Ten Tips to Get Started with Gesture Drawing

Written By Stephanie Broder

Gesture drawing is a great way to warm up before an art session while, at the same time, you build your visual vocabulary and dynamic drawing skills.

If you’re new to this practice, don’t sweat! These ten tips will help you work gesture drawing into your art or illustration practice to give you the biggest possible benefit from the exercise.

1. Focus on the Flow and Energy

Gesture drawing isn't about details but about capturing the pose's overall movement, rhythm, and energy. Let your lines flow freely to convey the action, avoiding stiffness.

A collection of 30 second gesture drawings

2. Try Different Materials

Materials that don’t erase and provide bold, broad strokes can help you loosen up your gesture drawings. Try charcoal, conte, coloured pencil or even ink with a brush! Even markers can provide a unique gesture drawing experience.

3. Capture the Weight and Balance

Pay attention to how the weight of the body is distributed. Is the figure leaning, sitting, or standing? Understand where the center of gravity lies to create a more dynamic and balanced pose.

A collection of 1 minute gesture drawings

4. Start with a Line of Action

Begin each gesture with a single "line of action" that captures the general flow of the pose. This line should express the primary motion or energy of the body, such as a curve or an S-shape. Models are often able to perform more elaborate movements during short poses, so you often get a dynamic line of action.

5. Set Short Time Limits

Gesture drawing is often done in timed intervals (like 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes) to force you to focus on the essence of the pose without overthinking. Set a timer to practice quick sketches and improve speed. If you want to be a little bit silly and fancy, you can buy cute little hour glasses like mine, that come in different time intervals! (I got these on Amazon).

6. Exaggerate the Pose

Don't be afraid to push the gesture a bit beyond reality. Slight exaggerations can make the pose feel more dynamic and alive. When working with gesture drawing, it’s more important to communicate the action than to be anatomically precise.

7. Simplify the Forms

Reduce the body to simple shapes and forms (e.g., cylinders for limbs, ovals for the torso). This allows you to focus on proportion and movement without getting bogged down by detail.

A collection of 2 minute gesture drawings

8. Focus on Key Parts of the Body

Focus on the torso, pelvis, and head first since these form the body's core structure. Add the limbs after these primary forms, ensuring they follow the natural flow of the gesture.

9. Avoid Getting Trapped in One Spot

Unlike long-form drawings, gesture drawing requires you to capture the whole figure in a very short time. Therefore, try not to get too focused on one spot on the model or canvas. Move your eyes (and drawing tool!) constantly, capturing as much of the figure as possible in the time limit.

10. Stay Loose and Experiment

Gesture drawing should be loose and experimental. Don’t worry about making perfect drawings. Try different tools (charcoal, pen, etc.) or use different hand movements (like drawing from the shoulder or elbow) to keep things lively.

With consistent practice, these tips will help you loosen up your drawing process and capture more dynamic, expressive figures.

Stephanie Broder
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