SKETCHBOOK ASSIGNMENT: TRY GESTURE DRAWING

More than just scribbles -- gesture drawings help you develop an artist's eye and help to create interesting, figurative action lines.

The secret to a successful gesture drawing is concentration and a quick hand.

The more you practice these, the better you will become. . . 

Here's the challenge -- Take less than 20 seconds to capture the gesture of each figure. . . 

Take your sketchbook and a pencil or pen and do gesture drawings anywhere -- your kids shooting baskets, a friend playing an instrument, your pet chasing a ball, children playing in a playground, people at an airport, even trees blowing in the wind . . .

Create scribbly, loose, flowing lines to capture the gesture of someone -- or some thing -- (no erasers allowed).  Think more about the expression of the "thing", rather than the way the thing looks.

In these gesture drawings, try to capture a sense of movement and life force -- ignore details!

Begin with a form of scribbling that feels natural to you.  Then, after looking at the figure, start drawing with this scribble, keeping the whole form going at once.  Don't get stuck on a part of it -- like the head or face -- try to ignore that.

Feel the pose in your own body -- even taking the position yourself -- to feel it from the inside.

Try doing some gesture drawings for a few minutes a day, every day for a week.