What makes a drawing appealing?? - 何がドローイングを魅力的にする？

Above: Glen Keane

上：グレン・キーン

"The word is often misinterpreted to suggest cuddly bunnies and soft kittens.  To us, it meant anything that a person likes to see, a quality of charm, pleasing design, simplicity, communication and magnetism."

「魅力的」という言葉は、可愛らしいウサギや、ふわふわの子猫だけのものではありません。私たちにとっては、愛嬌、気持ちの良いデザイン、シンプルさ、コミュニケーション、引き付ける力といった、目を楽しませるものはすべて「魅力的」です。

-  Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, The Illusion of Life
オリー・ジョンストン、フランク・トーマス『The Illusion of Life』（生命を吹き込む魔法）より


Everyone at one time has experienced making a drawing and for some reason, nothing interesting is happening on the page.  The drawing is dead or boring despite  following all the drawing rules of anatomy or perspective.

「ドローイングを描いたけれど、何も面白味がない」という経験は、誰もがいつかはしていることでしょう。アナトミーやパースといったドローイングの規則にはしたがっているのに、生気がなく、ドローイングが味気ないのです。

Some seem to have a natural ability to make a drawing that immediately attracts people.  Why?  Yes, some people are just gifted in this way , however,  fortunately there are tools that can help us make more appealing designs in our drawings.

描けばすべてのドローイングがたちまち魅力的になる、そんな能力が自然に備わっている人がいるように思えます。なぜでしょう？　そのような力が生まれつき備わっている人は確かにいるようです。しかし、ドローイングのデザインをもっと魅力的にできるツールがあります。


1- OBSERVE!  Take time to observe your subject.  Don't just look,  but really observe who or what you are drawing. What is different, contrasting or unique about your subject?  Are they skinny?  Heroic?  What is attractive or unattractive about them? Suggest that in your drawing!

1. 観察する！　対象をじっくり見ましょう。ただ見るだけではありません。描いているのは誰で、描きたいのは何でしょうか。対象は、何が他とは違い、際立ち、独特なのでしょうか？　やせ型ですか？　ヒーローのようですか？　引き付けられるまたは引き付けられない理由は何でしょう？　こうしたことをドローイングで示しましょう。

Above:  Pencil studies by Milt Kahl for Horace and Jasper from 101 Dalmatians.  Both characters have the same face but their body designs are quite different and possibly communicate something about their character.  Jasper (the smart one) is long legged and always hunting like a spider.  Horace (the dumb one) is short, fat and is quite clumsy. 

上：ミルト・カールによる「101匹わんちゃん」のホ－レスとジャスパーの鉛筆によるスタディ。両方のキャラクターが同じ顔で描かれていますが、体形は全く異なります。彼らの性格がある程度伝わりますね。ジャスパー（やせ型）は、脚が長く、まるでクモのように獲物を狙っています。ホーレス（おバカキャラクター）は背が低く、太って、ぎこちない動きです。

Horace and Jasper don't have Brad Pitt's or George Clooney's good looks BUT there there is something interesting and entertaining when we look at them.  This is appeal. 

ホーレスもジャスパーも、ブラッド・ピットやジョージ・クルーニーのようなルックスではありません。それでも見る者を引き付け、楽しい気持ちにさせます。これが「魅力」です。

When drawing the model stay present and in utter awe!  When he or she takes a stand, it is as if they are a god or goddess present to us.   - Mike Mattesi Drawing Force

モデルを前にドローイングするときには、しっかりと意識を集中し、畏敬の念を持ちましょう。神または女神が私たちの前に立っているようなものです。

－マイケル・マテジ　「Drawing Force, Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators」（リズムとフォース）より

2- MAKE JUDGMENTS  Don't be afraid to make a judgment about what you see in the model.  It's not rude.  It is your job as a designer to see what is interesting in the model and and exaggerate it!  There is a big difference between exaggeration and 'distortion'.  Exaggeration is making a truth bigger.  Distortion is lying.

2. 判断をする　モデルから見て取ったことに対して、遠慮なく判断をしましょう。モデルの何が興味を引き付けるのかを見て取るのは、デザイナーであるあなたの仕事です。それを誇張しましょう。誇張と「ゆがめること」とは違います。誇張とは、真実を大きくするだけです。

What abstract ideas or images come to mind when you look at them?  Gentle? Expressive?  Deer-like?  Snake-like?  Spider-like? Write it down on your paper before you draw.

