6.20.2006

Illustration Friday: Dance

Illustration Friday: Dance

Boy, it's been a long, long time since my last IF entry. When I saw that this week's theme was Dance, I just had to do it. Considering that my wife is a dancer and dance teacher/instructor, and I study and draw motion through animation, it was sort of a no-brainer. Funny how Andrea and I both study movement: she in a 3 dimensional sense, and I in a 2 dimensional sense. And I'm not alone in this. Marc Davis, one of Disney's Nine Old Men married a dancer as well.

Andrea and I both share the same sensibilities when it comes to analyzing motion and movement in general. I like to analyze how a leg might take the weight of the body when an arm goes up, and Andrea likes to analyze how that phrase of movement will feel to her body as well as look to a viewer or to herself. Repetition becomes important—we both want to get the movement pattern down right. I love having this to share with my wife. She knows that I won't fall asleep when we go to dance performances. Afterwards we'll go into a long discourse about the show and talk about how each piece did or didn't reach the audience, how it flowed, how the choreographer utilized the moving bodies on stage, how the piece sucked, how it soared, etc. There was a time when we would go to various performances with fellow Moving In The Spirit dancers and their boyfriends/spouses and afterwards engage with great debate about what we just saw. It was both exhilarating and incredibly fun. I miss that.

I love the idea of interaction between two dancers: the mixing and mingling of arms, legs, muscles, hair, fabric, etc. All entangled, fused, coming together to make a whole. With this piece, I wanted two dancers intertwined, in fluid motion. I chose poses that, if you took the two dancers apart, would look like they could stand/dance on their own. But when the two are put together, however, there's electricity. Hopefully you can sense that here.

More Illustration Friday goodness can be found here.

15 comments:

  1. Wow! This is really sexy! Te colours are amazing, so vibrant. I really like your style, I'm just going to look at your other work....

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  2. Fascinating post! I really love this drawing...the lines themselves are in motion and then seem to create the figures. I see what you mean about the separate/together thing. Here. they look like they could combine into one unit of movement. The colors are vibrant, cool, passionate. Really nice:>

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  3. That's so cool - the illustration, the common thread you and your wife share, the thoughts and concepts of creative thought...

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  4. hi ward! As always your work is amazing!!

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  5. Definitely one of the best pieces I've seen you post here!

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  6. Stunning - gosh I adore the color scheme and the lines! They way they are together but in their own world. This is radical! Also - I really dig the pastel effect. Very - very cool!

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  7. Beautiful dance piece, Love the tender expression and motion! The style and mood reminded me a bit of Matisse's dancers.

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  8. beautiful! definitely one of the best posts this week!

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  9. Real sweet, slick, and jazzy! This has a primitive energy all to itself. I swear those dancers start moving everytime I turn my head!

    I just talked to Mr. Mank on my cellphone. I believe I might be sharing a drink with him in a few hours! Whoopee!

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  10. Thanks, guys for all the nice comments! I'm blushing as red as the female dancer you see here...

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  11. Love it, I wish I could get swept away by one of them.

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  12. Really nice! Someone else said "jazzy." That sums up my thoughts on this.

    Glad to see you doing IF again!

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  13. Beautiful, Ward! Really beautiful.

    I haven't been by on a regular basis(honestly, I'm all-around shockingly behind in checking out other blogs I love)-seeing stuff like this makes me kick myself! You're a fount of inspiration, guy.
    -Jenny L.

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  14. Love it! Love it! Love it!

    Love how you use the primary colours in this piece.

    Please do share more about how you analyse the leg in drawing. I am really into drawing figures.

    Glad to see your post again.

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