each other (SeeIllustration No 1) Combining twospheres as one complete form but still

having clearly two parts gives the form a sense of life (See Illustration No 2) Have yourform walk bend over be curious meet other forms like it and create relationships In shortbring it to life

Through all this you must maintain the senseof volume What is a sense of volume The useof the term volume in drawing generallymeans three dimensional Having a sense ofvolume in a drawing is to give it this threedimensional quality There are many differentways of creating this three dimensionality thatwe experience as volume in a drawingIllustrations No 1 amp 3 demonstrate overlapping the most basic way to create a sense ofform existing in space Illustration No 2 also uses overlapping but in this case the forms areconnected and the overlapping does not completely separate the parts In Illustration No 4A B and C you can see how important it becomes to decide carefully which linesoverlap In Illustration 4 A the forms go away from us in B they come forward and inC they create a twist Still just making forms overlap in itself will not ensure that thedrawing will exhibit this sense of form

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (2 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 16: Vilppu's Manual of Art

The most elemental skill is the ability to sense these basic volumes on the flat paper as ifthey were actually existing being created by you as you move your pencil over and aroundtheir surfaces and through the magic space of the paper Some people have a natural affinityfor doing this and others have to work hard and long to achieve it

Keep PracticingDrawing should be an everyday part of what you doLook at other artists of the past and see where you canfind applications of these lessons The drawings onthis page and the following are examples of ways thatyou can use spherical forms The important thing isthat you practice drawing them Dont feel pressuredinto feeling that you have to do fancy detaileddrawings Being loose and feeling the roundness is the

important thing at this stage of your development Create characters out of your imaginationdraw familiar things around you applying the various lessons to what you draw Copying ordrawing from other artists is an accepted traditional approach to learning in conjunction withdrawing from observation and creating from your imagination

Each lesson will build upon the previous one so spendthe time on each one and dont rush to the next untilyou feel comfortable with the current one Donthesitate to go back to the previous lesson Eachindividual is different and there is no set length of timethat it should take to acquire the material in theselessons Most importantly have fun with yourdrawing

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the AmericanAnimation Institute the Masters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation andWarner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (3 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 17: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu

httpwwwawncommagissue3535pages35villpuhtml (4 of 4) [962000 15633 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 18: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 37 - October 1998

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

by Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime movie of Glenn Vilppu presenting a sample lessonon the box form 18 MB copy Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu Alldrawings in this

article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

This is the third in a series of articles ondrawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice ofdrawing as a how to instructional seriesThe lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general followthe basic plan outlined in the manual This isthe same material that I base my seminars andlectures on at the American Animation

Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other majorstudios in the animation industry both in the US and in their affiliatesoverseas Each lesson will also have short Quicktime clips of medemonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that youstart from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The box is like the sphere in Lesson 2 It is a critical form that you must learn how to drawif you are serious about developing your drawing skills The ability to draw the box is anecessary basic skill If you dont have a complete mastery of this it will hinder yourdevelopment as an artist Spend as much time as it takes to become proficient at drawingthem at any angle or in any combination

Part OneStart by drawing a series of boxes freehand ie not using a straightedge Think of the box tumbling through space (see Illustration No1) Approach it as if you were animating it so that each drawing is aprogression from the last Be careful that you maintain the feelingthat the corners are at right angles and that you have a sense offoreshortening as the sides recede back in perspective If you have noknowledge of foreshortening or perspective or are having a difficulttime with this you should acquire a good book on perspective and

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 19: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration No 1take some time to study it This is a skill that is absolutely necessaryin your development as an artist

Illustration No 2

Part TwoNow lets take this box we have been drawing and round off the sidesso that it looks like a bar of soap (see Illustration No 2) Start bytumbling it through space as we did in Part One After you feelcomfortable I want you to see if you can give it life and a personalitythe same way we did in Lesson 1 (see Illustration No 3) Have itbend twist walk and meet other boxes Think of fat boxes thinboxes in short become master of the box

Illustration No 3

If it helps set up some boxes Youcould suspend some from the ceiling

by string or wire It would even help to make a boxmannequin to draw from using blocks of wood and wire

It is easy to relate houses cars andother inherently box-like forms to oursimple box Look carefully at the other examples on these pages to seehow the box was used to help draw them Sometimes we use the box as astarting point when drawing difficult angles Remember there are norules just tools The sphere and box are tools that help you to understandcomplex forms and enable you to depict them successfully in threedimensional space

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institutethe Masters program of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney FeatureAnimation and Warner Bros Feature Animation and is being sent toteach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and the PhilippinesVilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and videotapes are being used worldwide as course materials for animationstudents

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 20: Vilppu's Manual of Art

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Box

httpwwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15717 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 21: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 39 - December 1998

Glenn Vilppu All drawingsin this article are by and copy

Glenn Vilppu

Vilppu Drawing OnlineIntroducing Material and

Proportionby Glenn Vilppu

Download a Quicktime moviefrom Glenn Vilppus drawingvideos 19 MB copy GlennVilppu

This is the fourth in aseries of articles ondrawing for animation Inthese articles I will bepresenting the theory andpractice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the American Animation InstituteUCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and other major studios in the animationindustry both in the US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In Lessons Two and Three we developed our skills at handling spheres and boxesmanipulating them and giving them personalities In this lesson we are going to combinethem and at the same time introduce two new elements

Illustration No 2Illustration No 1

Part OneStart by placing a sphere over abox they should be roughly equalin size (see Illustration No 1)

The next step is very importantDraw Illustration No l-A againbut this time do it as if it werecovered by some form ofmaterial Feel the form underneath Feel where it leaves the

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (1 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 22: Vilppu's Manual of Art

surface of the sphere and stretches over to the edges of the box (B) Now make the materialbe a little tight or elastic so that it comes in at the waist (C) It is important to be able to feelthe form underneath in order to draw it Try to imagine that your pencil is on the surface ofthe object rather than on the paper

Now let us start to work with these new forms in the same way we did in Lessons Two andThree bending twisting and giving them personality (Illustration No 2) Notice the pinchand stretch as the forms bend and twist Dont forget the use of overlapping forms increating the feeling of volume

Again this is one of those exercises that you should spend a lot of time on the simplicity ofit looks deceptive

