Critique: gesture. Feel like I’m stuck.

I’ve been practicing gesture for two weeks, everyday. I’ve watched proko’s videos. I am a total beginner. I really feel like I’ve reached a wall. I know that i should look for the twists and movement. The question for me is how can I capture that. Here is an example of my practice. I have sticked to 30 s and 1 min poses.

Really appreciate your help. https://imgur.com/gallery/2XNfBKb

Ginna, great job trying out your quick sketches, they scream all the talent, keep it up. However, if I could give a very specific critique, it would be like the fourth image, and on the fourth, and on the drawn pose on the left, I am seeing some choppy long lines. Why don't you be more bolder with your strokes with 30 minutes of 31 second depictions (1800s/31s=58 drawings, and one 2 sec proko warm up), if you pretty please? The reason why you'd do this is so that you be more and more confident, and freer in your twists and movement. Think to and pray that it can be a big help to you.

Polyvios Animations

P.S. Won't it make a greater drill of all? Take it with a grain of salt, for I haven't done that with figure drawings yet.

Thank you Polyvios! that's an excellent suggestion! Gonna try that tonight. Thank you for taking the time to look at my drawings.

Hi
I want to give a more "general" critique
So if you're a total begginer and it's your second week practicing I think it's better for you to practice line work, basic shapes and perspective.
they'll be the foundation for all of your future art training
SO
Cubes, cones, ellipses, etc.
If you learn these first you'll have a better understanding of drawing itself.

Thank you for your critique! I have been practicing drawing for two months. I'm currently following "Draw a Box", and I've done the 250 boxes challenge in which you are supposed to draw 250 boxes in perspective. I've practiced shapes, though by no means I'm good with imagining 3D space. It simply doesn't come naturally to me. I think it is an excellent idea to keep working with shapes. Thank you very much.

I would suggest focussing on the figure line and building the forms. It seems like, for most of these, you are trying to drawing the outline of the form without building the structure....which is realy hard. An example would be a cylinder for bicep/tricep of an arm and a thin cone with the point chopped off for the forearm.

• Keithdustin edited this post on July 18, 2020 3:12am. Reason: spelling

Hi Ginna!

I really admire your clean, clear direct approach to your lines. It's clear you're confident with your tools. You also have a strong grasp of proportion. What I think many of your figures lack is a strong sense of weight and form. Some of them seem to "float" on the page and don't have a unifying energy to the figure.

I think a helpful exercise to build that sense of energy in your figures would be to spend a few sessions not worrying about the specific contours of the body and just focus on capturing the lines of action of the mody as well as the limbs and joints. Don't worry about adding mass or outlines, just get the direction of energy in the body down on the page. When doing these exercises don't be afraid to exaggerate - you're not drawing the figure but instead its energy.

It is helpful to me to think of the body structurally - it is a structure that has to hold itself up under gravity. A stationary figure is always pushing against the earth to hold itself up - the energy of the figure is in how the weight of the body flows down into whatever parts/limbs are pressing against the ground.

Some of the other commenters have already provided good feedback about form. Hopefully combining that with a stronger sense of energy and weight will push you over your wall. :)

Hi Trstorey!

It's been a few days since I last checked my line of gesture post! I was

getting very discouraged with gesture, and I really want to thank you for your advice and time. You worded a feeling I've been having about the weight, and really didn't know what exercise to start with to at least start searching for that anchor and gravity. I will definitely start working as you suggested! THANKS!!!!

Odipedi! Thank you so much!

In my original post, I meant that I had been practicing gesture for two weeks, but I started drawing two months ago. I know it is still too little time, but I have devoted a lot of that time to practice construction of cubes and perspective too. I am going through draw a box and currently working on insect construction. It has helped me think about the space in 3D , obviously I still have a long way to go, but it has helped me to at least know a little bit better what I lack. I'll follow your suggestion, I kept wondering if it was too early in my process to attempt figure drawing, but I followed a suggested curriculum I found online, and thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Gesture has been really hard for me and I have been thinking of giving it a rest for a little while until I get a better sense of 3d space. Thank you!