A gesture drawing is similar to a gesture itself. It is made up of short, fast lines that show movement. Often students focus on details in a drawing, losing the spontaneity and excitement of their original sketch. A gesture drawing captures the movement and excitement to use as either an underdrawing, or as a reference point for their final drawing.
We practice gesture drawings to focus students on movement rather than details. We encourage them to draw quickly, with feeling rather than accuracy. They must capture the action of the model within one minute, thirty seconds and fifteen second drawings. The kids enjoy being a model as they stand on the tables and try to hold a pose for a specific length of time. They love switching poses from a basketball star to a disco dancer to a person in a tug of war game.
