I love off-model stuff. Over exaggerated facial expressions are my JAM

I was literally thinking about drawing an expression sheet for my character when I saw the notification for this video. This is like the third time this has happened… How?

I think a devastating consequence of the criticisms levelled at off-model drawings is that it makes it difficult for beginner artists like myself to muster up the courage to experiment (as you say in this video), and actually draw. I used to have a habit of messing with drawings for hours because I wasn't satisfied with how they looked stylistically, and it took a lot of time away from the genuine practice I could have put in to increase my skills and eliminate my need to tweak my drawings so much in the first place.

My favorite instance of the pausing thing was that Wander Over Yonder short where Lord Hater tries to film himself destroying Wander but his camera keeps freezing and the animators made sure to make the freeze frames go as ridiculously off-model as possible.

I recently got a Reddit comment asking "animation can be TOO smooth?" And this is exactly what I meant with too smooth. Always staying on model can look very unnatural. Especially when moving faces and limbs are involved.

Reminds me of how I have turnarounds for characters in my comic, but the way I draw them in the comic is a lot more varied and "off-model" because it just..looks better in a lot of panels. I have a personal set of "rules" for what parts I can mess with and what parts have to stay consistent for the sake of keeping the character recognizable.

I’ll admit, I’ve often worried too much about my characters being consistent from drawing to drawing, however, I’ve realized a lot of my favorite animation is better able to focus on acting by simply not worrying about the model sheet. “Staying on model” should be regulated to the clean up stage.

The critics who criticize blur effect panels or nit picks at this stuff shows they don't get the extensive work it takes to make a 5min animation let alone a feature length. I can't see a person who uses these criticisms as a valid judge of effort. Laziness is commenting sour comments without quality plusing to the process. I'm happy in art but I see the process and respect it more. I would like to one day do a light box celluloid paneled animation, but first I got master animation first lol. *in progress*

Nothing makes me feel more rage than when people refer to a cartoon or even my art as ‘calarts style’ Just because it’s not realistic or semi-realistic- ?? It drives me up the wall 😭

The Animation Survival Kit has a section that's all about "breaking the limbs" of a character to force a pose more. These people who are overly fixated on being on model have no idea what they are talking about

this is really helpful, there’s a reason why there are no dislikes.

I don’t know if this exactly fits into this topic or if it’s something that belongs in a different video, but both in professional works like the Mickey Mouse shorts to KZfaqrs like TerminalMontage there has been a trend that I like where off-model (sometimes extremely off-model) versions of a character’s body and face are used for comedic effect. Like a super simplistic character design would for one scene be drawn almost hyper-realistic. And kind of the opposite has been true for manga/anime where normally realistic (or as realistic as most manga/anime designs can be within the style) will be drawn chibified or with goofy expressions to convey a certain emotion. In both instances they’re going VERY off-model, not in the sense talked about in this video where it seems more like a consistent design choice and something used for smears and in-between, but something deliberately to catch the eye usually for the purposes of comedy. I can understand why some might not like that, especially since it could be said that it is a “trend that’s getting obnoxious” but… well, my two cents on it - particularly within the context of KZfaq content creators - I think everyone realizes that they can only work with limited time and resources. TerminalMontage’s extremely simplistic style of character design might seem unappealing, but it benefits Jeremy and everyone else because they are very quick to draw, leaving more time to do stuff like create backgrounds and render more in-depth action scenes. I think everyone knows that simplicity or even ‘wrong’ designs have a certain charm to them because people know that there’s not much else they can do with their resources. Having a few frames here and there of them “putting in the effort” on a character then acts as a bit of a jumpscare or jumplaugh when it comes about. It’s kind’a like those older cartoons where for a certain frame to show if something is gross, they show a single still-image of a more highly-rendered part of the body [EX: the Spongebob “I Don’t Need It” meme). Pardon me if my thoughts sound disjointed on this; I’m on mobile which is odd to type out and keep my thoughts straight. But yeah I kind’a what folks’ thoughts are on that. Because… yeah, I for one find that kind of off-model-for-comedy stuff to be funny and sometimes pretty charming given the context.

