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Silhouette principle is an universal art principle which gives visual clarity to a scene or enhances a character posture. It can be found in a multitude of art forms such as animation, concept art, graphic design, photography and even performing arts.
In this article I talk about the silhouette principle from multiple perspectives such as cinema in silhouette, visual development and character posing for animation.
What is a silhouette
The word silhouette refers to the simplicity of a visual representation of an image. Its representation is a solid shape, usually black like a shadow. The subject can be anything from the representation of a human character, animal, prop or an entire scene. And it can be a small scale like a thumbnail or a large full image such a composition.
If you think about it, without actually seeing the surface details our brain “sees” in the dark and creates simplified mental pictures that we can read. We perceive a surprising amount of information just from looking at a shape. We can read amazing detail and identify nature, animals, people, and we can easily feel a perfect and complete picture.
Silhouette hand performance and cinema
The first thing which pops into my mind thinking of the word “silhouette” is actually hand silhouette performance. Others may think perhaps of a peaceful sunset or sunrise atmosphere but my artistic brain takes me to shadows how they become moving pictures and stories. As kids we all created some kind of a shadow animal using our own hands.
Shadowgraphy is an old performing art which tells a story using images created by hand shadows. It is also known as cinema in silhouette.
Shadows have existed ever since man noticed the existence of objects obstructing light, so it is hard to say when shadow art was first created for entertainment. But it was something very popular in the early 19th century.
In today’s modern era silhouette hands still represents a performing art. Check out the work of Andrew Craig Godbold known as Drew Colby the Shadow Master. Drew Colby performs stories as a dialogue between himself and his shadow. Drew’s pitch line is something like this “Like a cartoon created live out of nothing but darkness and light. One person and his shadow meet and go on an incredible imaginative shadow journey. “
Some general rules in creating hand silhouettes:
- Use a strong light source. The brighter the light, the stronger the shadow will be.
- Stay close to a wall. This will help to make the shadows appear larger and well defined.
- Experiment with different shapes, positions and small props.
Silhouette principle in visual development
Silhouette drawing is a very common technique used in visual development. It can be used as a brainstorming method to explore early ideas about anything such as characters, props, vehicles, buildings or environments.
This technique is also known under names such as “concept silhouettes” or “thumbnails” and serves to block the overall construction. The key is to think in contrast of shapes and proportion, the style may vary from one artist to another however, the silhouettes are: simple, one single shade, with or without negative spaces.
Apparently nothing is well defined at this stage since it is just one shape but then a good silhouette speaks and carries a lot of information.
Silhouette drawing is a simplified form of visualization and it focuses your attention as a whole. The thumbnailing process looks at finding the harmony, clarity and simplicity.
Here are some examples from professional visual development by Grangel Studio Barcelona Spain, some examples are my own way of thumbnails and others, are independent artists which I follow on Artstation.
General rules in creating silhouettes for visual development:
- Simplicity always works beautifully, it’s like a revelation of ideas.
- Dominant shapes and size comparison must be obvious.
- Communicate a message so that the character gets an appealing tone and a message.
3 Steps in character development using the silhouette principle
Very brief I share my 3 steps process in visual exploration of a character using the silhouette principle. This process takes a few good hours or even days depending on the story and theme. My character is Professor Strange, a scientist, inventor and racing pilot.
- Step 1. Blocking the Silhouettes – means creating outside shape variations. I start with very broad ideas for body exploration and I stay focused as progressive variations and proportions.
- Step 2. Dressing up the Silhouettes – means creating inside shape variations. I go adding in-side details such as face and clothes but at the same time I am narrowing the number of initial options.
- Step 3. Final Concept – means I focus only on one character idea. I also add more details and aim for a clear concept. Refinements for facials and accessories may continue but my purpose is to obtain an early character concept.
But remember, the character silhouettes run parallel with a research and inspiration boards. It’s a system which I’m always using to brainstorm and to both build and then, narrow my creative ideas. Check out my article on Inspiration boards will always generate creative ideas.
Silhouette principle applied to character posture, according to animation books
In the classic animation literature you’ll find the silhouette principle associated with the body posture of a character. A character’s main posture is a frame used to indicate an important movement taking place within a particular sequence.
A strong main pose, also known as key pose or extreme pose, needs maximum clarity and communication to an audience and we do this through physical credibility and appeal.
If the character silhouette can be seen clearly then the action will feel it natural and realistic, the character will have magnetism and charisma.
As an illustration from animation literature books.