Part TwoNow let us introduce some variety into what we are doing and at the same time open up thepossibilities In Part One the sphere and box were roughly the same size Start introducingproportion into the drawing in a controlled manner Proportion is the relationship of variouselements in a drawing which includes sizes tones textures quantities and differences thatgive expression or character to the work

Proportion can be the size of the head to the bodyor just simply a large form to a small form Artistshave spent their whole careers trying to find idealproportions in their work We will look moredeeply into proportion in a later lesson but fornow I want you to have fun trying differentpossibilities with our simple forms Be as creative as you can be

Remember there are no rules just tools

Try stretching the distance between the forms You should be starting to feel a certainamount of flexibility and confidence in drawing without a model by now In the next lessonwe will expand more on this before we start discussing drawing from a model

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (2 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 23: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1998 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion

httpwwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml (3 of 3) [962000 15748 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 24: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 311 - February 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineDrawing Ellipses

by Glenn Vilppu

(Illustration No1)

This is the fifth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both inthe US and their affiliates overseas Each lesson will also have shortQuicktime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you havenot seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressive andexpand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the first four lessons we have basically been dealing with the torso of either humananimal or cartoon characters without actually calling them that In this lesson we want toexpand on that direction by adding appendages to these basic forms The primary skillrequired to do this is being able to draw cylinders

A cylinder is essentially two ellipses connected by straight lines and of course an ellipse isa circle in perspective (Illustration No 1) Lets first develop some basic skills for drawingellipses To start with you need to rely on drawing more with a total arm movement thanwith your fingers

Practice drawing ellipses that begin with a straight line and come to a full circle (IllustrationNo 2) Visualize a cross section of a hose or a simple computer wire frame of a cylindricalform Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528) in his Dresdon sketchbook shows many variations on ananalytical constructive approach to drawing the figure (Albrecht Durer the Human FigureDover Publications Inc New York)

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 25: Vilppu's Manual of Art

(Illustration No2) (Illustration No3)

Now try some drawings where you make these tubes cross each other and intertwine(Illustration No 3)

In drawing a cylinder the two most important elements are the angle or axis of the cylinderand the beginning and end of the cylinder Illustration No 4 shows a basic procedure forapproaching the drawing of a cylinder First draw a line indicating the centerline Thendraw the ellipses defining the ends of the cylinder

Illustration No 4 Illustration No 5

Do a series of drawings adding cylindrical forms to the ones that we have created in theprevious lessons (Illustration No 5)

In some of the following drawings youcan clearly see the use of the cylinderas a means of construction In others itwas used as a means of understanding acomplex form and influenced the wayin which the form was used Againthere are no rules just tools

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing atthe American Animation Institute theMasters program of the UCLAAnimation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and WarnerBros Feature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 26: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Animation World Magazine | Animation World Store | The AWN Vault The AWN Gallery | Animation Village | Calendar of Events | Career Connections |

Forums amp Chats | Home

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses

httpwwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 15826 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 27: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 41 - April 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineFrom the General to the Specific

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

This is the sixth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how toinstructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manualand will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manual This is thesame material that I base my seminars and lectures on at the AmericanAnimation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros and othermajor studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas Most lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips ofme demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen the previouslessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggestedthat you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

In the first five lessons we have gone through the basic elements or tools that we use to createform All of the work we have done so far has been on the presumption that we were doing aprocedural drawing where one element was built on top of the previous rather than a direct typeof drawing where each line essentially was the finished line

A Plan of ActionIn this lesson I will outline a basic procedure showing how all of the elements that we havediscussed so far fit in The essence of this approach is that we go from the general to the specificand that you essentially concentrate on one thing at a time What we are talking about is a generalplan not a set of rules but a plan that has to be responsive to the situation or needs of thedrawing As I mentioned in the introduction there are three elements necessary to accomplishanything First you must have an approach or plan of attack Second you must have theknowledge to accomplish the task and third you must have the spirit to carry it through tocompletion Drawing is essentially a logical and practical process

As I have already mentioned the basic structure of this approach is going from the general to thespecific In drawing terms general means the total In drawing the figure this means the actionor attitude or in another words the gesture Artists throughout history have done gesture drawingin many ways this being determined by their personalities and the prevailing styles for any giventime Yet they all have essentially done so in a similarly logical manner What is important at this

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 28: Vilppu's Manual of Art

point is that you concentrate on communicating the action in its totality and not get sidetrackedinto copying details or becoming preoccupied with specific contours unless they somehow assistin communicating the overall gesture A fundamental truth that seems to get forgotten is thelines that you draw are what the viewer looks at This may seem obvious and simplistic but it istrue This was the point of Lesson No 1 Illustration No 1 gives you more examples

Illustration 1 Illustration 2

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

Looking Back to Move ForwardAt the beginning of the drawing theprimary concern is the total action InIllustration No 2 I have tried to showhow the kinds of lines you use and theforms that you emphasize affect thefeeling that your drawingcommunicates Look at the differencesbetween drawings A B and C Eachdrawing has a difference in the feeling itcommunicates In A the lines ingeneral go with the direction of theforms one line flowing into the nextThe general feeling is one of rhythm andgrace In drawing B we have a muchsharper feeling and in a way jerkierif you can think of a drawing as having movement The sharpness of the corners give it a bitmore bite as we say and perhaps this harshness is easier to understand In C where theconcentration is on the contours the actual gesture becomes secondary to the flat shape createdA and B though different in feeling still convey the sense of the movement (since themovement or gesture was the subject) while in C the subject was the contour and not the flowof the forms (the gesture in this case if captured is a secondary consideration to the shape) Thisis not to say that shape is not important In fact it is very important but at the beginning of thedrawing the primary concern is the total action

Examples A amp B of Illustration No 2 are exaggerations of two very common basicapproaches to starting a drawing A is exemplified by drawings of Daumier and B by thepreliminary pen sketches of Peter Paul Rubens These are the two extremes you will find manyartists who combine elements of both Again remember there are no rules Illustration No 3gives more examples of the approach shown in example B Illustration No 4 shows the secondstep in the process clarifying the basic volumes or masses This can be carried to the extreme of

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 29: Vilppu's Manual of Art

cylinders and boxes as we did in the first four lessons or can be incorporated into the drawing ina less obvious way as they are in Illustration No 4 The study of boxes cylinders and spheres isthe means and tools that help you understand in a simplified way what it is you are looking atAgain there is every extreme inbetween

