My Figure study practice

So I completed my 30 minute class session today, but I'm somewhat unsatisfied by it. Particullary with the 5 and 10 minute sketches. For whatever reason, I seem to be getting less done when given more time to work on the figures. Usually I've been good about trying to tackle adding details and shading during practice, but as of recently I've felt more uncertain about adding details to my sketches. [img]https://imgur.com/a/uEvtsRi[/img]

Edit: I don't know how to get Imgur to show my sketches, so I'll just put a link here: https://imgur.com/a/uEvtsRi

It feels to me like you see shadows fairly well (based on the last pose), but you’re focused on getting an outline when you start adding detail.

So I’d try two kind of opposite tactics. Try several practice sessions where you focus on continuous line drawing, and you try to push that into the longer poses. And try sessions where you focus on adding tone patches to lay in shadow shapes rather than adding an outline. This may work better if you are drawing through and over a form multiple times and kinda letting the off lines build the shadow.

I know when I was introduced to those ideas, i felt like they were in conflict, and like they conflicted with gestures. The more you just get comfortable with them and keep drawing the easier it is.

Also keep in mind if you’re just getting started with gesture it can be really hard to find the gestures in smaller muscles. So it’s kinda normal to feel very dead or like there’s nothing right to add to longer poses for a while. It’s a part of the learning process.

There seems to be a gap between the line of action and gesture drawings and the contour of the figure. And I think you are missing a critical in between step.

mannequinization is a technique that can help you get there. Break the body down into spheres, cylinders, cones, and boxes. Shapes that you can get more comfortable with.

If you do an internet search for mannequinization drawing you will find a lot of resources.

You can also try this

https://www.proko.com/mannequinization-structure-of-the-human-body/#.XE-fCvZFzic

Hey Mike!

I see you've got some good tips already. Just want to adress your lines and flow.
You put in quite hard clear lines which is both good and bad :) The good thing is you get a pretty clean result. The bad thing is that you lose the exploratory loose lines that are often used in gestures, which make you feel the poses better, and make them more dynamic.

Also, Don't be afraid to use a combo of both "skeletal" lines and conture lines in gestures. Also wrapping section lines, to connect this to HornetofJustice's tip about using cones and cylinders etc.

Stay loose. Don't be precious about the sketches!

Keep it up!