To make the pigs' movements and stances believable, I studied videos of ballet (of course, the ideal would be drawing them directly from life, but I didn't know of any ballet schools near the centre of Bristol), and particularly larger people doing ballet - as luck would have it, Channel 4's series "Big Ballet" is literally all about that, so I decided to watch it and sketch the most interesting poses and movements as I went.
One of my favourite examples of timing in the dances is at the 18:14 mark - the slight delay of the dancer on the right is just so funny to me, and that comedic timing is something I'd very much like to capture in my animation. As for serious examples, the 30:04 mark is a perfect example of the kind of movement I want to animate: visible weight to the dancer's body, but with a delicacy in the way she carries that weight. I think in my case, it also helps that these aren't professional dancers: my two pigs were a seasoned ballerina and her immature pupil, so it helps to look at all levels of expertise.
In the end, I decided to scrap the "pigs in tutus" idea for another sequence - but I feel my study of dance will still come in handy for my animation practice.
Click "Read More" to see the sketches I did while watching episode 1!
That rainbow stain isn't supposed to be there - I had a printout of some Degas paintings tucked into my sketchbook, which got splashed with rain. Not exactly a happy accident, but a pretty one.
And as an added bonus, one day I saw an unusual busker by the Bristol harbourside; she wasn't singing or playing guitar, but dancing with a hula hoop. Her movements fascinated me so much that I whipped out my sketchbook; it was extremely interesting to watch the hoop become like an extension of her body.
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