ink gesture drawings?

[saviiour]

srry didnt know where to post this. but it seemed like the right spot.

i recently picked up a life drawing class, and we are using different matterials such as: conte sticks, bamboo brush + india ink, charcoal.

i was just curious if some1 knows of any examples or links/ techniques as to how to execute quick gesture drawings.

most of the time my proportions go just go way off, b/c iam drawing it so quickly. its almost i need a basic understanding, of what lines i should be drawing. or what needs to be drawn step by step.

thx !

[Attezarf]

Hello saviiour!

It's great to hear that you're attending a Life Drawing class!
I'm not trying to shift the focus away from your question.. But I'd say that capturing proportional relationships ISN'T really what Gestural Drawing is supposed to be all about.

I think it's great if you can capture that, too..
But the main idea (as I understand it) behind Gestural Drawing.. Is really to capture the "music" in the movement of the Pose. To try and synthesize the basic expression ofa Pose?.. The dynamics, as it were..

When working from a live model,-- some artists like to start at the Head & work their way down. Others prefer to start in the middle of the page, capturing the twist in the model's Torso/Waistline & working the upper and lower halfs, from there..
Whatever you feel is working best & comfortable, is the correct answer on how you should proceed..

Try to lay down very broad flowing strokes for the limbs. Work from the inside-out, when you can. But also be conscious of creating an effective silhouette that describes the movement of the Pose, if possible..

The whole idea behind Gestural Drawing, is to capture the essence of the Pose.. Without getting too bogged-down with the accompanying detail & polish. All of that, can happen later on..

Good Luck!

-- Rich

[pmginn]

The whole idea behind Gestural Drawing, is to capture the essence of the Pose.. Without getting too bogged-down with the accompanying detail & polish. All of that, can happen later on..

Absolutely!

When I draw using a live model, I intentionally draw very quickly. This allows me to practice looking for the essential attributes that make up the essence of a pose rather than worry about all the details.

I personally either use an overhand grip with a pencil or I use a pen (doesn't matter what kind). An overhand grip allows you to more freely make broad, swooping strokes, which helps with the fluidity of a gesture. Using a pen, it's best to work quickly and efficiently because you can't erase and the more lines you lay down, the more muddled your drawing becomes. Therefore, with pen, you're "forced" to draw only what is needed. I also do not "draw," but rather I "sketch-scribble" (I can't think of another way to describe it), which ensures that I stay loose while figuring out the gesture.

Generally, when doing a gesture drawing, I may start with the bodyline, the line that tells me how the pose flows from head to toe. Sometimes, I'll even draw in the line of balance (but not often enough). Then I'll work on the head's position and the gesture lines of the shoulders, hips, and limbs. When start to define the form, I concentrate on the shapes of the shadows, rather than trying to capture all the detail of the figure that usually translate into linework. By using the shadows, I can give body to my gesture and get a good sense of muscle placement. I also add any linework that I think will help me to better define the form. I do this all while working quickly (and using shadows helps facilitate quick work). Again, working quickly helps me to quickly identify what I need to include in my gesture drawing.

I try to "finish" a gesture drawing in a few minutes.

That's just how I do it, and it works for me. I've seen my impromptu figure drawing skills getter better the more I practice this method of gesture drawing. It'd be easier, of course, to show you what I do rather than try to explain it, but I hope this is helpful in some way.