Dancing Skeletons! (due Nov. 10)

[Seedling]

If you want to draw people, then you have to learn a bit about the skeleton. For this activity you will need a diagram of a human skeleton. Or, of you have access to one, a model skeleton. But instead of just copying the diagram, and in celebration of All Hallow's Eve, I want you to draw a series of dancing skeletons!

Here are some websites to get you started:
http://www.jburroughs.org/science/re...n/diagram.html
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/educate/resource/human1.pdf
http://www.immediart.com/catalog/pro...roducts_id=286

Ready, set. . . no, don’t start yet. Before you start drawing, I want you to decide exactly what you want to learn from this. This activity shouldn’t seem arbitrary. Here are some examples of how you can use this assignment to learn the things that you want to learn:

Animation/quick sketching/storyboarding – simplify the skeleton down into basic shapes that you can draw quickly. Using this simplified skeleton, do dozens of fast drawings in skeletons posed in the most dramatic, active poses that you can think of. Bonus points if you do a series of poses that could potentially be linked into one animation

3D – In order to really get yourself thinking spatially, first draw a skeleton in a dramatic dance pose. Then draw the same pose again, from one or two more angles.

Perspective – draw a 3D space in perspective and populate it with dancing skeletons, all in proper proportion to one-another.

Scientific illustration – draw only one skeleton, but with every knob and rib and vertebrae in exactly the right place and in the right numbers.

Expressive poses/expressive mark-making –Don’t worry about getting the right number of bones or exact proportions or persnickety details. Go instead for emotional impact through bold marks and dramatic body language. These skeletons should make your audience want to get up and dance!

Character design/costume – first draw several skeletons in various dance poses. Then add costumes to the drawings. These could be the skeletons of pirates or the inhabitants of a Mayan tomb throwing a midnight party.

For best results, don’t wait until the end of the week to post your results. Get your first sketches or in-progress work up soon so that you can all see what everyone else is up to. Be sure to say what you are you are focused on learning when you post. I’ll do my best to give feedback on everyone’s’ work, and you should all critique each others’ work, too.

Usually these classes will last about a week, but this one will go a little longer because I’m too impatient to wait until Saturday.

Be sure to post your results right here in this thread. I look forward to seeing what you come up with! Remember, although this is supposed to be a learning experience, it should also be fun.

Okay, now you can start!

[alesoun]

Jeez, Seedling! It's been a long and surreal day (but not in an artistic way). I logged on , saw your thread, signed in and lost it again. *sigh* it's been a long night.

Okay, I'm in! Looks like fun. Can I do them one at a time, starting with the silliest? It's the 1st Nov here, and I haven't slept yet, but I'll make a start in the morning, or the afternoon, whenever I surface.

[Seedling]

Hello Alesoun! It’s up to you how you would like to use this assignment, really.

Oh crud, I wrote down the wrong due-date in the title. *duh* Sorry, last night was hectic. The due date is actually November 10.

[alesoun]

I've never done a storyboard, but this ridiculous idea popped into my head....

[Seedling]

go for it!

[PaTXiNaKi]

Woo! this are my first 4 poses, i want to do about 8 skeleton.

Im interested in Character design,costume.I don´t know if the poses are well balanced or not.

I used two reference pics for two of the poses, the breaker, and the pose with the left arm raised.
I ll work on 4 more, and i ll try to improve when i have the 8 sketches

I have enjoy a lot doing this.




Offtopic- Where do u guys upload the draws?, i use to do at imageshack, but sometimes they dissapear.

[drivebybaptism]

Ok here is my attempt.

Im interested in the character design. (edit) Done these from reference.

Real sorry about image quality.




Ok my goal for this is learn to proportion out my figures properly and more consistanly

[Seedling]

Awesome start Patx! Thanks for breaking the ice!

drivebybaptism – don’t just do what someone else is doing. Decide what you want to learn from this exercise, and then do it!

