Uploaded January 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
MORE FREE LESSONS AVAILABLE at tr4ckit.com/1iwq
Hi, Sydney here for 2D Animation 101 dot com. Today I’ll talk about Torso, Chest and Hip Gestures.
Leaning
Let’s start with the Torso.
For the torso, there is a very clear gesture that is easy to identify, and also very powerful to do.
It has to do with how much interest does the character have on the situation.
If the character is interested, the character will lean in. If the character is not very interested, will lean back.
Leaning in
The reason why a character leans in when hearing something interesting, is because the limbic system perceives something good or pleasant, and needs to get more of that.
So for example. If you have a character negotiating a price, and he is leaning back, the character is considering because of… the hand on the chin is telling us that he is thinking. Maybe considering…
But if he gets a very interesting offer… then the character will lean in to hear more about it.
Then he realizes even though the offer is good, he still has to come up with the money, so he needs to consider other possibilities. So he leans back again.
See how leaning in or leaning back can help you express what your characters are feeling? You can now show how interested or uninterested your characters are!
Showing the chest
That’s for the torso, now let’s talk about showing the chest.
Showing the chest is different than exposing the chest, which means leaving the chest uncovered.
Showing the chest means that the character is taking the chest out for display.
This is very common on super heroes.
Only characters who feel powerful can do this. Because they are not just exposing the chest, the most vulnerable part of their body… no… they are daring you to try something.
This gesture can also be a very aggressive one. You can have characters display their chests when they are about to fight.
And if you combine this with clenched fists… then you have a very conflicting scene.
Hiding Chest
So showing the chest is a way to display power. What if the character doesn’t feel powerful?
Well, then the character does the opposite. He hides the chest. You see this on characters who can have low self-esteem, or are a bit insecure.
This gesture should not be confused with “Sticking out the head”. Because that one is focusing on GETTING THE HEAD OUT THERE to start something going on.
No. This gesture is keeping the head in place, but is hiding the chest.
The difference in each of them relies on the inclination of the torso. To stick your character’s face out, you need your character to lean in. And if the character has a relaxed face, and is not leaning in, then… He is hiding his chest.
The Hips
Now let’s talk about the hips. Just like male heroes show their chest to show dominance. Female super heroes tend to display their power and confidence with the hips.
When the hips are sticking out, they are showing they are not afraid of the environment.
It’s a way for the limbic system to say: (tough voice) “Come on… bring it…”
This is a way to expose the genital area. So only confident characters can use it.
And because of that, this gesture is also used for flirting. So if she is a female character who is very confident, then move the hips to the side to have her show her high self-esteem... Then get her to flirt.
Characters can’t flirt if they don’t have high self-esteem.
Hips to the side is not only for women. Male characters use it also to show their confidence.
This is just a display of different characters showing their high self-esteem.
Again, you don’t want scared or insecure characters to show this gesture, only those who feel confident about themselves.
Coming up next
So, now that we’ve covered the Torso, Chest and Hip gestures, let’s move on to the next lesson. Leg Gestures. See you there.
MORE FREE LESSONS AVAILABLE at tr4ckit.com/1iwq
Hi, Sydney here for 2D Animation 101 dot com. Today I’ll talk about Torso, Chest and Hip Gestures.
Leaning
Let’s start with the Torso.
For the torso, there is a very clear gesture that is easy to identify, and also very powerful to do.
It has to do with how much interest does the character have on the situation.
If the character is interested, the character will lean in. If the character is not very interested, will lean back.
Leaning in
The reason why a character leans in when hearing something interesting, is because the limbic system perceives something good or pleasant, and needs to get more of that.
So for example. If you have a character negotiating a price, and he is leaning back, the character is considering because of… the hand on the chin is telling us that he is thinking. Maybe considering…
But if he gets a very interesting offer… then the character will lean in to hear more about it.
Then he realizes even though the offer is good, he still has to come up with the money, so he needs to consider other possibilities. So he leans back again.
See how leaning in or leaning back can help you express what your characters are feeling? You can now show how interested or uninterested your characters are!
Showing the chest
That’s for the torso, now let’s talk about showing the chest.
Showing the chest is different than exposing the chest, which means leaving the chest uncovered.
Showing the chest means that the character is taking the chest out for display.
This is very common on super heroes.
Only characters who feel powerful can do this. Because they are not just exposing the chest, the most vulnerable part of their body… no… they are daring you to try something.
This gesture can also be a very aggressive one. You can have characters display their chests when they are about to fight.
And if you combine this with clenched fists… then you have a very conflicting scene.
Hiding Chest
So showing the chest is a way to display power. What if the character doesn’t feel powerful?
Well, then the character does the opposite. He hides the chest. You see this on characters who can have low self-esteem, or are a bit insecure.
This gesture should not be confused with “Sticking out the head”. Because that one is focusing on GETTING THE HEAD OUT THERE to start something going on.
No. This gesture is keeping the head in place, but is hiding the chest.
The difference in each of them relies on the inclination of the torso. To stick your character’s face out, you need your character to lean in. And if the character has a relaxed face, and is not leaning in, then… He is hiding his chest.
The Hips
Now let’s talk about the hips. Just like male heroes show their chest to show dominance. Female super heroes tend to display their power and confidence with the hips.
When the hips are sticking out, they are showing they are not afraid of the environment.
It’s a way for the limbic system to say: (tough voice) “Come on… bring it…”
This is a way to expose the genital area. So only confident characters can use it.
And because of that, this gesture is also used for flirting. So if she is a female character who is very confident, then move the hips to the side to have her show her high self-esteem... Then get her to flirt.
Characters can’t flirt if they don’t have high self-esteem.
Hips to the side is not only for women. Male characters use it also to show their confidence.
This is just a display of different characters showing their high self-esteem.
Again, you don’t want scared or insecure characters to show this gesture, only those who feel confident about themselves.
Coming up next
So, now that we’ve covered the Torso, Chest and Hip gestures, let’s move on to the next lesson. Leg Gestures. See you there.
