Drawing Walad

Drawing Walad: everything comes through the body and mouth.

Walad has no eyes or eyebrows. His head is entirely black, like his skin, with clothing placed over it. This is the series’ style and our greatest constraint. In conventional animation, much of the emotion is conveyed in the small area around the eyes. We do not have that area. Everything it carries must move elsewhere. We do this mainly through the shape of the mouth and the position of the body.

References, references and more references!

The other challenge is production. This style is not taught in schools: an animator joining the team has never worked with it and cannot rely on familiar habits. Walad is therefore fully documented: proportions measured in heads, a complete turnaround, his head covering from every angle, the fall of his qamis running or standing, fixed colours, a pose library and a sheet of things never to do. Nothing is left to interpretation. Not to constrain animators, but because with a black face, a small inaccuracy in posture or mouth shape can express the opposite of the script’s intention.

Drawing is child’s play — until it becomes your profession! :)