[drivebybaptism]

Well i really want to get my character creation skills up to par. Basically I was a bit confused as to what was asked of the character portion. Seeing Pat's example told me.

[Seedling]

Those were all just different examples of how you can use this assignment, driveby. [edit] Hey, good start! Before you go any further, you need to decide what your goal is for this assignment, and state here what that goal is.

[drivebybaptism]

Aw ok sorry its been one of those days

Please tell me if I've done/do anything wrong.

[Seedling]

You're doing just fine.

[alesoun]

I just want to draw dancing skeletons and make them look like they're moving!

First lot....

Seriously, I saw this last night and the idea flew into my head for a storyboard. There's a lot more to come. I dreamed about it last night... or, about 50 pics of it.

[alesoun]

Dear Heavens! Is it THAT bad?

[Earendil]

Probably going to do this over again, I think I combined animation/quicksketching and expressive poses. Fun, but gotta break it down further! It's fun to imagine what they're doing/wearing. Left is tai-chi exercises, mid-left is a raver, middle is vaudeville...

[sweet&sourpb]

Halloween isn't a local custom here and I have little affinity for dancing skeletons, so I think I'll look at building my understanding of the skeleton with a realistic study.

[Seedling]

LOL, Alesoun, those are a great start! I’m just not always going to be available for immediate feedback. Drawing skeletons to look like they are moving is a good achievable goal. Here’s something you can try that can help you to reach that goal: find photographs of dancers. Then copy their poses, but as skeletons. You can even use tracing paper to draw the skeletons right on top of the photographs. This will give you a great understanding of the crazy extent to which the bones in the skeletal system move around. (The top hats made me giggle, by the way!)

Hello and welcome, Earendil! I like where you are going with these. You might also want to take a look at some photos of dancing humans with their skin on to get inspired, especially when it comes to foreshortened poses. As for simplification, it might be worth simplifying a little less. For instance, break down the skeleton into upper and lower leg, pelvis, rib-cage, upper foot, lower foot, palm, fingers, head, each as a very simple 3D shape. That way everything won’t become so loose as to be formless.

Hello Sweet&Sour! I look forward to seeing what you do.

Rock on everyone!

[PaTXiNaKi]

Another 4 poses, this time i tried not to use ref pics (i want to think how each pose works and try to make them "real")

[Reject-D]

you can count me in as well... ill post some sketches after i get off from school

[Colin Pritchard]

count me in! I'm going to look around for some ideas and I'll post some pictures sometime this weekend.

[Miracula]

Very nice idea to set up this classroom, Seedling. Especially human anatomy is an interesting topic - I think I'm in, too

[alesoun]

Did a sneaky update! Not much time, so they're rough and fast... The detailed skeletons on top of a photograph is EXACTLY what I have in mind for the penultimate (or maybe the ultimate) post.

I'm going to work in the room of dancing skeletons in perspective in there as well!

Actually, I wish I knew more about animation; but I doubt if I'd have the patience for it.

[PaTXiNaKi]

Did a sneaky update! Not much time, so they're rough and fast... The detailed skeletons on top of a photograph is EXACTLY what I have in mind for the penultimate (or maybe the ultimate) post.

I'm going to work in the room of dancing skeletons in perspective in there as well!

Actually, I wish I knew more about animation; but I doubt if I'd have the patience for it.

U are working hard,alesoun, u gave the skeleton a bit of "cabaret" feeling. ^^

[alesoun]

I have a whole,- don't know what you'd call it, and I doubt if I'll do it well,- sort of story going on here. I'm drawing and choreographing at the same time.
But, as a matter of record, I am the most mediochre tap-dancer that ever did a step-ball change or a five beat roll. This came alive in my head; I can actually "see" every fifth step or so. First time THAT'S ever happened (but it's fun)!

