My course on flying creatures is short and useful. It shows how bird anatomy relates to human, and takes you through the different flights of small, medium and large birds, as well as insects (flies, butterflies), and ends with a fantasy creature, the every popular dragon. I’m particularly happy with the way the dragon turned out, as it has a really nice mass and weight. As with all my longer traditional courses, there’s a printable handout which makes a really nice reference/resource.
LYNDA: Animate Flying Creatures
LINKEDIN: Animate Flying Creatures
Here are some sample images from the handout.
The anatomical correspondence between humans and birds (and how you can cheat human hands with a bird’s wing):
Larger bird (like a seagull):
Rapid flight pattern of a buzzing insect, like a fly or bee:
And the dragon! Notice the horizontal lines, to give you a way to use the images as reference and maintain the relative up/down placements of body, wings and head:
Counterpose/torque:
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