"Dont rush to a model sheet/final design" hey Brookes how did u get my address to come to my house and call me out to my face? As an admitted former critic of off-model animation, particularly in terms of proportion, knowing more about the process now has definitely tamed my feelings a lot lol

I try to master BOTH 2D and 3D animation and in my studies, but I have personally found that it is most efficient to do organic characters with tons of squash and stretch in 2D while doing more mechanical or rigid props/characters in 3D. Obviously it's not impossible to do stretchy, fun characters in 3D--The Hotel Transylvania movies immediately come to mind--but it is EXTREMELY expensive and time-consuming to do it in 3D, what with the added tasks in the pipeline like retopology, UV Mapping, rigging, and other extremely technical and boring tasks that frame-by-frame 2D animators don't even have to think about, and are much more easily done with rigid 3D props. For the sake of my sanity these days, I usually only do a small handful of high-quality AND squash-and-stretch-friendly characters for my portfolio a year while doing most of my indie animation with simple 2D characters and complex 3D backgrounds, leveraging the advantages of both mediums while also minimizing their weaknesses.

Hey Brookes! I hope your weekend is going well! Sorry I haven’t been seeing your videos much. I’ve been pretty busy these past few months

I only learned what smear frames are recently, and I find them to be a really interesting method of animating. Yes, they can look a bit funny, but you make really good points in the video, about how they can add to the liveliness of the animation.

When in doubt, just because you dislike something doesn't mean you have to be overly critical of it. It's ok and good that people have different tastes. It's just a matter of being respectful of each other! I love elasticity and I'm glad you've put a word to it!

The problem is that many people critesizing just put everything going off model into the same category. Steven Universe for example had many places where going off model was great, but it also had scence where charcters hights were messed up making Steven look half his normal hight. I think something like that can be distracting and is probably the result of a drawing beeing based too much on the storyboard.

So many good thoughts in this, many of which I hadn't considered before! I really dig off-model expressions when they're deliberate, which is probably why I was such a Spongebob kid. Those characters go off-model to emote all the time, and it rules!

Not gonna lie, everyone making fun of Steven Universe for randomly being off model (rightfully) kinda scared me straight into drawing more consistently and I would get my head bit off if I draw a bang incorrectly in one frame, thanks for reminding that I can get away with this kinda stuff!

Rigidness is one of the reasons the "live action" Lion King failed, remember that...

Brookes have you ever watched/researched Motorcity and Titmouse's animation work on it? They did the opposite of your stormfeller plan, which is rigged faces for dialogue and fully hand animated bodies. They still would hand animate faces to break model and emphasize emotion. I really enjoyed the fluidity of the work and it falls in line with a lot of what you talked about today

Great thoughts, Brookes! I like how certain cartoons go off model with metaphorical gags, like if they're so mad their hair lights on fire or if they're surprised and fall to pieces. Tom & Jerry did this a lot, but also Teen Titans and anime. I personally struggle with staying consistently on model for my webcomic because I'm still learning and evolving pretty quickly. I feel like sticking to a model of how I was drawing last year would be detrimental. My compromise is to block out "seasons" and try to do the redesign deliberately, all at once.

Seeing this makes me realize that 99% of my own Artwork is literally just a single image, which is a bit of a problem.

I think it really depends on the character, or kind of story you’re making if you should go off model or not. MCU Thanos for example is more rigid/realistic facially because he’s a more serious character. It also makes him feel like an unmovable threat. Even when you hear the hidden emotion in the tone of his voice, his goal isn’t gonna change, even if it means killing an unimaginable amount of people, or dropping his most loved ones off a cliff. Going off model more usually works when the tone of the story isn’t too serious.

I feel like having a bit of rigidness adds to the realism in some styles, and can sometimes turn something from looking overly goofy to serious. Now in traditional american cartoons having that stretchiness is a good thing, as those are usually meant to be lighthearted types of shows. But for most anime, having that rigidness adds to the atmosphere and seriousness of it. Of course there are anime which are meant to be more goofy and unrealistic. One piece is a good example of that, especially luffy as he literally has elastic powers lol. One punch man is also a show with a lot of elasticity to its' animation. The original teen titans and Justice League are also generally decent examples of american cartoons which took themselves more seriously.

