Secrets of Drawing Action and Fighting in Comics/Animation: Today's Lesson: Path of Action

Cartoon Action Fight Force and Momentum Is Always Visually Horizontal

Fighting Poses are always more intense and dynamic when They're Horizontal

Please refer to How to Draw Comics: The Marvel Way: Page 59: "Action"

Always lay out anatomy poses with a path of action.

When Drawing Action and Fighting, Keep the Path of Action Sideways and diagonal (Horizontal)

Nearly All Major Action Panels & Camera Shots feature a horizontal path of action

Striking an opponent is a sideways force, NOT a vertical force, unless the characters are in flight. But even then they're throwing punches, kicking, and striking horizontally the vast majority of the time.

No matter what kind of action scene or sequence your watching in animation or reading in comics, whether it's manga, superheroes, or TV action cartoons and anime, punches, blocks, and kicks, their force will 99% of the time be horizontal.

And that's all there is to that...Oh. Wait. Come to think of it, art students like visual examples, don't they.

Very well. Here are some poses I drew to demonstrate my theory. Note the curve of the torso / path of action / spine...

For more information on this comics fight drawing technique, check out the most classic book on comic book fighting: How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way. Though the artwork is a little dated, it's a must read for any artists who wants to portray action in their comic book illustrations and sequential art. If you want to draw Shonen or Seienen manga, it's also useful. Action is a universal language in comics and animation, so really, people shouldn't care if you're using a Marvel academic book to help you draw manga, indie comics, or anything else for that matter. Action is a universal language, regardless of filmmaker, illustrator, publication, country or genre. Fists move at the same pace in any language. 

LINK TO THE BOOK

Character Design Time! Here's one of my older characters...

Tome Title: I love  being 1/4th Chinese & 1/4th French: Episode 222.

Juh Juh Juh Juh Jah Jah, Jah JEN.

Because Dragonball Z was and still is the most watched animated series in the history of the world, that means 2 or more things, let's do the math...

If Dragonball Z is the most watched cartoon in the history of the world...

That would mean that internationally, Dragonball Z has the largest audience viewership overall this side of YouTube, probably partially BECAUSE OF YouTube.

Therefore, if we do the math, we can deduce from the facts by putting 2 and 2 together, and we realize, because DBZ is anime, Japanese television animation (NOT American) has the largest viewership internationally, in the entire world. Anime often doesn't get the largest ratings in America, but because of the fact that anime has such a large audience base worldwide, INTERNATIONALLY, not just nationally, that would make anime the most popular form of television animation ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, IN GENERAL. There ARE NOT American animation conventions, other than as a novelty sideshow at Comic-Con and the like.

So, thereFORE, if you want to create the next GLOBAL FRANCHISE (not just Family Guy or The Simpsons or SpongeBob, or Disney), there are some elements you need to be familiar with that shows like Dragonball Z mastered. First of all, the only shows that SELL to an international audience are in fact the only cartoons that don't Lecture or or Talk Down To a Global International Audience. One of the least pleasant elements of American Animation that can really make an American animated series BOMB internationally, especially in Asia, is condescending and racist racially based stereotypes. Yeah, racism. Not gonna go over well in the international world selling market. Animation with real international world credibility has always promoted diversity and tolerance and compassion. Racist and Stereotypical American animation and TV writing and acting and design is JUST THAT: Ignorant American shit. And that's Exactly how overseas viewers see it too. But you don't have to take MY word for it.

A a show with a Worldwide Global Franchise Audience in America, Europe, and Asia (among other places) needs to speak a global visual iconographic story language, and that language is:

Action. Adventure. And a sense of anime aesthetics (i.e. a visual and literary influence) inspired by whichever animes and mangas the creator and creative production team behind the show like.