So when Drawing Gestures you just draw a rough drawing of the action right, like if its someone getting punched then i just draw some quick lines of the guy punching and then add on from there? because i know you do it quick but do i draw like a Stick figure essentially of the guy?
Yes! You try and get the overall form down on paper. I like to think of it as trying to capture the movement of the person using only a measly pencil and some paper! (I would actually reccomend using pen, seeing as that wouldn't let you second-guess yourself as you couldn't erase the ink.)
Just ehhh, try not to think of it as a stick figure. The singular lines of a stick figure have more to do with action/motion lines. Really, with gesture drawing you want to get as much of what you see in the pose (that includes fat and muscles and the overall mass and volume, and not just the action lines! ^^) down onto your paper as is comfortable. Gesture drawing can definitely vary from person to person and still be effective. Ah, I also find this video to be very helpful out of all the ones i've watched! Take from it whatever helps you and leave what doesn't, but I think it might help a bit. It helped me a lot!
The thing that still confuses me about Geture is this guy says to draw the Motion not the Contour but isnt that what he is doing? i mean he is just drawing a Silohuette isnt that what contour is? this stuff is so confusing
No he's not drawing the contour. Do a quick google search for contour drawing. You will see how these drawings go straight for detail and often end up looking stiff and flat. http://imgur.com/zIX9uCJ this is one of my gesture drawing. I don't really ever start with the head like Proko does because I tend to find my torso/spine then ground myself. The gesture is to mostly help you find the 'force' in the figure but I also use the ribcage, elbows, knees and ankles to help me measure the body in relation to itself. http://imgur.com/26Jni4v This guy is suppose to be using a bow. It's a weird pose especially since his arm is out and it's easy to lose just how far out that arm goes.... So I used it's relation to the jut out leg to figure out it's distance but also that foot's distance to the grounded knee. I l mean, I'm doing too much feeling around and not confidentially putting down a line. At least this is simple and loose enough I can adjust the pose.
I must admit, a year ago, I spent a lot of time watching those youtube videos. Going back to them now, I'm not so sure it is such a good idea to spend too much time around them. I got myself the book "Force" by Michael Mattessi and I was trying out a lot of "messy" gesturing based on Kimon Nicolaeides book. In the end, it was this and another portal which helped me further. I drew gestures for weeks on a daily basis, always taking my time to analyse my "best" results. Also trying out new tricks and tools (charcoal, fine liners, Indian ink). I can only suggest to try this out too. Just go for it. Don't try too hard. Give it a few weeks or months. Take your time before putting pen to paper to find a beginning gesture. Imagine taking on the posture yourself, where would the pressure be felt? Where will the next movement of the model be going? Or just use the 60 seconds to feel your way around the anatomy. Exaggerate perspective, have fun. Good Luck! Stay in touch!
Want to see what I'm up to? http://wordslye.com
