please critique my figure drawing!

https://imgur.com/nemaNoZ

Hi, I drew this guy in 2B pencil under a 25 minute timer for a class, I really don't know how to render these figures and I find myself feeling like I've "finished" when I still have lots of time left on my timer. I would also appreciate some critique of the gesture, thanks!

Greater job on your solidity and forces of your figure done under that time limit. I think that you're totally getting the gesture drawing thing right away, but I feel that the flow and plasticity of your poses still needs more exaggeration. (specifically the bones) How would you kindly go for our interactive drawing tutorial here on our site, so that you can completely loosen yourself up, if you haven't already?

The reason why you can go for this tutorial is because, your exaggerations and emotions will become more distilled in your vitality and a sense of energy. So if you're really thirstier for more gesture drawing influences, I would suggest you look into the 2 books from the Walt Stanchfield series on Amazon.com or a free PDF on Archive.org.

Let's all hope they'll work for you.

• Polyvios Animations edited this post on January 25, 2024 4:08am. Reason: Spelling.

I sometimes find myself with leftover time as well.

What works best for me is spending a few seconds in the beginning with a lighter under-drawing and depending on how much time I have left I'll go into detail in specific areas. Your figure as a whole shows that you've got a good concept of proportions, but next time you could look at some body parts like the knees (their shadows and volumes).

Maybe you could try doing a longer figure study on your own to get a better feeling for how much time you have left and to learn not to speed up things too much towards the end, especially if you have time left.

Hope that helps :)

I like the cross-hatching rendering you've got; they add a lot to the piece. I don't know what your drawing process is, but my advice would be to really nail the movement and shapes of the piece in a lighter sketch before you start adding details, like hair and the lines on the hands and feet (maybe you already do this and just erase the guidelines, I can't tell). I notice that your longer lines are made up of shorter lines, which makes the overall shape more visually complicated. If chicken scratches are your style, don't let me tell you off. I'm only mentioning them because they can sometimes make weaker shapes.

The "line of action" is very difficult to incorporate. In some ways, I think boiling it down to a single line makes dynamic poses harder to master. I recommend taking advantage of curved and straight lines to show motions as well. It helps me more to capture the motion through deliberate shapes and lines. I draw the pose as a whole, as well, rather than part by part, before breaking it down into smaller shapes. I think the advice of keeping it simple for as long as possible has helped me significantly.

As for having extra time otherwise, your details are very good. You seem to have a good understanding of the lighting in the piece.

Hope this helps.