Might be obvious but I’m a huge fan of Milt Kahl, one of the nine old men at Disney Animation. Over the years, these are five things that I discovered that has been a huge inspiration and influence on me as an artist! Although there will never ever be another Milt Kahl (as much as people behind AI will try) these are qualities that have helped me get deeper in my own work, avoid getting stuck in nostalgia, and push me to experiment new things and get deeper!
Create space for yourself to focus - find a space that will help you focus on what you are drawing - whether that is turning down the sound to maintain a calm serene atmosphere .. working with active ambient noise like a cafe where people come in and out of a space.. or a dark moody empty space with only one door..any environment that will help you focus and be playful*
Observation ... study how things move and why.. this will help you draw them from memory and get playful with it.. start with the underlying basics of any action before getting too complex- In the case of a walk start with a simple walk and understand the dynamics behind it.. where are the extremes, where is the body weight etc.. then start contrasting a basic walk to more complex walks.. the idea is to get the basics understood deeply and therefore being able to observe the differences by using that as a measuring stick to understand more complexity! By studying movement you will naturally have to study volume/shape of your subject.. thus making it easier to draw from memory then to constantly be in a state of mind of checking references that are usually less then perfect to exactly what you want to express- it will give you a sense of freedom, playfulness and expression yet at the same time craftsmanship and an informed self awareness!
Exploring your ideas - don't settle for your first impression.. explore all the possibilities whether that still means you realize your first idea was the right one- or that the 90th was worth the wait- it's all about throwing as much on the table and not setting too many limitations on your creativity*
Milking your storytelling poses/compositions - understand what to exaggerate and what you edit out.. get clear on what is essential to communicate..understand that it's not just about getting the right performance .. it's also getting the best graphic presentation of it- every mark, line, shape, volume, color,camera setup, lens choice and lighting setup must be questioned on whether it's essential or must be necessarily cut out..
Being self critical, having high standards and being honest with oneself - come back to the work after a certain period of time.. - what isn't working for you? What is working? does it resonate with you? Does it give you joy? Is it memorable? Meaningful? Does it feel fresh? Does it feel personal? Are you proud of it?
I’ve never met Milt Kahl but somehow I want to believe that he would rather artists explore these qualities rather then to copy, memorize or find algorithms based off his past work*
References are invaluable, I use myself, my pets and whatever environment I'm in for references constantly. I'm also always getting new reference photos with my phone while I'm out and about. I first started doing this when I learned that Keith Parkinson and Alan Moore often took photos of themselves to help them in their work.
Thank you for sharing all these thoughts, they feel like reminders to always keep in mind