[Doug Ridley]

I'm doing another ballerina and would like opions on how to pose her.
1. Starting to leap
2. In mid-leap
3. starting to land
I still have some work to do as the head is too big and I need to refine the nose, etc. but what do you think about the pose?

[MelNM]

Doug

Personally I like the one landing. Looks like a fun project.
Mel

[Claude]

I like the mid-leap best.

Claude

[Kenny_S]

The "mid-leap" looks like she is floating.
I like the mid leap one the best
All three looks great Doug.
Hmmm, How about doing all three?

[GeorgiaCarver]

I like the landing but they all look great.

[mark yundt]

Personally I like the beginning one best.It shows the most potential and gives a feeling of movement,or at least potential movement and what can I look forward to.Also ,if you consult most art books,,they will recommend any figure,, if it's going to be an action pose,,that it not be captured mid movement.Preferably starting,,or second choice the end.You can see many examples of this in battle scenes,,a warrior has his sword/lance aimed at an opponent arm drawn back,ready to let it fly,your mind completes the picture,,and sees the intended target or what the intended movement will be,,it creates anticipation, and a certain amount of tension in the viewer. A civil war soldier,,poised ready to ram his bayonet into someone.Again,, in an athletic pose more like yours,,a sprinter, with one foot planted on the ground,,his other leg ,knee raised ,the second they explode out of the blocks,shows power and movement ,,a forward thrust.. if you captured this same athlete in mid stride the movement and power is gone,,it just limply hangs in the air,,a runner just hanging there for all eternity.Landing,,,well the show is over,,you missed the leap,,done,, gone,, what's next??? what did I miss?? That's what makes action shots more involved than just standing there posing.It's also what makes them or breaks them.Go ahead,, look at all the "old masters" of painting,, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.

[Kenny_S]

Ah but the beginning nor the end really shows that it will be a leap. The Mid does. Many different steps in Ballet that starts and finished with the beginning or the end. One really does not know if it will be a leap. The mid-leap position is different and not the normal run of the mill, whateverone says. That I hear alot even on this board.Ah but Mark, The leap is powerfull and shows the flow of the beginning and possible the end, if the ballerina does o not miss the end step. The unknown.
Still powerfull and shows in the imagination that the Ballerina took the beginning step and will follow through. Maybe.
But then,JMHO

[mark yundt]

I just kind of thought,,that if her one foot was pushing off the ground,, and her other foot was pointing up,,into the air,, noone would get the idea that she was just shuffling along,,I would be inclined to think she was starting to leap,, and I can't wait to see how high,, THAT, I would tend to think IS the unknown.There is the sense of wonder,there is the beginning of a story your mind completes, otherwise she's just hanging in mid air.Then again,, I tend to study and follow how the artists ,,considered to be the great masters handled these things, which they did incredibly well,, otherwise they wouldn't be the great masters in the museums,,but to each his own,, you want to see her in the air,,put her in the air,,that's fine,, I was just offering some insight to how these situations have been handled before,,and why and how they work,,and tell different versions of a story.I have seen many other carvings and statuary done for the sake of something to be different,,and just to be different doesn't always work,,they loose their rhyme and reason, initially some look very novel,,but over time they loose their interest.For a subtler piece like this it may not be as important,, but in many cases..run of the mill is done for a reason, it's the nuance and sublimity of a piece that makes it great vs.good.Something you will always enjoy looking at,, and something that looses over time.

Went out to the shop to find a reference for you Kenny,,a book called "Drawing lessons from the Great Masters" by Robert Hale,,in it he discusses this very thing using the ideas and paintings of Rembrant as an example, you might find it interesting.I do,, simply because I'm not as good as Rembrant, and am more inclined to follow his example if I'm ever in doubt,and as a study aid to learn more about my craft.

[Kenny_S]

Mark, I wasn't disagreeing totally with you on this. Not knowing what was in Doug's mind or what he saw in his piece, It is hard to figure the finally idea. Of course, sometimes my finally piece isn't what I started out.
I agree on the foot pushing off. That is what I like about the board is the difference in what one see as to another.
As for the master, some I wonder how they became masters but are masters none the less. Like Carvings at a show, why one that did not looks as good(to me) gets top prize over one that I thought was better carved and presented. Again, it would be a boring world if everyone thought the same.
With all that being said, I will shut up now.
Best to you.

[mark yundt]

Oh No Kenny ,,you should not "shut up" ,, this is interesting and informative stuff! I have been thinking alot about this since my last post,, and I was thinking about the very topic you brought up! And it's a topic that has been skirted around on this forum. See how great minds think alike!!! I too have had the frustration of "what were the judges thinking?" syndrome. My carving/my buddies carving was much better than the one that won!! I'd cry foul,,or favoritism,,or any number of things,,,stupid judges,,they don't know what they're looking at.Then,,eventually ,, I realized it was ME who didn't realize what THEY were looking at.And I didn't know what I was looking at as well.Hopefully there are some judges that truly know what makes a piece good. My main experiences were at the Worlds,here were a bunch of carvers themselves,,the difference though,,these guys KNEW! On one occasion , my bird wasn't necessarily the best carved/painted piece there,,and yet I won.WHY?? Oh I was happy I did,,but also confused.My wife was able to watch them judge and she could tell what they were discussing by their actions and hand movements,( Compettitors aren't allowed near them,,besides I was too nervous and had to turn away).But after cornering them and harrassing them with questions I found they too knew it wasn't the best bird,,but it was the best overall COMPOSITION that told them a story.The piece was a bobwhite quail,stepping over a log,,with a couple of leaves on the ground.How all the lines flowed together,,how everything meant something. How I captured a "moment in time" as they said,, and it worked well they thought.I wasn't just piling on a bunch of parts and pieces to make something look busy or full or try to tell a "story" with a bunch of extra parts.Once I took this on as my occupation ( actually a bit before) I started studying , trying to figure out "WHAT MAKES A PIECE GREAT?"I had to,my work depends on it. Even if it's just a simple little piece,,they all have that potential I think. At times it's just the right placement of a single line that says so much,,a little twist here,,a tweek there,,most wouldn't get it,,the busier a piece is the better it is in many peoples eyes. Like a Ferrari,,nothing busy about it,,no extra doo-dads,,no tons of chrome,,flame paint job,,,nothing else would help it look better,,it looks awesome just as it is with it's clean,,flowing lines.Add more tinsel to it and you ruin it. It looks fast sitting still,,and great from any angle.WHY? Answering these questions is terrific,,I know most may not care,,as long as it doesn't look like the block of wood it came out of it's fine..Personally ,, I can't make a living that way. It's too important ,,as well as fascinating to me.People always ask about wanting to take their carvings to another level,,well,, I think this is one of the avenues that needs to be investigated and understood before that can happen.