Illustration 5

Putting It All TogetherIllustration No 5 as well as many examples in previouslessons give you a little bit of the feeling for the variety thatthis step can take In general practice the artist will often doa drawing in several layers This layering is done innumerous ways In the Fifteenth Century it was commonpractice to do all of the preliminary drawing we have beendiscussing in a medium that could easily be erased such asa soft charcoal chalk or graphite and afterwards goingover the drawing with ink or wash At this point thepreliminary drawing would be erased and furtherdevelopment of the drawing would be continued Today we use light tables tracing paper andopaque projectors to do the same thing still using the same materials and methods of the past

Remember we are discussing a procedural approach to drawing not direct drawing Although alldrawing is in a way direct the point is that the sequence allows you to concentrate on oneelement at a time and go from the general to the specific This is a general method or approachto help you organize your efforts It is not a rule but a tool Illustration No 6 exemplifies this

Illustration 6

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may now bepurchased in the Animation World Store

Vilppu Drawing Online SeriesJune97

NeverUnderestimate thePower of LifeDrawing

wwwawncommagissue23issue23pages23vilppuhtml

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 30: Vilppu's Manual of Art

June98

Gesture wwwawncommagissue3333pages33vilppudrawinghtml

Aug98

Spherical Forms wwwawncommagissue3535pages35vilppuhtml

Oct98

The Box wwwawncommagissue3737pages37vilppuhtml

Dec98

Introducing Line andProportion

wwwawncommagissue3939pages39vilppuhtml

Feb99

Drawing Ellipses wwwawncommagissue311311pages311vilppuphp3

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Masters programof the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Bros FeatureAnimation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canada and thePhilippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as a layoutstoryboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are being usedworldwide as course materials for animation students

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail toeditorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific

httpwwwawncommagissue401401pages401vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 15851 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 31: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 43 - JUNE 1999

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the seventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

It is a truism that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like It is alsotrue that just because you know something very well it does not mean that you can draw itI have taught many medical personnel including doctors nurses and various specialistswith much more understanding of anatomy than myself In fact it took a while for me torealize that you cannot draw something unless you know what it looks like but knowinganatomy would not make me draw better What I needed was a method of understandinganatomical facts so that I could use these landmarks as tools of communication andexpression without violating basic anatomical reality and thereby detracting from what thedrawing was trying to communicate

Anatomy 101Let us first start with some basic landmarks and simple facts about the figure One of themost basic and useful facts about the figure is its symmetry The symmetry of the figure isan obvious tool that is too often overlooked In Illustration No 1 drawings A and Bgive us the basic landmarks that we need to understand and use From the front we have theline created by the pit of the neck sternum naval and pubic arch giving us a center line Inthe back we have the spine itself as a center line The ends of the shoulders are basiclandmarks from both front and back Moving down the front we have the corners of the ribcage at the bottom of the thoracic arch and the corners of the pelvis at the end of the iliac

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (1 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 32: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration No 1

Illustration No 2

crest Going down the backwe have the lines of thescapulas and the ends of theiliac crest where it meets thesacrum

Now let us see how we usethese basic landmarksThinking of the center of theform is the key to usingsymmetry In most cases(with the exception of theshoulders which have considerable independent movementbut which generally conform to the basic concept) the

landmarks are at right angles to the central axis of the form When the central axis of theform changes the landmarks move with it and generally exaggerate the change StudyIllustration No 2 of the torso and notice how the landmark move with the change of theform Notice the compression and stretching that takes place when the fixed landmarksmove with the changing central axis While achieving a clear understanding of the action byamplification of the shift in the central axis we bring into play fundamental dynamics ofreality as well as basic design elements By simply shifting the weight to one leg weautomatically create a curve in the torso as we generally shift the rest of the torso tocompensate This shifting doesnt stop there but extends to the neck and head going upwhich tends to move in the opposite direction again

Illustration No 3 Illustration No 4

In this simple shifting you have the basic elements of a classical rhythmic arrangement offorms combined with the twist that was the hallmark ofRenaissance aesthetics Look at Illustration No 3 and take the pose yourself Try standingwith your weight equally balanced and then slowly shift your weight from one side to theother and see what happens If you try to maintain a basic vertical position rather thanleaning to one side or the other you will look like Illustration No 3 Notice how one side ofthe body is stretching and the other side is compressing The accordion in Illustration No 4is a diagram of this action The basic design element involved here is the fundamental

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (2 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 33: Vilppu's Manual of Art

concept of opposites the most basic of design principles The use of opposites is a tool thatnot only creates visual interest but each helps to clarify the other The Italians called thispose Contra Posto

Looking at LimbsThe limbs have their own landmarks that we look for and use as tools to help us understandand describe an action As in the torso symmetry plays a key role and of course is definedby the central axis of the form The most useful clarifying elements are the ends of the bonesat the various joints First let us look at the elbow The uniqueness of the elbow joint createsa very practical means of showing the direction of the form Illustrations No 5A and 5Bshow you how this joint is formed

Illustration No 5A Illustration No 5B

The end of the ulna along with the epicondyle of the humerus create three clear points thatyou can use in your drawing When the arm is straight these points create a straight lineWhen you bend your arm the tip of the ulna drops This triangle then becomes the end ofthe cylinder of the forearm The axis created by the line behind the condyles defines theorientation of the cylinder in space Since the radius has the ability to twist independently ofthe ulna the wrist is often best described as a squared shape due to the flatness of the radiuson top Again this is an observation that becomes an excellent tool

Illustration No 6

The shoulder is a little different in that we do not really see the humerus clearly Here wemust use the way in which the deltoid attaches in a semicircle to the scapula and clavicleThe acromion process at the end of the spine of the scapula becomes the point that we use indrawing the line across the shoulders The line created by the spine of the scapula is alsovery useful as is the lower corner Study Illustration No 6

The knee is used very much in the same way as the elbow in that we concentrate primarilyon the epicondyle of the femur and condyles of the tibia It becomes quite useful to see thisjoint rather squarishly to help show the direction of the leg The patella functions in much

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (3 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 34: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration No 7

Illustration No 8

the same way as the end of theulna does in the elbowhelpingto give direction to the legStudy Illustration No 7

