2. Gestural Line – The eye and hand move rapidly,
recognizing and defining forms, suggestion movement
and action. By the quick, fluid indication of shapes,
gesture drawing helps the student to recognize overall
design of the subject matter, and does not allow
overinvolvement with superficial details until the basic
form and design have been determined.
!Construction Line – Lines of construction are used to
define objects and subjects in simple geometric terms.
They are, in some ways, an extension and refinement of
the gesture line in that they organize designs and forms,
allowing you to seek out and identify basic shapes
before details can be seen. Although a gesture line is
often a scribble, construction lines have to be
somewhat more controlled.
Contour Line – The contour, or outline, follows the
edge of the form. Contour can, by its quality, describe
structure, surface textures, and value patterns and can
establish points of emphasis and structure. Contour
lines may be smooth and flowing, short and choppy,
dark and light, broad, or narrow
Cross contour line – Contour lines not only follow the
outside edges of shapes, but also may be used around
the edges of interior forms. Cross contour lines are an
extension and grouping of these interior lines, which
not only follow the edge, but also move across the
surface of a form to describe its structures. Many times
these lines are placed closely together to make a pattern
across the surface that may be read as texture or
shadow
4 MAJOR TYPES OF LIFEWORK IN DRAWING
3. What Is Gesture Drawing?
.
Gesture drawing is a loose form of sketching
that attempts to capture your subject's basic
form and express movement. It is a favorite
style for drawing figures that are filled with
emotion, though it can also be used for still lifes
or any subject you like.
As an artist, you will find that gestural drawing
is rather freeing. It is a form of expression that
is neither abstract nor realistic. It is, quite
simply, a quick sketch in which your hand
follows your eyes.
4. EXPLORING FORM AND FEELING
Gesture drawing explores the form and movement of an
object in space, as your eye follows its shape. It may
look quite realistic, but more often gesture drawings will
have just a sense of the overall form.
Gesture drawing isn't an outline, nor is it an abstract
drawing. It might not always look realistic, though,
because it isn't trying to represent the figure in a
photographic way. Instead, it suggests the essential
feeling of the subject.
5. DRAW WHAT SEE AS YOU SEE IT
The marks are quick and deliberate. You look at
the subject and try to sum it up with a few marks,
as you might describe it in a few words. Because
you don't have much time, each word - each
mark - in a gesture drawing must say something
significant about the subject.
When creating a gesture drawing, according to
Kimon Nicolaides in "The Natural Way to Draw,"
"you should draw, not what the thing looks like,
but what it is doing. You need to 'sense' the thing
that you are drawing. Is it fluid and soft, or spiky
and hard? Is it coiled like a spring, or off-center
and asymmetric, or is it solid and balanced?
The Importance of Gesture
Imagine you are describing the object with your
hands as you talk to someone. Those hand
gestures are very much like those you make
when gesture drawing.
6. By nature, gesture drawing tends to be done
rapidly. Look at the whole object and notice points
of tension, the direction of weight or pressure,
spaces, and protrusions into space.
Gestural drawing, especially in figure
drawing, often uses circular, flowing marks, perhaps
because of the rounded human form.You can,
however, use other kinds of marks in gesture
drawing.
The drawings of a clenched fist are perfect
examples of this contrast. In the first, you see the
flowing lines and the form is rather obscure. In the
second, the artist uses spiky, scribbly marks to
express the contained, angry energy in the fist.
Lines converge and create shadows that begin to
suggest the form in space.
USING EXPRESSIVE MARKS
