Gesture Drawing

[kumagoro_beam]

Do you guys do gesture drawing? Did it help your art? I am trying this but can only get squiggly lines or stick figures on paper, especially if the subjects move fast (such as in a basketball game). How does one improve on this?

[drummingpariah]

Do you guys do gesture drawing? Did it help your art? I am trying this but can only get squiggly lines or stick figures on paper, especially if the subjects move fast (such as in a basketball game). How does one improve on this?

Try to make a quick mental snapshot, then draw out one line really quickly that "defines" that snapshot. Don't spend more than 30 seconds on any (and that's really the max). There are many schools of thought, but try something easier, like a dog or a rock, but try to keep your times down. Once you can get decent definition, start on moving objects (fast or slow, it shouldn't matter). Hope this helps!

[Seedling]

Yes, and yes.

You could try practicing by doing gesture drawings of non-moving subjects.

[Earendil]

I use Posemaniacs.com. They have a 30 second pose mode that's very useful. If you're new like I am, I think starting at slightly longer duration would help with understanding the tool of gesture itself, before going faster.

[kumagoro_beam]

Thanks for the input, guys.

I was thinking, look up sports videos on YouTube, pause them, and draw. But I wasn't sure if that's too much of a crutch - if I don't draw things "real time," I might never train my eye to capture that good first impression.

I will look into Posemaniacs.com.

[E.M.GIST]

Most gesture drawings are not done from moving figures, this is a very advanced dicipline. I would recommend getting into life drawing classes where the model takes poses anywhere from 30 sec to 5 min. And yes it is very helpful and improved my artwork greatly

[drummingpariah]

Most gesture drawings are not done from moving figures, this is a very advanced dicipline. I would recommend getting into life drawing classes where the model takes poses anywhere from 30 sec to 5 min. And yes it is very helpful and improved my artwork greatly

absolutely. Start with static drawings, then move on to the moving figures/objects which depend on your ability to draw static objects.

[kumagoro_beam]

Thanks.

Yeah, I've been drawing from static pictures (pause the YouTube videos), and it's helpful.

I'm gonna sign up for life drawing class after I finish my PhD, hopefully this fall. (Studying electrical engineering right now, but I really want to be an animator).