The way the fibula and tibia fitinto the foot in a front viewgives a clear indication ofwhich way the foot is goingStudy Illustration No 8 You will notice that in these illustrations Ihave included diagrams that show the flow of the lines created by thebasic forms These rhythms have a corresponding use to the basicstructural landmarks in helping us see the total action more clearly

You should look at these landmarks as ways of helping you see what youre looking at andnot as rules The point is to develop a strong systematic approach that frees you creativelyIn Part Two (Lesson No 8) we will discuss further some of the major anatomical masses

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in Japan Canadaand the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 years as alayout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes are beingused worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (4 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 35: Vilppu's Manual of Art

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy

httpwwwawncommagissue403403pages403vilppuphp3 (5 of 5) [962000 15919 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 36: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 45 - AUGUST 1999

Vilppu Drawing OnlineSeeing Anatomical Masses

by Glenn Vilppu

This is the eigth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I will bepresenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series The lessonsare based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basic planoutlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Bros andother major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliates overseasMost lessons will also be accompanied by short QuickTime clips of me demonstrating thematerial discussed If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issueof Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

In the last lesson we concentrated on the specific landmarks of anatomy we use with thesymmetry of the figure to help us see and draw the action of the figure The next step inusing anatomy is learning to see the large anatomical masses In the first four lessons welaid much of the groundwork by concentrating on simple forms as a means of analyzing thefigure as a total This lesson is a continuation of that procedure breaking those larger unitsinto smaller units while at the same time adding a new level of believability to ourdrawings Of course we are also adding to the complexity of our drawing It is important toremember that these new forms that we add should not distract from the readability of theaction Any additions of detail should help to clarify the action and add to ourunderstanding of the subject

Remember do not copy but analyze the model

All drawings in this article are by andcopy Glenn Vilppu

Exercises in FormFirst we need to look at some basic ways thatforms connect Illustration No 1 gives yousome of the basic situations in which formsinteract The primary ingredient in achievingany success at this hinges upon your ability toanalyze form There are two main elementsof this analysis The first is to be able to seethe total which has been the primary concern

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (1 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 37: Vilppu's Manual of Art

of these lessons up to now The second is todevelop the ability to see the surface of the form This will be a primary ingredient of thenext few lessonsIllustration No 1A shows a simple raised area of a form It is important that you developyour skill in analyzing this simple kind of form One way to start doing this is to take somekind of striped material and drape it over an object or just crumple it up Now take yourpencil and follow a line going up and down and around following the line until you reachthe end Do this for each stripe until you have a clear picture of the surface of the formThis is no different than a computer generated wire frame drawing of an object SeeIllustration No 2A Illustration No 2B may look different but the way the lines go over andaround the form are actually very similar to 2A The main difference is that the lines are notas mechanical in feeling or application

Illustration 2

Many art school exercises that have becomeart forms in themselves are based upondealing with this basic problem To achievesuccess at this you must visualize your pencilas actually being on the form that you aredrawing reacting to every nuance of changein direction that the surface of the form takes

When I was in school I had an instructorsuggest that you should pretend that you werean ant crawling over the surface At the time Ithought how ridiculous this was What Iwanted to do was draw like Michelangelonot like an ant walking across an arm Theimagery may have seemed ridiculous but theattitude and skills developed by the exercisewere not In fact looking at the great mastersincluding Michelangelo you will notice the incredible level of skill they had in being ableto describe form be it a building or an arm

Finding VolumeNow let us look at some of the basic elements that are represented in the examples ofIllustration No 1 When you are drawing form you are primarily involved in showing thechange in direction of a form That is why it is so important that you understand and canclearly describe the surface of the form you are drawing In Illustration No 1A the way inwhich the small form overlaps the larger form gives a strong sense of relief or 3D Look atIllustration No 3 and compare the different ways the drawings were done Notice how theoverlapping and feeling of going behind aid in giving a sense of volume to the formConversely notice that by not overlapping or by creating tangents the form tends to flattenout

Study the drawing below and the details to see how overlapping helped to give a sense ofvolume Then compare it with the same drawing at the bottom of the page without many ofthese same tools that help to create a sense of volume

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (2 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 38: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration 3 Illustration 4

BasicAnatomicalMassesExplainedLet us start goingthrough some ofthe basicanatomicalmasses we dealwith in the figureKeep referring toIllustration No 4as you read thisexplanation Ofcourse the basicform of the uppertorso is the ovalof the rib cage

(A) This is the foundation on which we build The neck is a simple cylinder (B) and thehead another oval (C) In Part One (Lesson No 7) the clavicle and scapulas were some ofthe landmarks that we discussed in our initial stages of the drawing

Now visualize these two elements as a yoke that slips over the neck and rests on the ribcage (Illustration No 5) Next from the front look at the pectoral muscles (Illustration No6) They attach to the rib cage and to the clavicles at the top the sternum in the center andpull over to the arms from the rib cage Do not lose sight of the round mass of the rib cage

Illustration 5 Illustration 6

From the back notice how the scapula floats on top of the rib cage (Illustration No 7) Themuscles of the scapula (infraspinatus teres minor and teres major) build on top of the basicscapula form We at this point also have the latissimus dorsi muscle which lies over the

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (3 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 39: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration 7

bottom of the scapula pulls up into the arm at the topand goes down to the pelvis at the bottom These formspull into the cylinder of the arm The top of the cylinderis the deltoid we discussed in the previous lesson Noticehow the pectoralis major the teres and the latissimusdorsi give a strong sense of 3D by their overlapping Asthe pectoralis and teres muscles fit into the arm youshould be seeing them as parts of simple cylinders

You should not miss any opportunity in using lines thatgo across or around the form to describe volume It isalso important at this point to look at the trapeziusmuscle First the trapezius helps us see the end of theneck as it fits into the skull As the muscle comes downto the shoulders it comes around to the clavicles andattaches around the arc of the clavicles and scapulameeting the end of the deltoid and continuing down thespine of the scapula The critical area in drawing thismuscle is the transition across the shoulder to the neckDont think just anatomy but try to use yourunderstanding of the anatomy to create form

