AuthorTopic: The neck-breaker pose  (Read 3822 times)

Offline Tourist

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 376
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile

The neck-breaker pose

on: March 06, 2010, 06:29:14 pm
There's a pose I've seen used by a couple of different artists and I don't understand it.  The figure has a torso and hips facing one way, typically 30-45 degrees to one side, and the head is turned strongly in the opposite direction, almost in profile.  It almost looks like the figure has a snapped neck, although it's within the range of human motion.

Is this an exaggerated attempt at contrapposto or something similar? 

Tourist

Offline Indigo

  • Administrator
  • 0011
  • *
  • Posts: 946
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Artist, Indie Game Dev
    • DanFessler
    • DanFessler
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/849.htm
    • DanFessler
    • DanFessler
    • View Profile
    • Portfolio

Re: The neck-breaker pose

Reply #1 on: March 07, 2010, 06:07:18 am
examples would help the discussion quite a bit.

Offline Tourist

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 376
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile

Re: The neck-breaker pose

Reply #2 on: March 07, 2010, 05:38:06 pm
Oh, right.  I didn't post images because I wasn't trying to focus on any one artist.

Here's a recent image by new member Holder:


Torso faces right, head is cranked all the way to the left.  It's also in his reference picture: http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/5/51/Squires.jpg

Here's one by adcrusher254:


Torso faces left, head cranked around to the right. 

Reasonable pose?  Bad pose?  Traditional pose and Tourist is ignorant?

Tourist

Offline mawk

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 7
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • and I got soul but no money
    • View Profile

Re: The neck-breaker pose

Reply #3 on: March 07, 2010, 05:58:39 pm
it's certainly not a pose people'd use that often in real life, barring things like martial arts positions (since I know nothing about them). I can understand its appeal as far as pixel art goes, at least. lets you show off more of the subject's body and pose, even when he's supposed to be facing something perpendicular to the viewer. (at least, that's why I'd use it.)

it's a lot more normal in your second example, where the subject is just looking at something; that's more believable, and that doesn't look like an uncomfortable angle for the head. the first, which I'm assuming is a sideview battle pose, is kind of extreme (since the body is legit aimed at the viewer 100%, while the head is almost a quarter-revolution away from that).

a lot of the time it seems like a case of clumsy posing, but I've seen it used really well, too. I'd say it's a valid type of pose as long as the spriter gives sufficient thought to it.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2010, 06:00:30 pm by mawk »

Offline The B.O.B.

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 699
  • Karma: +3/-0
  • currently losering it up...
    • View Profile

Re: The neck-breaker pose

Reply #4 on: March 07, 2010, 08:54:36 pm
I think it's mainly due to artists with lack of perspective. It's been this way since ancient times, where hyroglyphs on Egyptian walls showed paintings of people in this very same of contorted pose. This is shown in other cultures paintings as well, though I don't have time to list links or references. It's one of the main points made in the Renaissance movement, of how more artists started being bold enough to show more perspective...something like that, I suppose...
my back hurts...

Offline Tourist

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 376
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile

Re: The neck-breaker pose

Reply #5 on: March 08, 2010, 07:33:45 pm
Well, ok.  I guess that explains it.  Thanks all.

Tourist
« Last Edit: March 08, 2010, 08:55:32 pm by Tourist »