Gesture drawing is a technique used by artists to quickly sketch the pose and motion of a subject through directional lines and basic shapes before adding detail. It involves observing the subject to understand how different body parts relate and move, then using quick sketches to capture the pose and flow of motion in a few lines and shapes rather than focusing on realistic details. Gesture drawing helps artists train their hands to rapidly translate what they see into basic representations and prepares them for finished works by planning the composition through these quick sketches.

1. Gesture Drawing

2. Gesture is… Active thinking Quick sketches based on careful observation A method of training your hand to quickly sketch what the brain has already seen

3. Gestures from Michelangelo,

4. Rembrandt, and Da Vinci.

5. A gesture is not only a quick sketch for an artist but also an way to prepare for a finished work.

6. beginning a gesture Look for the Directional Lines – in what different directions does the form move? Imagine there is an invisible line running through the form describing the body’s motion. The more lines you can use to describe the motion of the legs, arms, and head the better

8. You are not capturing what the figure or object looks like, but what it is doing.

10. Adding shapes to the directional lines… Once you have the directional lines in place, add the “big” shapes of the body. It is important to remember the torso is divided into two sections!

13. Finally, use your gesture to think about how different parts of the figure work together. Shoulders Elbows Knees Hips