[Stryyf]

Wow first post, I came across this board from a tattoo forum I am on, It was suggested to get a good looks at some great artists. I am over in Afghanistan working as a contractor and don't have a scanner yet to use. I am gonna follow along with these classes, once i get a scanner I will post up better quality imgs. my supplies are seriously limited. No2 pencils and paper out of the copier is about all i can get until i get a chance to order stuff. I am coming at this from an angle different them most here it seems, I'm a tattoo artist that wants to get better at drawing and moving the drawings onto skin.
Thanks so much for doing this, I'm also going through your prospective lessons so many people over look that in tattooing.

Here are my skels, I did kinda diff, styles of dance
Top row play'n finger symbols, Kinda Latin, Ballet, and a Jazz jump
bottom On a chair, On the pole, Russian, and a back hand spring.

Sorry about the quality, have a crappy camera over here with me.

[Seedling]

Hello Styyf, and welcome! I’m seeing a red X instead of your image. Try uploading your image directly to the site here by using the “go advanced” option, and then use the “manage attachments” option. Also, no worries about simple mediums! Those perspective examples I posted are done with pencil and bic pen on printer paper.

Alesoun – haha, more fun skeletons. For the time being, it might be best to leave the clothes off and focus on getting the poses to tell their stories without props. (Except for things like canes, that the skeleton might be leaning on.) Try not to get too many different goals pulling you in too many directions.

PatX – you’ve captured the weight well in those poses. Try making your skeleton a little less simplified – for example, the skull breaks down well into a sphere with an oblong bit hanging down to form the face and chin. Such a shape will work better at showing which way the head is pointed and tilted in 3D.

Reject-D, Colin Pritchard, Miracula – looking forward to seeing your work!

[armando]

I'm in.
Mostly I want to work on perspective and getting the group of skeletons interacting believably within that perspective. Compositionally I want to concentrate on line and shape, and somehow get a dance like quality out of those.

[Stryyf]

should have fixed the pic, I should have taken more time and done them much better I feel they re just thrown together I know some of the relationships between the limbs are off. I need to get the hands and feet together maybe I should just do skeletal feet and hands.

[armando]

So I'm trying to figure out how to place these skeletons, and also thinking a bit about how I'm going to draw them. I want to keep them pretty simple, no rendering, they'll be done in ink, maybe with simple values done either in marker or digitally just to seperate the elements.
Can't decide whether I'll have them all in one group shape, or somehow have 2 or more groups of skeletons interacting somehow, or would it be better with just two close-up skeletons? So far I like the repetition of the circular heads, and there's lots of linear potential with the arms.
I haven't drawn it, but I'm also trying to think of some clever things they could do with their limbs, twirling long bones like batons, using their own skulls as bongos or something, not completly original but it's better than nothing I think.

[Miracula]

Okay, here we go! pld:

Welcome to conceptart.org, Stryyf. I'm pretty new here, too and found that people help each other where they can. If you want to improve your painting/drawing skills this is the right place for you.
To your sceletons: I like the Russian and the back hand spring ones most. They made me laugh, because I can see them moving and dancing on my screen
Your limb-relationship-problem can be solved: practice! One or two month ago I wasn't able to draw humans, because I had the same problem. Something went always wrong - one leg too long or the head too small. That makes the pictures look somehow "wrong".
Then I came across this book: Figure Drawing For All It's Woth by Andrew Loomis. It's amazing! Very well illustratet and with small steps - absolutly beginner-friendly
Now I'm not a master in drawing humans but they don't look like aliens any more. I can only recomment to buy or download this book!

Armando, it's a nice approach - totally different from the others. Especially the group at the bottom of your page looks nice. Somehow well-balanced. I'm looking forward to see your final pic.

And now my hopefuly not alienlike sceleton: I want to practise quick sketching to put ideas and thoughts down to paper. But the animation-thing sounds nice, too, I thought. Now it's a combination
It's a dancing sceleton which's getting sick I'm not quite sure about the dynamic of the poses and the legs of number 2-4 are too short, but I think you can "read" the whole thing, can't you? Please tell me if not. Criticize. Help me to improve! pld: