Drawing the Human Figure - The Sphere and Box - 人物を描く：球とボックス

I am going to share a drawing tool that some of you might have seen before in but taught in a different way.
今回は、ドローイングに便利なツールをご紹介します。おそらく皆さんの中には別の方法でこのツールの使い方を勉強した方もいるでしょう。

In terms of laying the human figure many people use the torso as a central grounding point for drawing the figure.

人体を描くときには、胴体を軸に据える人が多いのではないでしょうか。

I have given examples of this with our old friend " The Rice Bag" (aka the Flour Sack in American animation) in previous  previous blogs. 

私は胴を中心に据えて描くことについて、古き良き友人の「コメ袋」（アメリカアニメーション業界風に言えばフラワーサック（小麦袋））を以前のブログで取り上げました。  https://kicreativestudio.blogspot.com/2017/04/your-friend-rice-bag-japanese.html

The Rice Bag while useful for a quick lay-in for the torso, or a cartoonish form of design, it can sometimes lose some of the clear structure underneath. 

胴体をコメ袋だとみなすのは、便利なショートカットであり、カートゥーン調のデザインに馴染みます。ただし、明確な人体の構造をとらえ損なう恐れもあります。

Whenever I prepare to draw I like to fill my pages with spheres and boxes to get my head in the right direction.  Spheres for the organic frame of mind, boxes for a structure and a sense of perspective.

私はドローイングの準備運動として、球とボックスをページいっぱいに描きます。頭の認識をドローイング用に整えるのです。球は有機的なものを描くことに、ボックスは構造とパースの感覚を養うことにつながります。

My instructor, Glenn Vilppu has a tool where he combines the Sphere and the Box for drawing the human torso. 

私の師であるグレン・ビルプ先生は、球とボックスを組み合わせたツールを使って人の胴を描いています。

Drawing is greatly visualization and it is very difficult to draw something if you do not understand or respect what is underneath the form.

ドローイングとは可視化の作業で、描く対象のフォームがどのような構造になっているかを知らずに描くのは非常に難しいものです。

This also helps create the illusion of a more realistic stretch or squash.  As opposed to the gummy squash and stretch of the rice bag.

構造を知れば、単にコメ袋が伸び縮みする以上の、現実的なストレッチ＆スクウォッシュ（伸ばしと潰し）を描くことができます。

See in the example below how the Box and Sphere helps show greater dimension and also clearer depth and perspective.

以下の例を見てください。球とボックスが、立体を示すことに役立ち、奥行きやパースも明快に示しています。

Also with the corners of the box can be used to show the pulling of or contracting of flesh in the forms---not just on the contour but also off the surface of the form. 

ボックスのコーナーは、フォームの中で人体のパーツが収縮する様子を表しています。輪郭がそうなるだけではなく、表面下のフォーム（立体形状）が変化しているのです。

Please keep in mind this is only a tool to help you lay in the forms.   I have not thrown away the concept of our old friend the rice bag.  This is only a tool to add to your artistic toolbox.

これはフォームを描くために役立つ「ツール」に過ぎないことをお忘れなく。古き良き友人のコメ袋を否定しているわけではありません。この記事で紹介しているのは、皆さんの道具箱に加えてもらう、もう1つのツールです。

Below are some of examples in other artists work where the combination of the sphere and box can be seen in constructing the figure. 

以下に、球とボックスを使って人体の構造のベースとして使っていることが見て取れる作例をいくつかご紹介します。

Chris Wahl　クリス・ウォール

Frank Frazetta　フランク・フラゼッタ

Glenn Vilppu　グレン・ビルプ

John Buscema　ジョン・ビュッセマ

John La Gatta　ジョン・ラ・ガッタ

Steve Huston　スティーヴ・ヒューストン

The Making of Frazetta's and Bakshi's Fire and Ice (1983)

Considering the buzz over the live action Robert Rodriguez Fire and Ice film in the works, and the resurrection of the Frank Frazetta museum, this was a nice find.  Enjoy and be inspired.

Jeffrey Catherine Jones, (1944 -2011)

Frank Frazetta called her "The world's greatest living painter." I just learned this great heavyweight of art and illustration passed away recently. After losing Frazetta last year, it's another sad blow to the world of illustration.

My favorite quote from her on digital painting: "...this piece was done entirely in Photoshop - I said "never" and now I say "never again." Where's the painting? It doesn't exist! I can't carry it around in the backyard thumping it."

To be sure, those tangible masterpieces actually touched and created by her hands will be regarded even more precious.

Clip from Maria Cabardo's documentary, Better Things: Life and Choices of Jeffery Jones.

Frank Frazetta (1928 -2010)

Frank Frazetta, hands down, heavyweight champion of fantasy artists/ illustrators of the 20th century passed away today. His work permeates the fabric of what modern fantasy art and illustration is today. The influence of his work can be seen and felt in the composition of countless other fantasy or sci-fi illustrations and comic magazines. Whether it is said or not, films from "Conan the Barbarian" to "Disney's Tarzan" and even "Avatar" owe credit to Frank Frazetta's work.

His paintings like "The Barbarian" (called by some "the illustration of the 20th Century"), greatly contributed to the image of the "anti-hero" replacing the face of heroism in the past 40 years.

His only screen credit was as the producer (and art designer) of 'Fire and Ice", an animated feature he collaborated with animator Ralph Bakshi in 1983. Film producers such as Dino De Laurentis, John Milus, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and even Disney have all either attempted (and failed) to get him to work with them or admitted they were great admirers of his work.

Without Frank Frazetta, fantasy/ science fiction, in every medium, art, illustration, comics, animation or film would not be what we know it as today.

Mr. Frazetta, thank you so much.

Creativity: Heart, Discipline.

I was thinking what was a good way to kick off this vanity project/ blog. Incidentally, I've been whining to myself about my right shoulder which I injured earlier this week. No, I'm not crippled, but it is annoying and I've used it as an excuse to not draw for a couple of days.

Artist/ illustrator extraordinaire Frank Frazetta, detailed his many emotional and physical struggles in the documentary "Frazetta: Painting With Fire". Despite being near death, he found a way to still be creative, still produce. Even after suffering a stroke, and losing the use of his drawing hand, (his right hand), Frazetta still pushed forward by switching to draw and paint with his left hand instead.

Ralph Bakshi, also featured in the film made a very plain but poignant note that, "Art begins in the heart and the mind. You don't draw with your hand, you just don't."