The Problem with Symmetry & why you should champion asymmetry both in the facial expression and the posing.

One thing to really get a sense in designing characters is to make sure that you understand that NOT EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS ABOUT SYMMETTRY!!!

Seriously!

Look at yourself in the mirror, does everything in your face scream SYMMETRY!?

NO IT DOESN'T!!!

The focus on Asymmetry is key to making your characters look lively.

Symmetry is not king, all it does is make your characters look wooden or in this case, dead.

Frank Thomas, Late Animator and member of Disney's Nine old Men, warned us about the dangers of symmetry in the 1981 book DISNEY ANIMATION: THE ILLUSION OF LIFE

Though the example above has more to do with poses instead of facial construction.

But the principle is still the same: AVOID SYMMETRY!!!

I first learnt about the dangers of Facial Symmetry by taking a photo comparing the facial similarities of both Nadia and Shinji.

I don't have the photo with Shinji at the moment but the photo of Nadia from above does illustrate how unnatural symmetry really is. Just pay attention to her hair.

Compare that to this scene of Nadia below

So until I find the Nadia/Shinji photo, I'll have to use this example of RONALD REAGAN

Anyway, Take a look at this drawing of Mickey Mouse as drawn by Freddie Moore.

Nothing in this pose is symmetrical. It's all differing facial muscle poses between the left and right side of the face.

That's one thing to take important note of.

One thing to really grasp in terms of really understanding how unnatural symmetry is to understand how your facial muscles hold your face together.

Many artists, regardless if it's 2D, CGI, Puppet Rigs, etc.

Do know about how the facial muscle structure works but often neglect to understand how important it is to understand that your facial muscles cannot grant PERFECT SYMMETRY.

This is a major issue and pretty much why I still get a bit peeved whenever I see drawings from fan artists but it's always symmetry this or symmetry that in terms of the face.

We've all been in art classes in the past so we should know this by now.

And I also been through that trial before with my characters.

I've also learned that even if I'm forced to draw my characters with at least a hint of symmetry, it's not guaranteed to be perfect.

But that's ok.

That's because I got natural talent. I don't need to use a measurement chart just to draw a character. I just rely on my natural instincts when I'm drawing characters on a canvas.

Such as this drawing of a Befuddled Hayden Brentwood shown below

(On the left side of the canvas)

Yes, his nose and light source highlights look symmetrical but this was drawn with pure raw talent, without the need for any measurements of the face or the body.

And believe me, Even though Western Cartoons are just as guilty of using symmetry for their characters, (I'm looking at you SIMPSONS, & FAMILY GUY)

There are still holdout examples that subvert that symmetry rule.

Take for example, DOUG FUNNIE as shown below.

Throughout the almost 9 year run of DOUG(Both Nickelodeon & Disney), There aren't many times that DOUG faces the camera with his front profile but despite his simplistic face, he never shows any signs of symmetry.

"You wanna know why?

Because of my big NOSE. That's why."

Yes, DOUG..... I mean..... Quailman.

Because of Doug's big nose, he never has any sense of perfect symmetry in the face.

But you also forgot that fact that most of the time, it's also due to the artists' being mandated by Jim Jenkins to remove one eyebrow off of DOUG and friends' face.

Even when the Mouse House took over the DOUG I.P in 1996, they still respected Jim's NO SYMMETRICAL EYEBROW mantra.

"Regardless of Network change, the Single Eyebrow Mantra remains the same!"

Alright, cut it out Quailman!!! I'm doing the typing here.


And symmetry is not limited only to the face but also to posing.

This is referring to twinning and it's generally discouraged in Animation posing.

Again, let's refer to this drawing from Frank Thomas about the dangers of symmetry with posing.

As Thomas said, if the poses are the same in the body, sans the position of the head, then the pose is considered dead as demonstrated by the cardboard cutout of Mickey in Figure Page 2.

Page 3 is more lively where Mickey's hands are in different positions and his front torso on his 

COG is bent a little forward. 

Also, his symmetrical expression is designed with a more natural slanted oval shape.

I've seen some scenes from Anime during the 2010s where the animators and some fan artists were so obsessed with symmetry and twinning that it I didn't realize it in the first place but now it's starting to bug me.

It's still a problem today but at least it's now under more control both production and fanart. 

Take this example of Chika Komari from MAKEINE 

Her blushing here looks like a symmetrically twinned pose but it's actually asymmetrical.

Pay attention to her hair, the position of her knuckles, her eyebrows, and the fact she's holding her iPhone SE (3rd Gen) in her hand.

Again, Komari-Chan from MAKEINE.

Pose is still asymmetrical. 

And it's not limited only to her design or pose but also her head position.

Also the light source.

I'm using anime examples since it's all still Hand-Drawn because If were to use modern Western Animated examples, my comparisons and blowback would have been egregious.

But some would say, Why criticize Symmetry when it's also used in CGI.

During the modeling phase, Symmetry is used no matter what so you can get the face just right.

but I cut CGI some Slack because the symmetry can be deprecated once the rigging comes along....

Then you can afford all that asymmetrical posing and expressions you can ask for.

I was planning to do this blogpost talking about symmetry and avoiding twinning in the poses since the January 2023 migration from Wix Blog to Blogger.com,

But things in my life just happen and I've since lost a lot of control, what with industry frustrations alike.

Now 2 years later, I finally got around to doing said post.

In terms of digital drawings, I don't use measuring tools when I draw my characters. 

I always rely on hand-eye coordination and raw natural talent.

That and I always start my digital drawings on paper first before I scan the drawings into my PC using my Canon Pixma Printer's built-in Scanner and then take it into photoshop.

And yes, I even draw my characters on Photoshop before I take them into the Modeling phase so I can get a sense of how to model my character in MAYA.

Anyway, be sure to be on a lookout for future posts about Animation, Modeling, acting,

And yes, even DOUG.

As always, see you next blogpost.