Gesture Drawings

1. Gesture Drawings Art 10, 20, and 30

2. What does “Gesture Drawing” Mean? • The term "gesture drawing" means that the drawing is done quickly and that its purpose is to capture the essence of subject, rather than to present a realistic rendering of details. • The speed and style of gesture drawing allow the artist to effectively capture motion and to sketch out the general character of something in motion, crucial qualities if you want to draw an animal in your nature journal or if you want to make a quick sketch of a runner.

3. Step One: Choose a subject • Gesture drawing is associated with figure drawing usually from model's poses. • The subject of your gesture drawing, however, can be just about anything, just as long as you try to capture the essence of something.

4. Step Two: Observe your subject. • The single most important part of gesture drawing, perhaps of any kind of art, is observing your subject carefully. • Keep your eyes on your subject. You will, of course, want to glance down at your paper once in a while, but these should be quick glances, nothing else. In gesture drawing, you should keep your eyes on your subject as much as possible. Try to resist the temptation to look down at your drawing

5. Step 3: Find the line of the subject • Imagine that you can draw only one line to capture your subject, and then draw that line. • For a human figure, for example, this line may be the axis of the model's body (or the spine). It would be curved (or not) in such a way as to reflect the person's posture and motion. Sometimes you may find that two lines are more appropriate than one. • Focus on tension. Basically, pay attention to what distinguishes your subject from any other subject you could have drawn. If you only get one thing "right" in your drawing, it should be this. If you don't have time to finish the rest of the drawing, that's fine.

8. Step 4: Draw in Contour Lines • When drawing the human body, contour lines may be drawn to represent the limbs, torso, and even the head. • In a way, these are just outlines. A stick figure is a body drawn with very simple, single contour lines. • Because you are trying to capture the essence of the subject very quickly, you don't have time to draw its individual parts in any real detail. Drawing in contour lines simply shows that these parts do exist, and the lines give some idea of what those parts are doing.

10. Step 5: Draw Mass • One technique that is sometimes used in gesture drawings is to represent mass by making circular motions. This is similar to using shading, except that it is very quick and inexact. You can, of course, make darker or lighter circles to show more or less mass, but generally you just want to show that there's something there. • Be selective about where you indicate mass. All of a human body has mass, for example, but you probably wouldn't want your entire drawing to be a bunch of circles. Use this technique to show muscles, a belly, buttocks, or anyplace that has noticeably more mass than the rest of the subject. You can also use lines (similar to shading) instead of circles or in conjunction with them.

13. Step 6: Keep your hand moving • The entire time you are drawing a gesture drawing, your hand should be in motion. The idea is that you let the image transfer directly from your eyes to your hand without thinking about it. Stop your hand, and you'll suddenly be separated from the action of drawing. You'll start thinking. • Hold your pencil loosely and keep your motions fluid. Think of this exercise as a warm up. • Limit the time you spend on each portion of the drawing. Draw wherever your eyes go, and don't worry about trying to use a logical order or making sure that everything's connected perfectly. • No erasing! Don't edit yourself. It is always a temptation to try to "fix" your work or try to think through your next move. If you never stop drawing, and if you keep your eyes off your paper as much as possible, you shouldn't have a problem with this.

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