3 ways to practice gesture drawings
Artist Research: Carolin Peters
About Gesture drawings: There is a broad range between very expressive gestures that artists have developed signature styles or some gestures that are a little bit more generic and mechanical.
Also in a really less time, it does not mean that they have to be hectically scribbled. they are the most reduced-down version of any given pose when it is on the page, it still communicates clearly what the model was up to.
Said Carolin:” you have to decide what is your purpose for the gestures, developing your own styles? or for the utilitarian need?
1. Rhythms & Visual connections
- to solely focusing on the rhythems within the pose
- try to get away from thinking about draiwng body parts instead of creating a visual connections by eyes and brains.
- Carolline advice: practice this if your ddraings feel stiff and lifeless.
2. Shapes & Silhouette
- focusing on simplified shapes, (use the mainly the side of pencil to get the shape blocked in fairly broadly.
- the brain does not switch into linear mode but stays on shape based mode (squint eyes and only see the silhouette)
- Advice: practice if struggle with proportions and balance.
3. Skeletal & Structure (A more mechanical method)
- focusing on the major parts that make up the body (the ribcage, the pelvies, the skeleton, and the head), build up the skeleton to hold up those three parts.
- also focus on the spine and some landmarks to orient those ribcage, pelvis masses
- Advice: practice this to get better at seeing & understanding the skelatal anatomy, it will lead to recognizing useful details.
About my goals:
Personally, I would like to develop my own drawing style, in order to create a series of ideal characters. Therefore, I’m looking forward to practicing more with these three methods, and building up a stronger gesture cognize, also I think it will be really beneficial toward my animation project in the near future : )
Some Do and Don’t within the drawing practice (Worth remembering all the time)
- No chicken scratch
- No wobbly lines
- No repeating (back and forward) marks
- Begin by looking for the dominant lines of action (couldl be multiple)
- For a clearly legible action, need a unified drawing.