モデルを見て、どんなアイデアが浮かびましたか？　優しい？　表情豊か？　鹿のよう？　蛇のよう？　クモのよう？　描く前に、モデルを表す抽象的な言葉を書いておきましょう。

Yes, it is difficult to capture so much 'character' when we only have a few minutes (or less!) when  drawing people in public....or in a Ki Creative Studio Drawing Workshop.  Regardless, this is part of our challenge to observe more and make quicker judgments!

大勢の人がいる中で、Ki Creative Studioワークショップで、数分（時にはもっと短い時間）で性質を読み取るのは、確かに簡単なことではありません。しかし、よく観察し、早く判断を下すのは、私たちに課されている課題の1つです。

For those of you who are still beginners at capturing the figure, here are a few drawing tips that might be helpful when putting masses and forces down on the paper.  Notice I used the words "masses" and "forces" - NOT simply lines.

人体を描き始めてまだ日が浅い人のために、マッスやフォースを描きとめるためのヒントをいくつか書いておきましょう。いいですか、ラインを引くのではなく、マッス（ボリューム）やフォース（エネルギー）をとらえるのです。

A.  Straights and parallel lines are a guaranteed way to kill any illusion of dimension or organic life.  Avoid this...unless you are making a graphic statement.  

A. 直線や平行線は、奥行きや生命を持つ有機物だという幻想を確実に損ないます。グラフィックステートメント（形状でメッセージを伝えること）をするのではない限り、使いません。

B.  Bending your straights creates an illusion of change but it's two-dimensional and is purely graphic.  No life...

B. 直線を曲げると、方向が変化しているという幻想は生まれます。しかし、これでは2次元的で形状しか示せません。生命がこもらないのです。

C.  Adding curves or round organic qualities does give a sense of volume however it is lacking context or application.  The eye simply just stops and is not compelled to move...

C. 曲線や丸みは、有機的な性質を表し、ボリュームも感じさせます。しかし、これでは状態や何を表しているかが伝わりません。見る人の目はとどまったまま、動きません。

D.  NOW, a  offsetting curved lines rhythmically suddenly makes the eye travel in a fluid manner.  Good composition and design will always have some form of contrast. Though all forms below D.  are asymmetrical, there is an appealing balance in all the forms. There is movement, flow and with the use of overlap, dimension.  

D. このドローイングは、曲線の位置をずらし、リズムを与えています。こうなると、目は流れるようにラインを追います。良い構図やデザインには常に、コントラストがあります。下の3つのフォームはすべて、非対称です。また、バランスが取れた面白味のあるフォームです。オーバーラップと奥行による、動き、流れがあります。

Applying some of these tools or concepts might help give your drawings a boost.  Good luck!!

これらのツールやコンセプトを適用すると、作品を向上させるのに役立ちます。 がんばって！！

Bruce Lee and Hanna Barbera Animation Deal?

 

 I was rummaging through my old martial arts reference books.  Many of which are related to Chinese martial arts.  One of my favorite historical references is a comprehensive collection of Bruce Lee's letters to his family, friends, martial arts and film colleagues:   Bruce Lee:  Letters of the Dragon, Correspondence, 1958 - 1973. edited by John Little.  

The last letter written by Bruce Lee on the last day of his life, July 20, 1973 leaped out at me:

41, Cumberland Rd. 

Kowloon, H.K.

July 20, 1973.

Adrian Marshall
Suite 920, Century City
10100 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90067
U.S.A.


Dear Adrian,

Will be arriving Los Angeles on Aug. 3rd, would like to sit down and hope you can leave open the weekend of Aug. 4th and 5th to discuss the followings:
1/ the deal with Hana Barbera
2/ Warner's proposition
3/ Titanas from Italy
4/ Andy's proposition from H.K. which I will explain to you when I see you in person
All in all, it will be a hectic schedule with television shows, United Press interview, etc., spending one week in L.S. and leaving on Aug. 18th to New York for another week of publicity, maybe Johnny Carson Show and so forth etc. And then, my publicity tour will officially end on Aug. 24th and on Aug. 25th I will meet Linda at L.A., ready to come back to H.K. hopefully in one piece.
In the meantime, if there is any preliminary discussions that you can start without my presence, go right ahead. However, I would prefer you and I sit down first and discuss the whole plan of the income tax situation before we proceed on. Also, I would like to meet with you first before meeting with Raymond Chow and then both of us will hear him out. By the way, there are also other propositions of books, clothings, endorsements, etc. At any rate, I will talk to you personally when I see you.

