Can you help me depict someone who’s moving though tar?

Brian Deacon, England

Answer

Paco replies

A person walking through tar or a swamp will need to make much more of an effort to move their legs. That translates into larger strides and enhanced movements of the arms and torso.

To grasp that kind of movement, look for references, such as pictures of runners during a wet crosscountry run. It’s also useful to make the movements yourself. Imagine that you’re in a swamp. You’d be taking long, exaggerated strides, twisting your waist and using your arms to amplify your forward movement. You’d also have a determined facial expression. Once you can visualise this, painting the scene should become easier. And try to show the movement in the substance in which the character is standing, such as slow-moving ripples of gloopy, sludgy water.

The key to reflecting the effort that it takes to walk through a swamp or similar is to exaggerate the movement of the limbs and the torso. Try to make that movement yourself first.