I feel like a lot of the teasing is mistaken for "not wanting it". I love making fun of those frames, and i don't want people to stop making those frames. Its great entertainment, along with the rest of the show. Asides from the sonic one. That instilled the fear of God into me

Also, one thing not mentioned is that in live action, there is a bit of squash and stretch, as well as smear frames - some things are actually squishy, and motion blur is a thing!

You're the best art teacher i can have

glad i happened to catch a newer upload! ive been watching your content on character design while doing character designing on my own, and a lot of the tips you give in them have been a huge help in giving me a better understanding, and even teaching me some new stuff. tysm for putting all these out!!

i seriously love your videos and have been binge watching whatever ones that get recommended for the past week or so !! i really think your channel deserves so much more love with the passion you put in and love these videos are filled with they're the perfect thing for me to listen to while i do commissions, dreaming and planning about my little work in progress comic : >

Yeah I just wanted to say thanks. I've recently discovered your videos and find them not just informative (which is what brings me to KZfaq) but encouraging and full of kindness ("kindful"?).

I guess as a friendly argument, I guess the only thing I could think of is if the animation is of a source material not originating from animation. Something like comics or manga for example. The anime One Punch Man had an incredible 1st season, which although there was plenty of good squash and stretch, the art is very faithful to the manga. The second season is also faithful, but with development issues it looked choppy and not well animated. On the other side of the coin, Naruto had a weirdly animated fight at the end of a really big arc, and in it the artstyle itself changed to the point where characters went from your typical shonen action series to something almost out of loony toons. It was still great animation, but I could see why someone really wouldnt like that fight scene if they enjoyed the ones before it. I can see both sides of the argument, but either way im just glad to see the great work animators make!

OMG I NEED THIS

Brookes… the first time I saw Aladdin live action I thought it was original- I WAS 6 COME ON

Great video, Brookes! Commenting to hopefully give the video a bit more traction.

Thank you for this week's video!

Positive comment interaction gamer forge costanzas I'm watching it right now then I'll comment better good art love brookes yaaaaay

Thxs Brooks

I always like to make crazy characters off model. It compliments them well.

Tbh I've never understood that specific criticism about steven universe. The elasticity of the style allowed for deeper personality and storytelling to shine through. I always admire cartoons that try to be inventive with their animation. One of my favourite cartoons right now is Tuca and Bertie for that reason, it has some of the best visual storytelling I've seen in a cartoon. There's a place for consistent on-model animation of course, but there should be a place for off-model too.

Woo! New upload!

Am I watching this instead of working on my commissions or character art for my personal project... Yes.. but I haven't drawn in days and learning makes me feel like I'm doing something..

I’ve been watching this channel for years! This has been one of the most consistent channels for me, and I’m not even sure if I’ve left a comment before! Thanks for all the entertainment and help with my art.

I actually really like off model things

I learned a lot from your work. I respect you.💕💕💕

I don't really mind it when characters go off model, like in steven universe, I love them exaggerated emotions

I don’t mind characters going off model as long as they don’t go too off model

I love going through my smear frames and making fun of them. I know its intentional and what i planned but i think its funny to send to my friends with no context

Great tips 👍

Gee.... Sure glad I haven't skipped straight to final in my designs............. Ah well, thank you for the lesson!! brb, gotta break some drawings.

This is so helpful

I cant afford cal arts so to me theyre literally satan incarnate (/joke) I agree with all the stuff in this video and knew about most of it already, but the advice about testing expressions while designing is DEFINITELY something im going to try while redesigning my OC, so thanks!

I will never forget when the Naruto Shippuden Pain battle episodes dropped. People went WILD saying so many bad things because the team behind the animation really all out with big expressions and stretch to show the high velocity and absurdity of the battle.

10:27 *see’s bottom left* BABY PUPPY !!

There is consciously going off-model for the sake of action or expression... and then there is Steven Universe. Where characters change their height between frames (in relation to other characters, for example - Amethyst beeing once taller and once shorter than Steven which makes no sence).

