Intro to Gesture Drawing class

ArtofAleksey

My account is expiring soon so I thought I’d get through the gesture drawing class. Heres the intro assignment “naming the pose” wasnt sure if I was supposed to name and draw the gestures based on the names or just name them. So i drew them anyway.

ArtofAleksey

I have to admit im enjoying this!
Note these were done before watching any construction videos. Might be helpful to compare and contrast after

ArtofAleksey

Line of action gestures

ArtofAleksey

The single line abstract method was very fun indeed. Helped me think in a way i frequently struggle with.

ArtofAleksey

Flour sack assignment. I’ve never actually done these even though i heard about them all the time. Extremely helpful

ArtofAleksey

@gavpartridge no i havnt I’ll definitely check those out. I have an idea for some short comics would definitely like to get better at drawing characters

ArtofAleksey

@gavpartridge ooo the best you’ve seen? No ive never had a paid illustration gig except like character commissions for dungeon and dragons.

Im making my own comics. And yourself?

ArtofAleksey

First 4 of the 20 gesture emotion poses for assignment 1

ArtofAleksey

@gavpartridge yeah you said it. Im 32 and cant afford not to work.

Dima Eichhorn

@ArtofAleksey Hi, may I ask you something about the class? Did you manage to download the references, because I can't do it. And I am wondering if someone have similar experience.

ArtofAleksey

@Dima-Eichhorn i havnt tried ive been drawing in a sketchbook and look at them through the online pdf.

ArtofAleksey

Had time to do a few more of the assignment.

aprilshin

Thanks for your sharing your exercises, Aleksey! These are so great and they all make me smile or laugh, haha! You're really nailing the emotions!

Coley

Awesome. I have a ton on the go but I might try to join in and do a little each day. You really know how to do the homework I have to say!

xin li

@ArtofAleksey thanks for sharing your class work. I started watching the video yesterday, and I have not got around to do the homework yet. But there are a few things in the first couple of lessons really stuck with me, and I could not stop thinking about it.

naming the pose (with a verb and an adjective).
I have never ever thought about doing this when I am doing a gesture drawing. THIS is a game changer for me. I think I am going to do this with every posture I drew for anything from now on. This just makes so much sense.
the emotion of a line.
This concept is something I am aware of , but puzzeled with. I do not know how to use this information. Her lecture just clearified this a lot to me. I think again this applies to art-making in general, not just gesture drawing.

ArtofAleksey

@xin-li yes! The same for me too! Ive never been good at abstract illustration so that line exercise was really interesting! And the naming of the pose because i dont have the most robust English vocabulary is kinda tough too. But I try to keep it simple and seems to work ok.

xin li

@ArtofAleksey I have limited vocabulary in English too, hehe. But I find the act of "pause and think, then draw" alone is huge.
I remeber hearing an interview with Pascal Campion that he talked about he would go for a walk and saw something he wanted to draw, and he would describe everything in words for himself to remember so he can go home and paint the scene. And the method of keywords taught by Lee and David in SVS has kind of changed my way of creating art. It is fasinating to me how words play a huge role in the process of art-making.

ArtofAleksey

@xin-li yeah i agree. Stephen silver has a method similar in his character design process.

xin li

@ArtofAleksey really. I have to read his book again. I have a copy of his kickstarter book for character design.

ArtofAleksey

@xin-li i think it was an exercise, when you look at a person, try to memorize as many features about them, their mood, their clothes, accessories, age, etc, then go redraw it with what you remember