Life Drawing
Lesson I
Gesture -- The Foundation of Figurative Art
The line of action and stick are construction lines.
Look at the figure on the right.
Although there are several interesting phases of development
shown in this one study, the figure on the right is the most relevant for
this discussion. The figure on the right is a gesture sketch. You can see
a basic anatomical contour on the right hand figure, but note the pale gray
stick figure still in view. Because the stick figure is made with light
lines, any subsequent darker drawing will dominate the visual impact. If
a drawing proceeds beyond the gesture stage, the artist can elect to either
erase or leave the stick figure in place. The stick under drawing for the
figure on the left was erased in a few key areas before the shade zones
were dropped in.
Gesture Intro Page Skeletal
Foundation
Stick: The following
are the key elements for organizing a "stick" figure:
The line of action Three
ovals -- Head, Ribcage, Pelvis Pivot
points Long bones
Tilts and angles Contour
center lines of front and back torso, and face
Projection
and volume augmentations: While good as a foundation, the stick
figure does not adequately express projection of form, volume, or relative
position in space. There is more you can do to express these important factors
in the posing model:
The shortcomings of the stick figure
Showing projection Application
of the projection concept to the stick figure Simple
volume solutions Relative
position in space
Loosen up:
Using the stick figure foundation with the projection and volume augmentations,
you can loosely organize an expressive gesture sketch:
Compare the "contour" method to the
stick-start method Importance
of the free-going mark The line of
action and stick are construction lines Adding
relationship and rhythm
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Rebecca Alzofon
can be e-mailed at rebecca@art.net
This page created February 14, 1998
1998 by Rebecca Alzofon. All rights
reserved.