Thursday, March 13, 2008

Mouse Doodles

Sometimes it seems I'm happiest when drawing "throwaway art" - that is, cartoons for non-commercial, usually trivial reasons. These sketches of a mouse were done on the spur of the moment as a way to brighten up and add a bit of humour to an otherwise rather dry looking assignment sheet for the Character Design class I teach at Sheridan. There was some spare room on the sheet and I decided to fill it creatively. My only regret is not filling the available area more ideally, having left a lot of open air space around each pose. Maybe I'll juggle the elements a bit for more visual appeal before assigning this one next year.


This particular assignment has to do with "Performance", and involves the students choosing any two of the characters they've designed for me previously this year and having them act out two little scenarios I provide in a total of six poses apiece. The three pose example of the mouse is my way of showing them what I expect of their efforts in regards to drawings that communicate a story visually, showing distinct expressions and body language to indicate what the character is thinking and feeling at each stage of the scenario. I know my students have been overwhelmed with the cumulative amount of work involved in the assignments from all of their various animation classes. Despite this daunting workload, my hope is always that they have some fun in my character assignments, as that sense of fun usually can be seen in the final work, resulting in real entertainment value for the viewer.

9 comments:

Cookedart said...

This is a great character sheet!

Fabulous stuff.

Amir Avni said...

That mouse totally looks like you, Especially the smiling and focused faces.

Kitty said...

Personally, I think the 'space' around each mouse, shows them off to their fullest.

Wonderful drawings. x

mélanie daigle said...

Nice preview for Monday's class :)

As for the Amir's comment, I think the Dan Haskett doodle of you as Bernard wins it :p

Tommy said...

Your drawings are all amazing.

Pete Emslie said...

Amir and Melanie - Methinks I am destined to look like cartoon mice. I've also identified with Jaq in "Cinderella" and Basil in "The Great Mouse Detective". I reckon it must be the teeth!

Mitchel Kennedy said...

Haha That first drawing looks just like you, Pete!

I love the nose on this guy. It's relatable!

DCS said...

I love these drawings, they're absolutely awesome. I wish I could draw them like that. :)


Keep it up.

Goldenrod Fox said...

I absolutely love your cartoon animals, they're so inspiring!