1-25-15_5

Observational Drawing

Week 1: Assignment 3 Discussion

Assignment 3: Drawing Project—Gesture Study

By Friday, January 23, 2015, complete the following drawing exercise.

To truly explore the gesture drawing process, it is necessary to begin by creating a series of 1–3-minute gesture drawings using single objects from nature such as a branch from a tree, flowers, or a plant as your subject matter. You may use several different subjects to create your series; however, it's important to only draw one object per composition. Bring your subject(s) indoors and stand them upright by leaning them against a wall or putting them in a container such as a vase. Select a container that has a non-reflective, matte finish and is free of textures or graphics.

Gesture is the act of rapidly sketching in the internal structure of your subject using as few lines as possible. Your objective is to capture the essence and spontaneity of the subject you are drawing with fluid, graceful, descriptive lines before attending to the contour of the edges.

A gestural drawing is more of a study than a finished render. Consider the movement of the subject and the unique characteristics. Strive more for a sense of movement than a likeness at this point.
Use your vine and compressed charcoals for this exercise to help keep this drawing loose. Do not use your drawing pencils and do not erase.
Place your paper vertically or horizontally on an easel or on a drawing board against the back of a chair so that it is parallel to the picture plane.
Position your easel and paper so they are facing you and allow you a clear view of your subject as you draw.
Establish a distinct light source. Keep in mind, the higher the wattage of the bulb in your lamp and the closer the light source is to the subject, the more dramatic the shadows.
Stretch and try to relax prior to beginning to sketch, as this is a spontaneous gesture exercise.
Use your entire arm starting out with large circular movements in the air prior to touching your drawing medium to your paper.
Hold your charcoal between the thumb and the forefinger gripping it loosely and resting the length of the tool in the palm of your hand instead of holding it as you would a writing pencil. This allows full range of the wrist and arm as you work.
Think about moving around your subject as you draw, creating a three-dimensional illusion of volume.
Step back occasionally, look to see what needs adjusting, sit back down, and continue to draw.

My Work:

For my gesture drawing assignment I had been cutting up a pineapple earlier thinking about the objects I’d like to use and decided that the top of the pineapple was perfect for this assignment so I used that, then I had my five year old go outside and find me a stick and that’s the one she picked and the feather is one that fell off of a dream catcher that I made that I decided to draw before re-attaching to the dream catcher. I believe that the pineapple top is my best out of the ones I shared with the class because it felt easier to do than the others. The feather was the hardest one to do a gesture drawing for and I think it was because the edges are smooth and does not leave room for anything other than a contour line to be used to draw it, but I did my best.

My Instructor's Feedback: (Second Image)

Click the small boxes in the bottom right and find the second image and click, press play and listen.