Forum posts by Breno

Some good exercises for 5-10 min poses are the mannequinization of the figure. In these studies you draw the figure as a simplification made of simple forms: cylinders for arms and legs, boxes for torso and hips, an ovoid for head, etc.

The goal of this kind of study is to get a grasp of the solidity of the figure, both on the paper and in your mind, so you can make your drawings to look more 3D.

If you want a more complete explanation about this (and examples), look for the mannequinization lesson in a youtube channel called "Proko". There's a whole free course in figure drawing there, by the way.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards, Breno

Hello Katie.

I think you're doing good in capturing the feeling of the poses. THe next step I think would be to do some longer drawings, of 5-10 minutes, so you'll be able to make your figures more solid.

Best Regards, Breno

Hello Hanpb. You really have a good sense of proportion. Here some hints I think might be helpful:

In 30 seconds pose, we only have time to capture the mood of the pose, its main rhythm and expression. I think the best way to do that is to forget all the complexity of anatomy and form and contours and draw only what you feel when you see the pose.

To put it in a more practical way:

-Don't look too much at the pose, or you'll be tempted to draw details.

-Use longer lines, avoiding break them as you pass from one part of the body to another (unless you want to express tension). In coiled poses in which limbs overlap with torso (like the pose 6), you may draw a line that coils itself, like a spiral, and then drawing simple lines for the limbs.

-For the head, a simple ovoid is good.

-You don't need to draw all the contours and portray all the limbs, just suggest them, or, if they dont contribute to the mood, dont feel guilty to ignore them.

-Use less lines (you may fix a maximum number of lines you'll use in a 30s drawing, say 10)

-Don't be discouraged if the result of your 30s drawing looks abstract. What you're looking for is mood and expression, not realism.



In 2 minute drawing, you may be more careful. You also don't have to draw details, but now you have time to be more accurate. The practical hints:

-Start drawing lighter

-Now you may indicate direction of the head with a ear, or a cross in the center of the face like you did in 4.



I'm also think you should do some 5-10 m poses, like Metcalf said, and strive to develop solidity in you drawings.



If you want a supplementary instruction in that, I would recommend the Proko channel in youtube, his video lessons about figure drawing are very instructive.



I hope this helps.

Best Regards, Breno

Hello Muralis.

I'll break your question in parts.

Question1: How do I learn to represent the features with a few lines instead? [like in comic book or animation style]
Answer1: Find comic book or animation artists that draw the way you want to draw. Try to get pictures of their face drawings from all angles you can find (Pinterest and 'comicartfans.com' are good places for that. See how they simplify the face and its features, and try to redo their drawings. First you draw them from the same angle as the original drawing. After you get comfortable with that, try to draw the same face as the original but in a different angle.

Q2: how do I actually make the transition? How long do I need to practice slow studies before going into simple heads?
A2: I don't think this transition have to be linear. Try the two approaches, detailed and simplified, in parallel, until the style you want to draw becomes easy to you. But if you get in trouble, in the simplified, with some angle or feature, go back to the slow studies until you solve the problem. The two approaches have a lot in common, and what you learn in one will never be useless to the other.

One more thing I would like to say is that, no matter how simplified your approach of the head will be, every head drawing should always have two things: solidity (it should look 3d) and simmetry in features placement (you don't have to follow no idealized proportions of the features placement, but it must be simmetrical)

Hope this helps.

Att. Breno

Hello Crashrune.

Your drawings already can express movement and pose, but here some hints for improve them:

1) Try limit the number of lines you're using. Find the longest line of action of the body, where the movement seems to flow through the body, fusing the torso and/or the legs and arms in the same line if needed, then add the other lines, always trying to feel the movement flow from one part to another.(You did that very well in the middle top drawing of the first sheet, where you found the longest line of action that goes from head to toes, and then added the minor lines.)

2) Remember that every corner in a gesture drawing is a break in the movement flow, so use them sparely. Try to fuse parts of the body together in the same line, so you can save the corners for the the points where you want to convey more energy.

3) In the longer drawings, start capturing the rough gesture with the same energy you would do in the shorter drawings, but with lighter lines. Then, if you have time, complete the drawing carefully. Instead of drawing a lot of quick lines for the same part of the body, draw only one slow and accurate line.

Hope this helps! Keep improving!

Hi Amurphyr.

I think Steve Huston's Figure Drawing For Artists a great book for gesture. It does NOT teach you the details of anatomy or rendering, but gives you a good practical understanding of gesture and structure on figure drawing

Also check other people's reviews about it, read the free sample in amazon, and see if it matches what you're looking for.



P.S. Some friends of mine also deem Mike Mattesi's Force books very good on teaching gesture, but I did not read them myself, so I can't give a proper opinion about them.