gesture or figure first?

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This topic contains 5 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by Brucenoble 6 uur geleden.

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  • #131
    Hi!
    Im confused.

    Should I go for in-depth figure study first
    before doing gesture drawing?

    or is the opposite or maybe do both alternately?

    based on your experiences which is more effective to learn the anatomy by heart?
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    #1098
    Hi there!

    My advice is to practice gesture drawing first. The idea of gesture drawing is to give you a feel for the motion in the image and get you comfortable with recognizing the proper proportions necessary to make drawings that look right.

    In case you haven't seen them yet, I recommend giving these articles a look-over:

    https://line-of-action.com/gesture-basics-1-line-of-action/

    https://line-of-action.com/gesture-basics-2-torso-and-hips/

    https://line-of-action.com/gesture-basics-3-joints/

    You have to keep in mind that for many many artists, gesture drawings (including people who draw cartoons) are the core foundation of what makes a realistic image. Stiff images, even when anatomically correct, are not too appealing in most circumstances.

    You will also find out that once you have captured the motion of the image, it's MUCH easier to build on that gesture sketch and create a detailed work of art. Almost every artist I know of starts with the basic 'circle for head, shape for torso, shape for hipbones, attach joints and limbs in the form of small circles and stick lines', and if you get this base wrong, you're much more likely to have a deformed or disproportionate end result.

    Knowing anatomy by heart takes time and practice, especially if you want to get more detailed. You already cover about 50% of anatomy with gesture drawings though!

    I hope this was helpful to you. :) Let us know if you have more questions!
    #1103
    thanks, Sanne!

    Your feedback was helpful.
    gotta do lots of gesture drawings this month. :)
    #1108
    Great advices, Sanne! I'm newbie in this forum, but I'm an old fan of this site.
    Your tips will help me too!
    #39887
    Quote:
    Hi there!

    My advice is to practice gesture drawing first. The idea of gesture drawing is to give you a feel for the motion in the image and get you comfortable with recognizing the proper proportions necessary to make drawings that look right.

    In case you haven't seen them yet, I recommend giving these articles a look-over:

    https://line-of-action.com/gesture-basics-1-line-of-action/ space waves

    https://line-of-action.com/gesture-basics-2-torso-and-hips/

    https://line-of-action.com/gesture-basics-3-joints/

    You have to keep in mind that for many many artists, gesture drawings (including people who draw cartoons) are the core foundation of what makes a realistic image. Stiff images, even when anatomically correct, are not too appealing in most circumstances.

    You will also find out that once you have captured the motion of the image, it's MUCH easier to build on that gesture sketch and create a detailed work of art. Almost every artist I know of starts with the basic 'circle for head, shape for torso, shape for hipbones, attach joints and limbs in the form of small circles and stick lines', and if you get this base wrong, you're much more likely to have a deformed or disproportionate end result.

    Knowing anatomy by heart takes time and practice, especially if you want to get more detailed. You already cover about 50% of anatomy with gesture drawings though!

    I hope this was helpful to you. :) Let us know if you have more questions!
    The emphasis on gesture drawing really makes sense — I've often struggled with stiff figures, and this puts into words why that happens. The articles you linked are super helpful too, especially for visual learners like me. I’ll definitely be incorporating more gesture practice into my routine from now on. Thanks again for taking the time to write this out — it's genuinely encouraging!

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