Illustration 9

Moving down the back we have the two large muscles that goalong the sides of the backbone (sacrospinalis) coming fromthe sacrum up along the back bone fitting into the ribs Againnotice how the basic volume of the rib cage is still thedominant element into which these forms fit The buttocksmuscles the gluteus maximus and medius attach to thesacrum and the illiac below the crest and insert at the hipbone (the trochanter of femur) Depending on the model theseforms lend themselves to simple spherical forms or boxes Themain point is to look for the inside corners of the form and payparticular attention as to how they connect to the leg

As we start around toward the front again the externaloblique or flank pad as it is called is the dominant form Thebottom margin is the iliac crest of the pelvis The top fits intothe ribs interconnecting with the muscles coming from underthe scapula At this point concentrate primarily on the basicshape and how it works with both the pelvis and rib cage Thisis the form that we most often see stretching and compressingor bulging out It is important to see how the rib cage fits intoit

From the front the primary muscle that we work with is the rectus abdominis (IllustrationNo 9) which is attached at the top of the rib cage and at the bottom to the pubic arch The

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (4 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 40: Vilppu's Manual of Art

main elements are the clear boundaries on the sides and down the center The tranverse linecreated by the interrupting tendons are what give the characteristic shape of well-developedstomach muscles The planes created by similar lines on the sides those that separate therectus abdominis from the external oblique are important elements in understanding themajor forms of the front of the torso

Illustration 10Illustration 11

In looking at theconnection of the legs tothe torso (Illustration No10) it is important thatyou remember that thelarge muscle in the frontthe rectus femoris doesnot attach to the iliac crestbut goes between thetensor and the sartoriusmuscles The A shapecreated by the tensor andsartorius are part of thecorner of the box shapeused in seeing the pelvis

The rectus femoris along with the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis are the mainelements of the cylinder of the leg from the front In the back of the leg the biceps femorisalong with the semimembranosus and semitendinosus are the main elements of thecylinder Notice how the adductors pull from the pubic arch area and complete the trianglefrom the pubic arch to the knee In the back of the knee (Illustration No 11) thegastrocnemius or calf muscle goes inside the tendons of the biceps femorissemimembranosus and semitendinosus to create the characteristic squarish shape of thisconnection

Illustration 12

In the front thecorners of theknee (IllustrationNo 12) arecreated by thepatella with thequadricepstendon and tothe sides theepicondyles ofthe femur Theangle across thecalves is high onthe outside and

low on the inside However at the ankle the outside islow and the inside is high The arc created by the tibiaand fibula is a primary line showing the connection of

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (5 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 41: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration 13the leg to the foot in front (Illustration No 13) In theback the achilles tendon attaching to the calcaneus orheelbone is the characteristic look Try to view the foot as simply as possible in thebeginning focusing on simple volumes

Illustration 14

Illustration 15

In looking at the arms(Illustration No 14) try to seethe overall simple masses ofthe forms as you study theanatomy It is very easy to getso involved with anatomicaldetail that you lose sight of thewhole

In drawing the wristremember as we discussed inthe last chapter that the radiusrotates and the ulna isstationary The wrist is moresimply seen as a box form

In teaching the drawing of the hand (Illustration No 15) I havefound that if you first start by developing your skill at drawing the simple forms of theanimators hand and then slowly introduce the real anatomical hand it is easier to controlthe complexity and develop a method to draw and understand the forms

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and is being sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may nowbe purchased in the Animation World Store

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (6 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 42: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses

httpwwwawncommagissue405405pages405vilppuphp3 (7 of 7) [962000 15949 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 43: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 47 - OCTOBER 1999

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Objectby Glenn Vilppu

This is the ninth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas Most lessons will also be accompanied byshort QuickTime clips of me demonstrating the material discussed If you have not seen theprevious lessons starting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it isrecommended that you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It issuggested that you start from the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

The reality of drawing is that we draw on a two dimensional piece of paper the drawing isnot a three dimensional object Up to this point our efforts have been almost exclusivelyconcerned with creating that three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface Weused a series of tools and procedures that didnt necessarily rely on the model but on ananalytical and constructive approach to drawing the figure In drawing from the model iereality rather than from imagination or an ideal we must develop a set of visual tools tohelp us make that translation from the real three dimensional world (3D) to the flat twodimensional world (2D) of the paper In many ways this is much simpler than what wehave been doing In general the fundamentals of the approach based on direct observationof the model are the same as the widely used academic method of copying one of themethods taught in the studios of the artists of the Renaissance In this lesson we will usethis method to assist us in placing the forms that we have learned about in the earlierchapters (Much of what we are now discussing has been introduced in part in earlierchapters) The drawback of this approach is that you need the model to do the drawing Inpractical application the camera has come into use as a substitute for having a model posefor hours while the artist does his or her drawing

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (1 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 44: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Early InventionsBefore the invention of the camera both LeonardoDa Vinci (1452 - 1519) and Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and many other artists of that periodinvented drawing machines to accomplish the samething Let us look at Da Vincis and Durersmachines as a basis for understanding the approachBoth artists created essentially the same machinewith slight variations The basic elements were aframe with wires stretched over it dividing it intoequal units or a piece of glass with lines drawn on it sitting upright on a table and a pieceof paper having the same equal divisions on it as the screen The artist would look throughthe screen from a fixed viewpoint either a peephole or some form of brace to keep thehead from moving The artist would then copy what he saw in each square onto thecorresponding square on the paper In 1727 the great anatomist Bernard Siegfried Albinus(1697-1770) started his great work on human anatomy which was to take him 20 years Thefollowing quote is from Albinus On Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coylepublished by Dover Books 1988 (reprinted by permission) Albinus overcame the problemof obtaining correct proportions between the parts of the body in the drawings of his artistby using grids or nets made of cords and divided into squares These were placed atselected intervals between the artist and the skeleton One grid was placed almost in contactwith the skeleton by which the artist could draw from a distance of up to forty feet for thedrawing of detail a second grid with the squares greatly reduced in size was placed fourfeet in front of the first grid The artist would look through the grid and place himself sothat the cords of the two grids lined up with one another on his view of the skeleton andcould check his accuracy by means of these lines and their intersections

This is essentially identical to an artist today taking a photograph squaring it off andtransferring it to a canvas The usefulness of the approach is in its mechanical nature Weincorporate basic elements of this approach any time we draw from nature In the previouslessons I have been incorporating the use of many of the basics without making specificmention of the procedure as a whole

