Drawing the Human Form

Did you know Creative Arts holds monthly figure drawing workshops? The workshops are monitored by resident artist Dennis Hart who provides critique, instruction and advice as he takes the class through a series of timed poses. A nude model, traditional for figure work, moves through timed poses to keep the class sketching!

The above drawing is from a 10 minute pose. 10 minutes is considered a long pose, giving the artist enough time to add details, fix proportion and begin shading.

Figure classes generally begin with a series of 15-30 second gesture poses. Short poses are akin to stretching before an intense workout and are used to warm up the mind and synch visual observations with physical translation. Gesture sketching also loosens drawing muscles in the hands, arms and back, allowing for free, open sketching movement.

Gesture is a type of fast sketching to capture, in rudimentary form, the 'essence' or idea of a subject...usually a moving subject. Sketching is free-form, flowing and active, with intense focus on the model and minimal glances at the paper. It's not uncommon for artists to break a sweat!

This video is a good example of the free-form movement of gesture sketching to capture the 'essence' of a subject.

As pose time increases (usually 1-10min), gesture is still used to capture basic pose shape. The remaining time is used to add detail.

Usually, a teaching artist proctors the class by monitoring pose time and offering critique or helpful hints. It's helpful for the artist to receive feedback and gain outside perspective. Figure workshops or classes are generally 2.5 to 4 hours and incorporate at least one 20-60 minute pose.

This example is from a 10 minute pose.

You do not need to be an artist to experience figure drawing or explore gesture sketching! Many outdoor enthusiasts, naturalist and scientists used gesture sketching (especially in the field) to record observations.

Example of a naturalist sketchbook.

Creative Arts will continue to hold monthly figure drawing workshops, and invites you to attend! To find out more about the program, please call the office at 781-942-9600!