Preston Blair’s “Cartoon Animation” book (1948) says – “appreciate the value of silhouettes to define and clearly tell the story in two dimensions”. The story needs to be captured first by a composition that catches the eye of an audience and then by creating a center of interest through the character’s actions. And we do this by using silhouettes.
Walt Disney in the “Tips on Animation” book, originally published for Disneyland Opening Year in 1955, says about the silhouette principle – a good extreme pose should be read in silhouette, this means you should be able to “black in” your pose and still see clearly what the character is doing.
And accordingly to Eric Goldberg in his book “Character Animation Crash Course” (2016) simply says – the silhouette rule combined with the line of action gives a strength to any pose.
In summary, character silhouette posing general rules are:
- Don’t have the hands covering the facial expressions, put it away and use gestures instead to make it appealing.
- Create a negative space around the body, as it’s often called open-up the posture like a breath of air around a form.
- Constant redrawing (2D) or nudging (3D) to experiment a posture until you find both the definition and appeal.
- Aim for obtaining a body flow, or a motion flow that improves the posture stability and flexibility.
Silhouette principle applied to 3D character posture
If we are speaking about 3D animation it’s so easy to think and animate in a silhouette mode, turn the scene lights on and off and you’re set up.
For example, Maya’s default lighting helps you to visualize the black silhouette:
- Lights On – means Shaded Display (press 5)
- Lights Off – means Default Lighting (press 7) and the scene appears black or silhouette
Have a look over my students’ work as a fundamental course in body mechanics animation. The entire coursework was based on the execution of personality 3D walk cycles and body 3D postures. However, it was the first encounter for my students with a human Maya rig.
I have used the Maya proxy rigs called Akash and Vany by Animseeds. Considering that the character construction is made out only from cubes, the challenge for the students was to make it feel and perceive organic posture and with a flow – as in a body system not multiple body parts. That’s why the silhouette camera is a needs it for visualizing the same body posture is doing wonders.
I have 3 rules for character posing, regardless if it’s 2D or 3D artwork.
- Rule 1. The body is one coordinated system, not fragments of body parts.
- Rule 2. If you ignore one body part, the whole body will break down.
- Rule 3. Make it flow.
Takeaways
Never forget that the purpose of art is to communicate a message from one mind to another, from the artist to an audience. A good artist communicates the message with clarity and the audience will connect to it. The message has to be appealing, whether it’s a character, a movement, or a background still.
Combining our natural ability to adapt our vision in the dark with the artistic message we want to conceive as artists we end up with Silhouette Art.
Summing up, the purpose of the silhouette is to work with simplicity and unity as a whole. Or I could say, the beauty of a silhouette lies in its simplicity.
- A silhouette must be wonderfully simple and an efficient way to visualize an idea.
- A silhouette is not characterless, but rather an appealing representation and talks by itself.
- A silhouette never feels like a fragmentary picture but rather as a whole. It can have strength, rhythm or motion.
- The subject, object or posture, must be instantly recognizable since it carries the essence of it.
- You can sketch or paint over a silhouette and become a complete picture because the silhouette is the foundation.
Takeaways on silhouette as posture
For a character’s posture we need to see a clear line of action with all body parts flowing along this invisible line. The character doesn’t wave or float in different directions; in a word, a silhouette posture must have magnetism just as an actor does.
Remember, strong character silhouette will always have a clear Line of Action.
- A strong silhouette posture helps the audience to instantly understand or recognize a posture because it just feels natural. The posture will feel balanced and stable.
- A weak silhouette posture lacks appeal and the posture feels complicated and hard to read. The posture will feel out of balance or uninteresting.
Takeaways on silhouette as visual concept
Most visual artists think and draw lines. But for visual conceptualization it is recommended to draw small silhouette shapes.
When you have to draw small you’ll force your brain to stay focused on the shape of the silhouette instead of the details. And If you get the shape right then the details will fall into place much more naturally. That will always help maintain a high quality of your drawings.
Remember, a strong silhouette works in visual shapes, not lines.
In nature nothing is perfect and yet everything is perfect. Trees can be twisted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful. Why? Because we see it as whole, as balance and harmony.
- A good visual concept will always have some mystery into it and feels reach.
- A poor visual concept has clumsy shapes and feels like an empty drawing.
Related Articles
- Line of Action Principle. How to improve your character’s posture.
- Squash and Stretch Principle. How to add flexibility to your character.
- Arc of a Motion Principle. How to make a motion feel organic and natural.