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (2 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 45: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Using The ApproachThe basic elements of the grid are vertical and horizontallines plus angles and measurements These are the tools ofthis approach Spheres circles boxsquares along with arcsare additional aids in seeing the placement of forms

A key element in academy training is the length of the poseSince a prime requisite for doing this kind of drawing is verycareful observation the poses were by necessity very longThe student normally would start his or her training by firstlearning to draw from plaster casts as is still done in manyparts of the world A pose using the model could last for aday several days or a week An hour pose was considered aquick one used for learning how to start a drawing

In this lesson as in the previous lessons the drawing is primarily done in line In a trueacademic approach the use of tone would be a major part of the drawing Each step being agradual build-up of values with careful consideration of the direction of the light fallingupon the forms In the following three lessons we will be discussing tone but in a moreconstructional and analytical approach In this lesson I am using the academic approach as away of carefully translating the three dimensional forms of the model as we havedeveloped them to the two dimensional surface of the paper as accurately as I can

As in earlier lessons the most important point is to get the total

1 | 2 | 3

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (3 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 46: Vilppu's Manual of Art

copy1999 Animation World Network

Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object

httpwwwawncommagissue407407pages407vilppuphp3 (4 of 4) [962000 20023 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 47: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 49 - DECEMBER 1999

Using Tone To Drawby Glenn Vilppu

This is the tenth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In thesearticles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a howto instructional series The lessons are based upon the Vilppu DrawingManual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in the manualThis is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on at theAmerican Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney WarnerBros and other major studios in the animation industry both in the USand their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessonsstarting in the June 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that youdo The lessons are progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you startfrom the beginning for a better understanding of my approach

Illustrations A B C amp D Alldrawings in this article are by and

copy Glenn Vilppu

Indirect Lighting and Modeling ToneThe first half of this manual has been primarily concernedwith creating form using line emphasizing the need tovisualize the whole form and to draw across the surface ofthe form to show its volume In learning to see spheresboxes and cylinders we focused on seeing the corners offorms and used these basic visual tools to help us see theorientation of the forms in space and to draw them Inreality we see things primarily in tone not line I have usedtone in many of my examples to define the forms withoutexplaining the usage In this chapter and the next two wewill discuss three distinct methods of using tone The threeapproaches which are indirect lighting direct lighting andatmospheric perspective are distinct but generally used invarying degrees together For the purpose of teaching I amfocusing on each one as a separate and distinct approach Asyou will see they can be used as separate methods thoughthey are generally used together

The clarity of an edge of a form is defined by what is behindit The greater the contrast the clearer the contour A solidblack object against a white background can appear quite

flat without a light source defining the interior corners and the parts that come forward (seeIllustration A) To create a strong sense of volume it is necessary to emphasize these

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 48: Vilppu's Manual of Art

internal corners that come forward and subordinate those that recede back in space

Illustrations B C and D demonstrate the fundamental elements of the indirect lightingapproach The part that is facing you is the lightest and the form becomes darker as it turnsaway from you Notice that I said Turns away from you The important point here is theangle of the form in relationship to you In Illustration C the outside contour has also beensoftened to make it recede even more

What faces you is in light what turns away from you is in tone

What faces you is in light what turns away from youis in tone Another way of thinking about this is toimagine yourself as the source of light

Illustration E gives an example of this basic principleRemember it is the angle that a particular surfaceplane faces that determines its value (degree of lightand dark) not how far away from you it is

This use of tone or value is usually referred to as amodeling tone We model the form using the tone todefine itself in space in the same way a sculptor doesSince our main concern is to describe form you mustlook at the basic procedure as a tool rather than a ruleWe use the tone to push the sides back on a form

Let us modify the basic concept now to read Whatfaces you relatively is in light what turns away fromyou is in tone The word relatively is veryimportant Study Illustration F This is actually anoptical illusion The forms can be seen going in or coming out The parts of the forms thatare in light do not actually face you but relative to the forms that are turned more awaythey do Notice that there is no difference between those forms that are close to you andthose farther away Of course in reality there is but for the moment concern yourself onlywith the angle that the plane of the form is facing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 49: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy1999 Animation World Network

Using Tone To Draw

httpwwwawncommagissue409409pages409vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20049 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 50: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 411 - FEBRUARY 2000

Getting a Handle on Direct Lightingby Glenn Vilppu

This is the eleventh in a series of articles on drawing for animation Inthese articles I will be presenting the theory and practice of drawing as ahow to instructional series The lessons are based upon the VilppuDrawing Manual and will in general follow the basic plan outlined in themanual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectures on atthe American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at DisneyWarner Bros and other major studios in the animation industry both in theUS and their affiliates overseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in theJune 1998 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessonsare progressive and expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginningfor a better understanding of my approach

Illustration No 1 Direct LightingIn the last chapter we discussed indirect lightingthe modeling tone and started on atmosphericperspective which we will be dealing with morein Chapter 12 Direct lighting is what wenormally see when we have a strong single lightsource Sunlight on a clear day is an exampleThe basic elements of direct lighting arehighlights halftone core reflected light and castshadow (see Illustration No1) The luminosity ofa drawing is affected by how the reflected light issurrounded by the core and the cast shadow Inthinking of the reflected light each surface thatthe light reflects from is in essence a lightsource In practice it is generally a good idea touse only one reflected light and one direct light Itis important to always keep a clear distinctionbetween the direct light and the reflected light

All drawings in this article are by and copyGlenn Vilppu

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 51: Vilppu's Manual of Art

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting

httpwwwawncommagissue411411pages411vilppuphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20113 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 52: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 501 - APRIL 2000

Using The Idea Of Atmosphereby Glenn Vilppu

This is the twelfth in a series of articles on drawing for animation In these articles I willbe presenting the theory and practice of drawing as a how to instructional series Thelessons are based upon the Vilppu Drawing Manual and will in general follow the basicplan outlined in the manual This is the same material that I base my seminars and lectureson at the American Animation Institute UCLA and my lectures at Disney Warner Brosand other major studios in the animation industry both in the US and their affiliatesoverseas If you have not seen the previous lessons starting in the June 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine it is recommended that you do The lessons are progressiveand expand on basic ideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for a betterunderstanding of my approach

