Howdy! How do you learn shorthand for a character? And how do you learn to balance anatomy and acting? And if you're trying to break into the industry, how do you learn outside of college?

Shorthand is something you kinda learn on the go- it’s just when you simplify a design into it’s most recognizable trait. For instance, if I were to draw Star my go-to shorthand would be her hair and horns.

Even though it’s rough you can still tell who it’s supposed to be! That’s all shorthand is. For anatomy vs acting, I’d check out Griz and Norm’s blog. I feel like emphasis on gesture and strength of a silhouette is probably top priority when it comes to boarding.

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It’s kind of the same rules of shorthand- loosely draw out the strongest, most recognizable details and you can fix it/clean it up later.

As for learning about animation outside of college, feel free to drop by my FAQ page!