Take care my friend,
Very truly yours, 


Bruce 

PS: Looking forward to a sincere opened and honest relationship between you and I to really do something fair and square. By the way, SY Weintraub had just called and will be flying here to H.K., supposedly to have devised a super plan for me. At any rate , I won't sign anything until I and then maybe Raymond and/or SY sit down and we all talked. So get prepared!! See you soon. 



At the top of the list  Bruce Lee wanted to discuss with his attorney, Adrian Marshall was a "deal" with the animation studio Hanna-Barbera, which in 1973 was exploding with made for TV animation content.  Hanna-Barbera's other Chinese themed cartoon, "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" had already run its one season course.  However the faces we were seeing on television slowly but surely were becoming more ethnically diverse.  It's doubtful that Bruce would have landed a whole animated TV series this at this point in his Hollywood career.  But it's likely he could have been slated as an animated guest on "The New Scooby-Doo Movies"  which featured both real and fictitious popular personalities such as Cass Elliot, Davy Jones, and Batman and Robin. 

 

 In 1973, the "Kung Fu" TV-Series was doing well, and Bruce Lee, (the man who fathered the idea of that show) was about to bombshell western pop-culture with his re-introduction to American audiences in "Enter the Dragon".  The film, which even 40 years later is still the bar for all martial arts films to live up to. 

 If this deal with Hanna-Barbera was already greenlit, it's a no-brainer that the studio's animation great Iwao Takamoto would have overseen the project.  Iwao Takamoto, former assistant to Disney's Milt Kahl was a world-class draftsman.  Would have loved to see his model sheets interpreting Bruce Lee for animation.

 

Every day is Milt Kahl Day

For the next forty years, Kahl was Disney graphic style, a fact he proudly touted:

I felt a little bit like the chess champion of the world at one time was a Franco-Russian by the name of Alexander Alekhine. Someone --- an onlooker --- mentioned to him, "Mr. Alekhine, that isn't a book move you made there." He said, "I am the book."

---- from John Canemaker's, Disney's Nine Old Men

He has been called the Michelangelo of animation and is usually seen as the greatest animator of all time.

Many people credit Fred Moore (who basically designed Mickey Mouse as we see him today) with the "appeal" ever present in Disney animation, but Milt Kahl, as far back as Pinocchio, has been regarded as the architect of refining graphically what is known as the "Disney style" in character animation.

There are many animation blogs that often pay tribute to him with a 'Milt Kahl Day", posting his pencil tests or drawings. Andreas Deja, Sandro Cluezo, and Jamaal Bradley's blogs are some of the most popular.

A couple of years ago I stumbled up an audio recording of what sounds like a CalArts lecture with Milt circa early 1970's when Disney's "The Rescuers" was in production. (I think this recording was available on sewardstreet.com, but it seems that it's down)

I found the recording greatly inspiring, insightful and loaded with helpful comments on staging, caricature, production and an artist's mindset towards his work. This recording is nothing new, but I noticed there wasn't anyone presently interested in sharing these valuable words online....so I figured I'd share it.

On that note, Clay Kaytis on his Animation Podcast website has a great post with another recording of Milt Kahl at CalArts also speaking about The Rescuers. Definitely worth listening to.

In addition to the eighteen sound clips I am re-posting, I am posting the pencil test of Madame Medusa which Milt references in the recording. Apologies for not being able to combine all the clips into one track.

If you listen carefully you'll hear who I believe to be Eric Larson sitting on on the lecture. If anyone out there has anything they would like to add about this recording, please feel free to comment below.

Hope you find this as inspiring and informative as I did. Enjoy.

Credit and thanks to Jaamal Bradley for posting the clip below.

Milt Kahl & Ollie Johnston from Jamaal Bradley on Vimeo.