Life Drawing 1: Hand, Eye and MindGesture

20 minute, simple standing pose…

Discuss your drawing with the person next to you.

What were you trying to convey in your drawing?What has been conveyed?What eluded you?How were you drawing and looking?What would you do differently in more time / less time?

DO NOT WORRYLife drawing is a difficult discipline. We are not expecting the drawings to be perfect. Have a go and have FUN!

Gesture Drawings3 x 5 minute drawings on one sheet

Remember, you are describing the eight parts of the body: head, spine, pelvis, rib cage, arms (2) & legs (2) using c curves, s curves and straight lines.

The way you use these lines will convey movement, balance and weight.

Let’s do that again…3 x 5 minute drawings on one sheet

Tip: Try to think of wrapping lines as rubber bands or string tied all the way around the form. The point of this exercise is to never draw a straight line across your drawing. From now on, only use lines that travel around an imagined surface. This will develop a short hand of form and perspective.

Gesture DrawingLonger standing pose: 30 mins

The skeleton can be used to look at the figure symmetrically. Landmarks give us this line of symmetry.

The pit of the neck at the bottom of the throat

The clavicles

The manubrium

The sternum

The ends of the thoraic arch of the rib cage

The belly button

The ends of the iliac crest of the pelvis and the bottom of the pubic bone.

Observing the tilts across these points reveals the distribution of weight. These landmarks help you draw volume, perspective and improve your accuracy.

Landmarks

Gesture Drawing20 minute standing poseThis time look for the skeleton. Consider the landmarks and the way the spine may be positioned.