Gesture Drawing
Quick Capture Skill Building
Bellwork:
Draw a quick sketch of the person in this photo. Use the "skeleton" method we used in the last class (draw lightly and overlay the details).
****Use your sketchbook or notebook paper if you don't have it.
Objectives:
I Can:
- Learn about the art of gesture drawing
- Practice several 1 minute gesture drawings
- Draw 2, 5 minute gestures of poses
Gestural Lines
The marks are quick and deliberate. You look at the subject and try to sum it up with a few marks. Because you don't have much time, each mark in a gesture drawing must say something significant about the subject.
Basics
- Capture Movement
- Be Quick
- Show Form and contour
Sketchy
Sometimes gestures may look realistic, but usually they will just be a sense of the overall form. Gesture drawing isn't an outline, it is not an abstract drawing. It isn't trying to capture the figure in a photographic way, but to capture the essential feeling of the form.
Gesture Video
This is by far the best video I have seen on gesture drawing. While he uses a lot of big words, if you just focus on how he draws the way the model poses you can learn a great deal. Focus in on the slow way he draws the pose in the first part of the video and then notice how quickly he does it when he shows the real time way an artist would make an actual gesture drawing. The real method is very quick, but he breaks it down in a meaningful way.
Gesture Drawing I with Chris Warner (Otis College)
Classwork:
We will be posing for each other today and may have some special guest models as well as we try to capture the feel for gesture drawing. Our goal is several 1 minute poses and a few long form poses.
Take a deep breath...loosen up and let go. This is not detail. We are trying to capture a fleeting moment.
Further Info
Check out this other instructional video if you would like to learn more:
Gesture Drawing II with Chris Warner (Otis College)