To doodle according to the dictionary means to scribble aimlessly. A drawing, on the other hand, has an aim; it has a reason for being. It may be an illustration, a depiction, a caricature, a recording of some incident, a person, or a decoration. When making a drawing for animation or for animation study it must be saying something; that is, depicting an action or a mood, otherwise it becomes a mere doodle.
To further investigate the use and importance of gestures to portray an action or a mood, I have taken a couple of simple but expressive drawings that were made in our action analysis session and altered them to fit other possible meanings. The two drawings have what you might call a basic stance, one standing and one kneeling. Notice how, by changing some of the extremities, the whole attitude is changed. That is because these postures and gestures are a part of the universal language of gesture. Posture, pose, carriage, manners, bearing, and movement all tell what kind of person it is and what that person is doing or thinking. When certain gestures are drawn we “read” the pose quickly because we are educated as to their meaning. This makes it possible to communicate in a visual way. A good pantomime can tell all manners of stories by gesture alone. This is part of the animator’s “vocabulary” too, for in telling a story in cartoons he must use visual means. He cannot relax into the luxury of doodling, for his drawings have to “say” something, they must communicate something.
So…whenever studying drawing to better yourself for animation, don’t doodle (draw aimlessly), draw with a purpose — go for the gesture. Save your doodling for telephone calls.
