How to Practice Gesture Drawing: 5 Gesture Drawing Tips

Gesture drawing is an artistic exercise in which an artist makes quick, simplified sketches of a subject, often a live human model. Gesture drawing is typically timed, taking between 15 seconds and 30 minutes for each sketch. The purpose of gesture drawing is to help artists focus on the essence of the pose rather than small details, prioritizing flow and movement to quickly capture the subject as a whole and avoid a result that looks stiff or out of proportion.

Gesture drawing usually requires only a few basic elements:

1. 1. Paper: Gesture drawing is typically done in sketchbooks on inexpensive paper, like newsprint, which allows artists to make quick gesture drawings without spending a lot of money per sheet. Artists may choose different materials depending on their art forms, such as watercolor paper or painting canvas.
2. 2. Drawing tool: Traditionally, gesture drawing is done with a soft graphite pencil to encourage loose, expressive lines, though artists may use other utensils as well, including charcoal, pen and ink, chalk, pastels, or even paint and brushes.
3. 3. Model: The most traditional gesture drawing uses live human models, who pose nude in many positions to allow students to learn how to capture their essence quickly and gain a better understanding of human anatomy. Other gesture drawing subjects can include live animals, live landscapes, or still-life objects. Many online gesture drawing tutorial videos feature human subjects in various poses if you can’t find an in-person model.

Here are some gesture drawing tips:

1. 1. Keep your lines fluid. Gesture drawing is all about capturing the feeling of movement and fluidity—pass up short, sketchy, straight lines in favor of long, fluid strokes, using the motion of your whole arm (rather than just your wrist) to emphasize the line of action in your subject’s spine and limbs. Some artists recommend thinking of a gesture drawing as a fluid stick figure in which you capture the spine and limbs in simple, meaningful gesture lines.
2. 2. Forget the details. Beginning artists may get caught up trying to render one specific part of their subject in precise detail—for example, trying to get the chin just right and missing out on capturing the rest of the pose. Gesture drawing aims to help you see the big picture, forgoing detailed lines until the gist of the subject is on the page.
3. 3. Draw from life. For best results with gesture drawing, use a human model, animal, or object. Life drawing allows artists to practice translating a 3D object into their 2D drawing medium. The gesture drawing experience can help you decide which details are essential to capture and which to omit.
4. 4. Leave the eraser behind. Since gesture drawings are usually done as quick sketches for a drawing exercise or warm-up, avoid spending time erasing your mistakes during a quick drawing class or session. Instead, use the time to make new lines on top of old ones or start a new drawing while keeping any previous mistakes in mind.
5. 5. Experiment with lengths of time. Individual gesture drawings can range from 15 seconds to 30 minutes—practicing with several different time limits can help you get a feel for the level of detail each limit allows and offer valuable lessons in capturing a moment as quickly as possible.

If you’re interested in trying gesture drawing, check out this beginner’s guide to the art form:

1. 1. Find a distraction-free space. When you’re first starting out, find a quiet location where you can focus on your subject without getting distracted. (If you’re more experienced with gesture drawing, try freeform gesture drawing in more public places, like parks or zoos.)
2. 2. Set up your model. For best results with gesture drawing, use a live model, whether a human model, animal, or object. Set your model up in a well-lit spot in front of your work area. If you’re working with a human model, discuss a few poses you want to try drawing or have them brainstorm their own poses—note whether they select longer poses or quick, shorter poses.
3. 3. Choose a time limit. Individual gesture drawings can range from 15 seconds to half an hour—decide on the length of your drawing session, how many poses you want to draw, and how much you want to be challenged.
4. 4. Sketch your gesture drawings. Once the timer starts, make each gesture drawing within the time limit, emphasizing smooth, fluid lines and movement rather than small, rigid details. Your first few drawings may be stiff, which is acceptable—many artists use the first gesture drawings as a warm-up for their hands, wrist, and arm muscles. Pay attention to your process of drawing poses and try to avoid focusing too much on a small detail or part of the body—instead, try to capture the gestural essence of each pose within the time allotted. If you keep practicing, your gesture drawing skills will develop.
5. 5. Take a look at the finished product. After a gesture drawing session, study your finished drawings and identify which ones you think you did well and how you can improve for the next session. Are there particular poses or lines of action that feel more natural to you? Are there body parts that you struggle to capture well? Are there future poses that could be especially useful to practice drawing? Note your thoughts for future sessions.

Gesture, figure, and contour drawing are three types of drawing that overlap:

• Gesture drawing is a type of drawing that prioritizes flowing movement, resulting in sketchy, fluid lines with less defined shapes than contour drawing. Most gesture drawing uses the human figure as the subject, making it a type of figure drawing. Gesture drawing can also feature plants, landscapes, buildings, or other subjects.
• Figure drawing is an umbrella term that includes any drawing of a figure (typically the human body)—many gesture drawings are figure drawings. Other types of figure drawing include figure studies and drawings of human anatomy.
• Contour drawing prioritizes using lines to create shapes, resulting in firm, precise lines with more defined shapes than gesture drawing. If a contour line drawing features a human or animal figure, it is a type of figure drawing. However, contour drawing can also feature plants, landscapes, buildings, or other subjects.

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