Gesture Drawing

The Artist’s “Shorthand”

Gesture Drawing:

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A quick method of representing a sense of movement and an object’s weight and mass with as few marks as possible.

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A Gesture Drawing:

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• Is done quickly
• Does not outline
• Line moves freely within
• No details
• Captures movement
• Uses thick and thin lines
• Is a great way to sketch
• Draws the action, not the object

Gesture drawings can be completed in 30-60 seconds.

Good marks to use are scribbles and spirals.

DO NOT OUTLINE OR DRAW THE EDGES!

Objects can also have “gesture”

Gesture Line

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A descriptive line that starts the form of the pose.

Justin Sweet

Gesture Drawing

Picasso

Don Quixote

� Gesture Line…

Is an Expressive Movement

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Using a Guideline

Vilppu

Gesture…

Captures the feeling of motion.

Gesture uses very little detail

Justin Sweet

Imagine

Thin

Continuous

Flow of Line

Coming Out of the Drawing

Justin Sweet

Looping

Twisting

Changing Direction

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Lines are Drawn Quickly

Justin Sweet

Sketched Freely

Loosely

Even Recklessly

Helen South

It can look like scribbles

Justin Sweet

In order to capture movement

Justin Sweet

Unlike Contour….

• Gesture represents the interior of an object.

Justin Sweet

Concentrate on

Showing position

and movement with a guiding line.

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Assignment :�Examples of Student’s Work

Contour

Contour

Contour

Gesture

Gesture

Choose an object in the classroom. Within 60 seconds, complete a gesture drawing. Do at least two more gesture drawings of different objects in the classroom.

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REMEMBER:

Draw with your arm, not your hand.

Be BOLD!

Forget about the details and the outlines..

Be MESSY!

Can you see the “movement” or “gesture” of these objects?

Now look at the still life. Make three gesture drawings of the still life from three different viewpoints.  Use charcoal.