Atmospheric Perspective

In the last chapter we discussed direct lighting and in chapter 10 the modeling toneAtmospheric perspective is normally discussed in conjunction with landscape paintingsince its true effect is primarily seen in nature in conjunction with great distances in spaceThe figurative artist has taken this sense of atmosphere and developed it as a strong tool ofexpression by abstracting the main elements and learning to use them while describingform

In the last two chapters I have already indicated some of the main elements involved inatmospheric perspective First the graying and loss of detail as objects recede in space dueto more atmosphere coming between the viewer and the object Second the use of thisphenomenon in a formulaic manner by artists to separate forms In this chapter using theidea of atmosphere will be expanded upon to include its use as a basic element of design inthe drawing to enhance the action of the figure and to clarify the three dimensionality of theform

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 53: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Illustration No1 All drawings in this article are by and copy Glenn Vilppu

In Illustration No1 notice how the tone expanded upon the basic rhythm of the figureCompare diagram A and B in the illustration I refer to this usage of tone as amplifying theaction The tone in B emphasizes the action and makes it feel stronger The use ofatmosphere in this illustration would generally be referred to as just tone The mainpoint here is that the atmosphere around the figure is being manipulated as a compositionalelement to enhance the action In C you will notice that the core part of the dark andlight pattern is also an element in making the action stronger

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 54: Vilppu's Manual of Art

copy2000 Animation World Network

Using The Idea Of Atmosphere

httpwwwawncommagissue501501pages501vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20136 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 55: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location TheThumbnail Sketch

by Glenn Vilppu

Glenn Vilppu

All drawings in this article areby and copy Glenn Vilppu

This is the second in a new series ofbi-monthly articles about sketching onlocation The articles are based on mySketching on Location Manual The manualwas developed as a series of lessons that Iuse on my guided sketching tours ofEurope and that I use as material in myregular drawing classes As such the lessonscan be part of a regular course or can be

used by individual students as a practical learning guide Ifyou have not seen the previous lesson starting in the June2000 issue of Animation World Magazine it is recommendedthat you do The lessons are progressive and expand on basicideas It is suggested that you start from the beginning for abetter understanding of my approach If you really want to begin at the beginning start withthe lessons based on the Vilppu Drawing Manual

Moving OnIn the last lesson we used a point to point method of drawing The main purpose was toreduce your subject to a series of two-dimensional observations starting from a single pointThis lesson is similar now the main thing is to be able to see your subject in simpletwo-dimensional shapes only this time in the context of the total picture

The first step is to decide the limits of your drawing in this sense we are doing the exactopposite of the previous lesson Instead of starting from a part and building outward we arestarting with the total and going to the parts

There are many ways to establish a beginning context for your drawing in other words toset the outside limits or framework that you are going to be working within Two rightangle paper corners with a paper clip holding them together is a simple method A smallclear plastic rectangle also works well likewise putting up your hands with thumbsextended creates a frame With practice you learn to establish your picture limits easilywithout any external guides

Doing a series of simple thumbnail sketches to try out your ideas gives you theopportunity to see what your sketch will look like before committing a lot of effort The

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (1 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 56: Vilppu's Manual of Art

thumbnail sketch also brings into play the idea ofdrawing-as-thinking You make choices and selections notjust copy an arbitrary view

To BeginStart by making a frame out of the borders of your paper about1 inch deep by 2 inches long The proportions of course can beany you wish to make Now in looking at your subject selecttwo or three simplified major lines in your subject Ignore anydetail and as in Lesson One pay particular attention to thebasic angles and lengths of these elements Look at theexamples and notice that you can get a general sense of whatthe picture will look like yet there is no detail These thumbnailsketches can be done in any medium from a carpenters pencilto paint

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (2 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 57: Vilppu's Manual of Art

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppuphp3 (3 of 3) [962000 20159 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 58: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Vilppus Sketching on Location Manual

Type

No of Pages 154 pages

Language English

Availability Worldwide

[V1032] $US 3995

Please Note All prices are in US dollars A shipping and handlingcharge will be added to every order

Description

Okay - you know you should be keeping a sketchbook but whatdo you draw - how do you get the most out of it At home orabroad this manual will show you how Artists of all levels willfind this book useful

Additional Information

Read Vilppus how to instructional series published exclusivelyin Animation World Magazine every other month

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (1 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 59: Vilppu's Manual of Art

at up to 40 off retail

Order by fax(323) 634-3350

Order by phone(323) 634-3400

or send your orders toAWN Inc

Creative Planet5700 Wilshire

Boulevard Suite 600Los Angeles CA 90036

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreproductsphp3pcat=Booksamptcat=ampsval=ampitem_no=IV1032 (2 of 2) [962000 20226 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 60: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 1)

All of these drawings are reproduced actualsize In the drawings on the left you willnotice simple diagrams that I did trying tothink out the formal elements of thecomposition primarily dealing with visualbalance The paintings on the next page arealso reproduced actual size though theoriginals were in color These were donedirectly without any preliminary drawingyet were done as thumbnails drawing thesimple shapes directly with watercolor

The above drawing was done with a fountain pen the wash was added by bleeding theink with water This again is reproduced actual size

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 61: Vilppu's Manual of Art

This drawing of the piazza of Orvieto with the duomo on the right combines both athumbnail and a detail of the thumbnail The drawing below is of the local citizens laterarguing politics on the steps of the duomo In doing the drawing of the detail above and thefigures below I used the approach discussed in Chapter One

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 62: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu2php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20246 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 63: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 2)

Now in these thumbnail sketches I have employed many of the elements we will bediscussing in the following chapters A strong component in the drawings is the light anddark pattern In fact some of these drawings were done with brush and wash where theonly thing drawn was the pattern of the darks Look at the variety of materials used pencilpen as well as watercolor

Take NoteSometimes to aid the memory it is useful to write information about the colors textures

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 64: Vilppu's Manual of Art

and materials that you see This page is a general visual exploration of a location whichincludes drawings of detail compositional possibilities and notations These drawingswere used while painting in the studio months later

The camera of course becomes a great aid in recording detail Yet drawing from thesubject itself is still the best way to get the sense of what you are looking at

View more examples

Glenn Vilppu teaches figure drawing at the American Animation Institute the Mastersprogram of the UCLA Animation Dept Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner BrosFeature Animation and has been sent to teach artists at Disney TV studios in JapanCanada and the Philippines Vilppu has also worked in the animation industry for 18 yearsas a layout storyboard and presentation artist His drawing manual and video tapes arebeing used worldwide as course materials for animation students