👍

I paused as you were talking😂. What is the right way to think when someone criticizes your work on instagram

3:13 caught me off guard as I know what episode that is from (I can't place a name of it) but its looks so stupid out of context

Yo

I'm just gonna say it. If you don't like off model squishy animation. You betray the medium of animation

At most I add motion lines or do a cartoon blur. Like I think there's a sort of feeling from realism in motion that you don't get from live-action movies or AAA games, like I can't appreciate real life cuz it takes no effort, and I can't appreciate a AAA game cuz it's just motion-capture.

My character has the ability of self petrification, which I guess is the opposite.

You said if I paused the video on you talking, you'd be making a dumb goofy face because you're not posing as a model But when I paused the video at 7:09 it looked exactly like the faces I've seen actual magazine models making

Oh I forget iteration is a thing *face palm* i just draw something im happy with then im usually done with it

Can you make more animation lessons

who is the character in the thumbnails' it is cute :3

Is that a bullet proof vest? *blink twice if someone is in the room with you

every trigger animation is a perpetual squash and stretch

This might be irrelevant I think but I’m trying to draw Boston Terriers, or at least their heads, but I can’t find any good reference. I’ve tried google, I’ve tried Pinterest. Do you have any advice for finding good reference?

Actually there was a giant controversy about marathon runners "cheating" for wearing nice shoes- People are weird dude lmfao

In the case of steven universe, Steven is almost entirely different in height and sometimes look and skin tone in several episodes. It's one thing when it's frame to frame its another when the character changes from episode to episode.

I have an issue with characters being off model when the character is in a neutral pose and expression. Ive seen shows where the characters are literally doing nothing but standing there but their height and proportions just change in the next scene for no reason.

The only thing I'm really aware of when it comes to this "controversy" is specifically Peridot from Steven Universe, whose height, body shape, and even whether her limbs are connected or floating is known to be rather inconsistent.

Has anyone told you king of look like the youtuber Draw with Jazza?

I draw expressions all the time

I was all on board with you, Brookes, up until you mentioned Steven Universe - that show has some SERIOUS off-model problems and not the "she emoted too much" kind, let's be honest here

I think there's a difference between going off-model for purposes of an exaggerated facial expression or a whacky or otherwise extreme movement, and going off-model when the character is just standing there. How obvious is it, and is there some action justifying the elasticity? IOW, if the only people complaining that a character is off-model are the artists or art students who are scrutinizing individual frames, I think that chunk of animation is probably just fine. OTOH, I remember seeing one or two Bugs Bunny cartoons when I was a kid that were clearly off model. Bugs just didn't look like Bugs, even when he was just standing around listening to another character talk. Someone lost the model sheets, *and* gave the art job to some completely differen team at Warner Bros. that week. I forget what show I was watching, but it was a kids' show with a host and a phone line, and toward the end of the show, the host said that some kids had called in to ask who that other rabbit was in the cartoons; he insisted it was Bugs Bunny. Ummm, yeah, no. If a bunch of 4-6 year olds are noticing that you're off model, you've got a problem. If it's just a matter of a character literally crying his eyes out, or if she ate hot peppers and is bouncing around the environment like crazy? Some elasticity is fine, and TV-style animation would look weird under those circumstances without it.

Though i definitely don't agree with the creation process of Adventure Time, im glad that they did what they did for Jake's model sheet and general "rules". Unlike Adventure Time, Steven Universe had no real model sheets and the show suffered many times with just generally off looking episodes and characters.

I think going off model is fine, but doing so should be intentional. If I can tell that 5 different people animated the same character, the inconsistency is an artifact of that process and not an intentional element of scene or design. If the animators can't stay on model when needed, they need to work out a different system. I.e. having one character per animator or having the same guy do all the keyframes. Squeeze and stretch is one thing, bad oversight is another.

glad i happened to catch a newer upload! ive been watching your content on character design while doing character designing on my own, and a lot of the tips you give in them have been a huge help in giving me a better understanding, and even teaching me some new stuff. tysm for putting all these out!!