Gesture drawings/sketches tips?

[Diantoga]

Wondering if anyone has any advice for doing gesture studies/figure sketches. What are some good ways of going about it? Are these even the same thing?

I've got plenty of images alongside posemaniacs and various other sources so that's not a problem : )

Thank you!

[JeffX99]

Doing them from life is best so try to find a figure drawing group or class near you. If there aren't any then start a figure study group yourself with a few artist friends. The key is to get the action of the pose. No real tips or tricks. Just research the subject and see what makes sense to you and just do them.

[Laurice]

Gesture studies are studies of figures in motion. It's basically capturing the movement of each individual part of the body and how the single movement of the whole brings every part together.

Figure sketches are usually studies of poses and figures in repose. This is where you see how parts of the body are at rest, where the weight is at (left side or right side of the body). Like for example, when the figure has the weight on their left leg, there's crunch in the left waist and a stretch in the right waist, the shoulders and the pelvic tilt are not parallel to each other, etc..

Which is why it's best to study these from live people as you can observe natural human movements, poses, twists.. etc. This will prevent awkward poses in figure drawings.

Get yourself some books, (like Loomis and Bridgman – which is what everyone's been advising everyone since it's great) they can really help out.

Good luck!

[manlybrian]

I think you can take gesture drawing as far as you want, from 30 second sketches to 30 minute ones. And I think you can get lots of knowledge out of doing them, anything from motion, to anatomy, to mood emotion and expression. They're good for learning or just for loosening up before a big project. I would play around and see what suits you, maybe even change it up now and then, doing quick ones and then doing longer ones, and doing them with a variety of intentions. If you need motivation, you should start posting your work in the spartan camp threads.

[cro-magnon]

draw people in a park, or anywhere they might stay still for a minute or so. just draw anyone who looks like they might stay stationary for a bit. they will move unexpectedly, so you'll have to learn to be fast to nail them down.

[Elwell]

Gesture studies are studies of figures in motion. It's basically capturing the movement of each individual part of the body and how the single movement of the whole brings every part together.

Figure sketches are usually studies of poses and figures in repose. This is where you see how parts of the body are at rest, where the weight is at (left side or right side of the body). Like for example, when the figure has the weight on their left leg, there's crunch in the left waist and a stretch in the right waist, the shoulders and the pelvic tilt are not parallel to each other, etc..

You're making an unnecessary distinction. In your second example, all those are part of gesture as well. Gesture drawing is about capturing the action of the pose and, contradictory as it may sound, a still figure still has action. Even a tree has action.

[Laurice]

You're making an unnecessary distinction. In your second example, all those are part of gesture as well. Gesture drawing is about capturing the action of the pose and, contradictory as it may sound, a still figure still has action. Even a tree has action.

In a deeper sense...you're right! But I guess if you look at it in a more specific way just for the sake of setting them apart, then gesture would be the more active action, and figure drawing, the passive action.

[Diantoga]

Thanks everyone! I'll definitely have to try a figure drawing class, but until then the spartan camp sounds like a good idea

[Jason Ross]

Big lead with big paper.

[Nezumi Works]

Big lead with big paper.

Hell, use conte or maybe pastel. Get away from the whole pencil concept.

As Jason says, use big paper. Stand while doing it if you can. Use big strokes, especially for your initial line of action, don't get cramped up and trying to work in a small space.

[JeffX99]

To add...gesture drawings are typically no more than 2 minutes...even that is a long time and you kind of go, "WTH do I do now for the next 90 seconds?". Anything longer begins to get into other areas of analysis all leading to more information and accuracy - volume, light on the forms, proportion, etc.

That said, gesture is the first thing to get right and be able to handle well - if you lose the gesture it doesn't matter how well you render or nail proportion - it still ends up stiff or dead...usually both. Gesture is a critical part of the process and not something separate, though we can study and practice it separately. Even a 3 hour drawing starts with the gesture.

I definitely second Nezumi and Jason's comments on working large and broad - gesture almost requires a loose approach and the ability to move around and dance a bit.

