A gesture drawing is quick: from about thirty seconds to a few minutes. It does not try to get the details right. It catches the movement, the weight and the direction of a pose: a cat stretching, a friend leaning on a wall, a dancer about to turn.
Key idea
Start with one line of action: a single curve through the whole pose. Then hang the head, chest and hips on it. Details come later, or not at all.
Why it works
A drawing with good movement can always be given details. A stiff drawing full of details is hard to bring to life afterward. The short time limit forces you to look at the whole pose at once instead of one part at a time.
Worked example: A stretching cat
A cat arches its back in a long stretch. What do you draw first?
- Find the biggest movement in the pose.
- Here it is the long curve of the back, from the head to the tail.
- Draw that curve first, then add the legs as simple lines.
Answer: The long curve of its back: the line of action.
Common mistake
Many people start a gesture with an outline or a face. In thirty seconds that leaves a careful head with no body. Start with the line of action through the whole pose, then add the big masses.
- Good subjects: people at a park or a game, family members doing chores, pets, figures in a video you pause.
- Draw many short poses: ten drawings of one minute each teach more than one drawing of ten minutes.
- Use loose, light lines from the elbow.
We draw people clothed in this course. Gesture works just as well with clothes on; folds often show the movement clearly.