Drawing Class II: Gesture Drawings

This drawing assignment entailed making 10, 5-minute gesture drawings of the human figure in different poses. I loved getting into the groove of the gesture drawing! Once you figure it out, it’s a lot of fun. The technique has 3 secrets to it: 1) Stand while you do the drawing. 2) Look at the figure you are drawing more than you look at your sketch book, and 3) Sketch loosely, controlling the pencil with your upper arm, instead of from your wrist. You are practically drawing with your whole upper body. It’s a really neat feeling. Free… fluid….

Since it was Father’s Day yesterday, I thought it would be fitting to use my dad for a model. I’ve got to tell you, most of these drawing do not do my handsome dad justice, even though I was surprised at how quickly and accurately you can render the basic proportions and identifying marks of the human figure simply from observation! What do you think? Each of was done in roughly 5 minutes.

1. Dad relaxing in his chair.

2. A sitting pose, with me standing, giving it the towering viewpoint.

3. Dad at his computer. This one ended up looking so much like Dad that it was scary! I don’t even know how I did it!

4. Driving in the car. I think I angled him back a little too far in the seat (he was sitting up a little more than this picture depicts).

5. Mowing the lawn–front and back view.

6. I like how the chair turned out and how his legs (knees particularly) turned out, but I don’t really like the face or the laced fingers. Of course, it is a gesture drawing, so fine details are not as important, but, still, I which it the face and the fingers were a little clearer.

7. Here’s the second and only other one that actually looks so much like my dad that it startled me! The funny part was, I had completed it almost exactly as it looks now, and it did not look like him at all. Something was off. Then I slightly tweaked the mouth to curve at a different angle, and I almost jumped back in surprise! It was Dad! Only one simple change made such a huge difference!

8. A major let down after #7. Something is off, and I’m not sure exactly what it is (except maybe that it looks like he has a full beard, while he only has a goatee), but this does not look like my dad at all. I do like how the hands and arms turned out, though.

9. Dad doing what he loves best: biking!!! I got the legs and arms right, but the face and hands eluded me this time.

10. “Stop! Enough already!” 🙂 Dad was such a good sport through this long, tedious process of holding different poses for 5 minutes at a time (it’s a lot harder than you think!)! I really like how his hand turned out here, and this picture almost wins third place for looking like dad, but it just doesn’t quite cut it.

All-in-all, this was a wonderful drawing exercise! I learned a lot, and am happy that I got at least two pictures that resemble the father I know and love.

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