[J@n!t]

Hmm... Most people say to stay away from photographs, yet it's not entirely possible to get even 1 second to draw a figure which is truly in motion.

I'm playing a bit of devil's advocate here because I think in the case of drawing a figure in motion (and a real person freezing in motion just doesn't cut it) one might find photographs quite useful. And as a photographer, I'd argue that many of the problems with photography people profess have more to do with bad photography than anything else.

[Nezumi Works]

I'm playing a bit of devil's advocate here because I think in the case of drawing a figure in motion (and a real person freezing in motion just doesn't cut it) one might find photographs quite useful.

Sorry, that's wrong. A model holding an action pose might not be as good as a model in motion, but it's better than a photograph because it's three dimensional. A photo, even the best photo in the world, is pre-flattened, it's a 2D image representing a 3D object. In essence, doing the interpretation work for you.

But the fact is, it IS possible, even common, for artists to draw gestures of people in motion. Loads of artists do it. Walt Stanchfield's books have loads of drawings he's done of people walking, running, sitting at a cafe, and whatnot, and I'm sure the folks here could come up with other examples pretty easily.

Why look, there's one now!

[Alice Herring]

In a deeper sense...you're right! But I guess if you look at it in a more specific way just for the sake of setting them apart, then gesture would be the more active action, and figure drawing, the passive action.

What?

No.

A gesture drawing captures the gesture of the pose, whether it's in motion or still - and should be done in under 2 minutes. I do a gesture lay-in for all of my lifedrawing, including the 30 minute poses - it just means on the longer ones I start resolving/building the figure moreso than I would in a gesture drawing.

A gesture is about the verb.

Seriously. All my lunchtime cafe sketches that are done in less than 30 seconds are gestures. I'm looking at how they slouch, the line of action through the back that might be continued through the arm - or how the arm breaks the arc with a sharp bend as the person is about to point, or gesticulating about something.

Jeff: does that mean I shouldn't be doing gestures in a palm sized notebook?

[Laurice]

@rabbit run: So there isn't any difference between the two, rather they complement each other, yes? Why didn't anyone just say it at the start?

This would then make gesture sketch the foundation of building the subject on, whether it be a figure or an inanimate object regardless of whatever it's doing – and this doing is not a factor in setting gesture sketches and figure sketches apart. Did I understand all of you correctly..?

[ToxicCalico]

ANYWAY.

If you're interested in some readings to supplement your gesture practice I would recommend the figure drawing manual by Vilpu which provides his very simple tools for gesture drawing. Then if you want, there is also an introductory section on gestures in Figure Drawing: Design and Invention by Hampton.

[Samszym]

I don't know about the photography comment.
I totally agree concerning figure studies and situations where a sense of depth is what you're trying to describe, but since gestures are about finding action photographs or even film clips seem like they could be more helpful. Depth isn't really a concern in the gesture drawing stage, right? The action would be clearly shown and there's no chance for the "model" to get tired and deviate from the initial pose.
and btw, they have 3-D cameras now. Wouldn't that eliminate the flatness problem?

[JeffX99]

Jeff: does that mean I shouldn't be doing gestures in a palm sized notebook?

You just keep on keepin' on rabbit! Yeah...I'm sure you could pull it off but don't you think you feel the gesture better when working at your easel?

@Laurice - it wasn't right at the beginning but yes...you got it right. The gesture is the foundation for the pose - I start all my drawings with gesture - I think that is fairly typical though I think sometimes others work with an "envelope" approach.

@Vertical - this would seem to make sense but just doesn't hold true. There is a factor that people forget or are just unaware of - a fellow human is alive and has energy...they are also 1:1 scale. In other words you relate to them as a person, a person that is life-size. Photos and film clips are just tiny in comparison and you relate to them differently...and thus to the excercise or activity of drawing differently.

Another "forgotten factor" is that, at least in a class or open session environment, you ares urrounded by fellow artists all solving similar problems, from the same model and lighting - yes from their own pov in the class but still, there is a great deal of sharing, cameraderie and energy that is very valuable to our growth. That is a far cry from doing little drawings off your computer screen or from books, photos, etc.

@J@n!t - actually animators are trained and often prefer if the subject/model actually moves through a motion many times over rather than "posing". Sometimes at regular speed then sometimes maybe in slow-motion. Another trick they like is for th model to be moving through the action then yelling stop! And the model freezes. Animators are like that though.

[J@n!t]

But the fact is, it IS possible, even common, for artists to draw gestures of people in motion. Loads of artists do it. Walt Stanchfield's books have loads of drawings he's done of people walking, running, sitting at a cafe, and whatnot, and I'm sure the folks here could come up with other examples pretty easily.

Why look, there's one now!

Yeah-- but that sample is drawn off of a photo! And that supports my point, not your point. I appreciate your counter argument nonetheless.


I defer to the more experienced people that drawing from life is "better" and more challenging because of the 3d aspects and the living, breathing, moving form in front of you. It just seems to me that there is so much protest about using photos that people refuse to see where they might be useful.


@Jeffx99: That makes me want to become an animator-- just so I could do that to people!

[pokkisam]

Gesture drawings/sketches tips

the term "gesture drawing" means somewhat different things to different people, but the defining characteristics are 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. Gesture drawing is often thought of as a pedagogical tool--it is hard to imagine an art school that does not have at least one classroom packed with students trying to capture 30-second timed poses--but it also has many practical purposes.
http://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Gesture-Drawing

watch this video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tStMdJ11JSs

[TASmith]

"All drawing is gestural" - Armando, here on this forum. It's just not all artists realize this while they're drawing, and often lose the gesture half way through (myself included).

Gestural drawing captures gesture - the action, or sweep, of what's before you. Even non representational imagery is gestural.

What's sweep? Loomis describes it: “Every good action pose should have a suggestion of “sweep”. Perhaps I can best describe sweep by saying that the movement which immediately precedes the pose is still felt. The only way to get sweep in the line is to have your model go through the entire movement and observe it carefully, choosing the instant that suggests the most movement.” – Loomis

Here's my advice. Look at something, from life, a photo, whatever. Ask yourself, if I could only choose one line to describe what I see, what would it be? That'll be the most expressive one. Then think in terms of making two lines or three. In your final drawing, those lines might not even be marked, they may be invisible, but they will still be felt. That's capturing gesture.

[Nezumi Works]

Yeah-- but that sample is drawn off of a photo! And that supports my point, not your point. I appreciate your counter argument nonetheless.

The photo is there to illustrate the concept. If you didn't have a photo on that page, it would be difficult for a potential student to see the connection to real life. I was trusting you to understand that, given the description on the page is for drawing a figure while in motion, rather from a photo. Clearly that was misplaced.

[Nezumi Works]

What's sweep? Loomis describes it: “Every good action pose should have a suggestion of “sweep”. Perhaps I can best describe sweep by saying that the movement which immediately precedes the pose is still felt. The only way to get sweep in the line is to have your model go through the entire movement and observe it carefully, choosing the instant that suggests the most movement.” – Loomis

In animation we say "every drawing has a history". Now in our case it's literal, we're actually drawing what happened before and after an individual drawing, but it's not really different from what Loomis is saying.

[duztman]

Even a 3 hour drawing starts with the gesture.

true dat. it goes gesture->proportion->outline, always always always.
speaking of which, someone once told me that gesture is 'the spine fighting gravity'. much truth to that.

however, I don't see the point of pure gesture drawings; what exactly can you achieve in 90 seconds or 2 minutes? some fancifully bold lines, yes, but not much in terms of accuracy. it's always cool looking, but mostly devoid of substance.

[nonameowns]

true dat. it goes gesture->proportion->outline, always always always.
speaking of which, someone once told me that gesture is 'the spine fighting gravity'. much truth to that.

however, I don't see the point of pure gesture drawings; what exactly can you achieve in 90 seconds or 2 minutes? some fancifully bold lines, yes, but not much in terms of accuracy. it's always cool looking, but mostly devoid of substance.

it's to achieve the capture of action of that precise moment. It's suppose to be loose to describe the action then build upon it with proportions and so forth. If you don't do gesture, your drawing will be stiff. Trust me. Think as a wireframe for gesture then build from it like sculpture.

[duztman]

it's to achieve the capture of action of that precise moment. It's suppose to be loose to describe the action then build upon it with proportions and so forth. If you don't do gesture, your drawing will be stiff. Trust me. Think as a wireframe for gesture then build from it like sculpture.

seems you didn't quite read what I wrote, mate; gesture is instead the first and foremost thing to consider when drawing the figure - I've said as much - but what I oppose is the pure gesture drawing, which is done in a matter of minutes if not seconds. they're useless.
furthermore, gesture is not a constant; the spine fighting gravity is an ongoing battle. even the best model will slump, and this changes everything, keeping you on your toes - and exercising your knowledge of anatomy - in a way that a photograph can't do.

[JeffX99]

... but what I oppose is the pure gesture drawing, which is done in a matter of minutes if not seconds. they're useless.


furthermore, gesture is not a constant; the spine fighting gravity is an ongoing battle. even the best model will slump, and this changes everything, keeping you on your toes - and exercising your knowledge of anatomy - in a way that a photograph can't do.

Aaarrrgghhhh! Just lost two really, really well writen paragraphs! I mean they were golden!

I agree to a certain point...but I do think gesture study is a valid excercise for the less experienced artist. You don't have to practice it ad nauseum because to be honest the concept is very straight forward, and every drawing begins with gesture anyway. Though the challenge, as mentioned, is to maintain the gesture through the finish...you know it when you do and boy, you know it when you don't.

I really like the notion of the spine fighting gravity. Another "hidden factor" - the subtle shifts and movement of the model often reveal small, but important information. The beginner thinks the model not being a statue is disastrous...the more expereinced artist realizes, oh, I can see a hint of the hand on the hip now (or whatever). Plus the model often "settles in" to a more natural pose and weight distribution which can be very subtle and yet so important.

[JeffX99]

I defer to the more experienced people that drawing from life is "better" and more challenging because of the 3d aspects and the living, breathing, moving form in front of you. It just seems to me that there is so much protest about using photos that people refuse to see where they might be useful.

Yeah, this is where it gets tricky...photos can be very useful to the experienced artist...but they are very detrimental to learning. So it is a bit of a backward thing. One good proof is to look at the work and progress of people who draw or paint from life vs. those that work from photos or copy Loomis/Bridgman/Vilpuu hours on end.

[Alice Herring]

seems you didn't quite read what I wrote, mate; gesture is instead the first and foremost thing to consider when drawing the figure - I've said as much - but what I oppose is the pure gesture drawing, which is done in a matter of minutes if not seconds. they're useless.
furthermore, gesture is not a constant; the spine fighting gravity is an ongoing battle. even the best model will slump, and this changes everything, keeping you on your toes - and exercising your knowledge of anatomy - in a way that a photograph can't do.

Pure gesture drawings may be useless to you, but not to others. They are a good way to study the energy and the emotion of a pose quickly before moving on. Something which is a valuable 'study' skill for potential animation artists.

I do have to admit I found one study from photographs particularly useful - one of my life drawing instructors had us use action shots, typically from sports articles; and we'd have to draw a modified mannikin with indicated midlines in the pose.

Jeff: considering I spend more time in front of a cintiq or sketchbook, the easel doesn't matter that much to me. (in fact, I usually end up in the stinkin' front row, so I'm always trying to correct for an 'up' angle)

[Elwell]

what exactly can you achieve in 90 seconds or 2 minutes?

As someone (Mentler?) said in an old gesture drawing discussion thread, practice in how to begin a drawing. But I agree with the substance of your post; the main difference between a 90 second and a 90 minute drawing should be how far you go before you stop.