Glenn Vilppu first wrote for Animation World Magazine in the June 1997 issue NeverUnderestimate the Power of Life Drawing His drawing manuals and video tapes may bepurchased in the Animation World Store

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedback

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 65: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Past Issues

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu3php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20255 PM]

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 66: Vilppu's Manual of Art

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 505 - AUGUST 2000

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch(continued from page 3)

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (1 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 67: Vilppu's Manual of Art

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Note Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending ane-mail to editorawncom

Table of ContentsFeedbackPast Issues

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (2 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 68: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Animation World MagazineCareer Connections | School Database | Student Corner

Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of EventsThe AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums amp Chats

Home

About | Help | Home | infoawncom | Mail | Register

copy2000 Animation World Network

Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch

httpwwwawncommagissue505505pages505vilppu4php3 (3 of 3) [962000 20307 PM]

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 69: Vilppu's Manual of Art

Quick Find

Product Type

Featured Artists

Video Categories

VideosSouth Park Rankin BassFolioscope Bill PlymptonJohn Schnall Davey ampGoliath Glenn Vilpputraining tapes amp more

BooksGlenn Vilppu trainingmanuals FolioscopePlympton amp others

ArtworkRichard Condie SallyCruikshank Speed RacerSuperman LooneyTunesetc

Other Cool StuffT-Shirts postcards postersamp more

AWN BOOKSTORE

Buy animation books

Facets Videos fantasticanimation inventory hasbeen added to the AWNStore Over 3000 newvideos availableworldwideFrom popular Disney titlesand the Peanuts to surrealistanimation from EasternEurope from action-packedJapanese anime to animationin paper cutouts sand claypuppets and computer theFacets Whole Toon Catalogis now available in the AWNStore Betty Boop Fritz theCat Tex Avery and LooneyTunes Classics are a part ofthis spectacular addition

CartoongateTake a look atthe history ofpoliticallythemecartoonsIncluded onthis video areHell-Bent forElection

Eisenhower Spots NoSubstitute A PoliticalCartoon Popeye forPresident Jimmy WhoReaganocchio Now Is TheTime For All Good Men andPolitical Basketball

Short Animations by LarryJordanHere are a few of your

IllustratorandteacherMarshallVandruffsinstructionaltapes arenow

available How To DrawMonsters is fun arteducation for the seriousartist The tape includescreativity exercises toteach you how to drawnew and amazingmonsters Six high-speeddemonstrations are alsoincluded showing youfrom start to finish how todraw monsters All this isoffered for $2495

GlennVilppuTrainingVideosSouthPark Rankin Bass BillPlympton Mad MonsterParty Davey amp GoliathRaoul Servais amp more

EXCEPTIONALANNIVERSARY SALEON ORIGINALARTWORK FROMTHE BIG SNIT April1st 2000 marks the first dayof AWNs fifth year inexistence This is also the15th anniversary of TheBig Snit Richard CondiesAcademy Award-nominatedanimated film To celebratethis double anniversary weare having a Grand Sale inthe AWN Store AWN isoffering 20 off on itsexclusive collection oforiginal hand-painted andsigned production cels fromThe Big Snit Originalproduction cels are availablefrom 9 shots ranging from$440 to $680 plus sh Thisis an exceptional offer onrare artwork

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (1 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
Page 70: Vilppu's Manual of Art

at up to 40 off retail

copy 1999 Animation WorldNetwork

favorite Larry Jordan shortsall on one video Thishour-long video includesDuo Concertantes PatriciaGives Birth to a Dream bythe Doorway GymnopediesOur Lady of the SpheresMoonlight Sonata OnceUpon a Time Carabosseand Masquerade

Hey Good LookinDirected by Ralph Bakshithis cartoon takes anaffectionate look at comingof age during theEisenhower Era in BrooklynSort of an animated HappyDays done with Bakshispeculiar style Vinnie theleader of the Stompers hisgirl Roz who adores himand Crazy Shapiro are just afew characters youll meet

Animation books forstudents collectors andfans

Glenn Vilppu trainingmanuals Bill PlymptonsSleazy CartoonsBendazzis 100 Years ofCinema Animation ampothers

Subscriptions or singleissues of top animationmagazines

The Animation FlashAnimation World MagazineVisual Magic MagazineThe 2000 Animation SchoolDirectory Toon MagazineAnimato Animation BlastFPS The Animation Reportand more

T-shirtspostcardsposters etc

Animation World Store

httpwww2awncomawnstoreindexphp3 (2 of 2) [962000 20602 PM]

  • awncom
    • Never Underestimate the Power of Life Drawing
    • Animation World Store
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Gesture by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Spherical Forms by Glenn Vilppu
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Box
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Introducing Material and Proportion
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Drawing Ellipses
    • Vilppu Drawing Online From the General to the Specific
    • Vilppu Drawing Online The Landmarks of Anatomy
    • Vilppu Drawing Online Seeing Anatomical Masses
    • Seeing The Figure As A 2D Object
    • Using Tone To Draw
    • Getting a Handle on Direct Lighting
    • Using The Idea Of Atmosphere
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Lets Sketch on Location The Thumbnail Sketch
    • Animation World Store
          1. JJFNLIBDBLCNNDNHBMMIPPLCPKKHPNKE
            1. form1
              1. x
                1. f1 All
                2. f2
                  1. f3
                    1. form2
                      1. x
                        1. f1 [ ]
                            1. form3
                              1. x
                                1. f1 [ ]
                                    1. form4
                                      1. x
                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                          1. PIKDGFKPMFPAFLPKBGFIJIIEMLLHLAKK
                                            1. form1
                                              1. x
                                                1. f1 All
                                                2. f2
                                                  1. f3
                                                    1. form2
                                                      1. x
                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                            1. form3
                                                              1. x
                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                    1. form4
                                                                      1. x
                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                          1. MNCIKLBALGPHLFONJBLKFAMOGDCFKNMA
                                                                            1. form1
                                                                              1. x
                                                                                1. f1 All
                                                                                2. f2
                                                                                  1. f3
                                                                                    1. form2
                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                            1. form3
                                                                                              1. x
                                                                                                1. f1 [ ]
                                                                                                    1. form4
                                                                                                      1. x
                                                                                                        1. f1 [ ]