Question about life drawing+gesture practice

[Helaine]

Hi


So... just recently I got a friend who volunteered to be a model for me... I've never been to any art class before, so I don't really know about this kind of thing...


And since the model would be clothed, what kind of practice would be best? Can I still do gesture drawing practice?


Should I just draw- or analyze the model first? Like, her bone structure and the muscle >_>



Thanks in advance ^^

[TASmith]

What would interest you most? I'd say just concern yourself with measuring everything you see - how long, how big. And make sure your model is comfortable! Any pose can get tiring after awhile. Standing poses can be very draining - models get dizzy sometimes.

[Helaine]

How long would it take, usually? 1 hour for one pose?


And is it possible to do gesture practice with clothed model? Because I really need gesture practice badly... but most gesture practice I saw in SB thread are always about naked model >_>


D:


Thanks

[Slothboy3000]

The time depends on what kind of study you're doing. Poses could range from a second to hours. Whatever is comfortable for the model, really. Just be sure to ask them if they're ok with it and can take breaks periodically.

[TASmith]

You can also mark where their body was - feet, hands - with masking tape

[Helaine]

Thanks a lot! I'll just try it out- I guess I'm nervous because it's my first time, and the model is my friend... D:


I don't want them to feel extremely bored while modeling for me XDDDD

[CCThrom]

And yes - you can absolutely do gesture drawings of a clothed model. The point behind a gesture drawing is to do it very quickly (often 30 seconds to a minute)... trying to lock in on the most important elements within a few quick strokes. Really you can do gesture drawings of anything. I think the reason you see a lot of nude-model gesture drawings is because they are often used as warm-up for figure drawing classes.

The important part is to quickly isolate the critical elements of your subject. Of course it's up to you to define "critical". For a nude model, this often means establishing the centerline and indicating the main masses and weight distribution, or blocking in the major tonal areas. You can do the same with a clothed model, though a clothed model will also give you some additional choices. For example you could choose to minimize the body underneath, and look more at the major sweeps and folds of cloth as your critical elements.

Good luck with it!

[dbclemons]

A reason for unclothed models is to better understand what's going on beneath the clothes. If you could ask your model to wear something close-fitting, you might find that more benefitial to you.

It's common practice to start with a series of short poses, 1 to 3 minutes long. This gives both the model and artist time to warm up. If they've not modeled before, have them do poses that are simple acting chores, tossing a ball or reaching for a book on a shelf, etc. If they do yoga, that can help both of you. You can gradually work up to longer poses, 5-10 min on up to 30. The longer poses need to be comfortable for them to hold still, especially if they're new to this.

For you, doing quick drawings at the start forces you to just concentrate on the larger shapes and gestures. Don't worry about details.