Short Pose: Jono

Drawing quickly from life is where the action is.

During 2 minute life studies, the goal is to capture the emotion, movement and gesture of each pose, with an emphasis on expressive mark making and a lot less on anatomical accuracy.

I often exaggerate the pose while describing it's movement; combining value and line to create the graphic vocabulary used to describe the way shapes lunge, stretch, twist and interlock.

Learning to describe the gesture's movement quickly and holistically keep's one's drawing fresh, and provides a solid basis for a more developed drawing. Without a free flowing gestural sketch, longer poses drawn without regard to the whole, tend to look stale and over studied. It is during the short poses these skills are practiced.












Jono modeled for this short pose session at The Life Drawing Workshop, open to the public at Art Institute, San Diego on Wednesday nights. All skill levels are welcomed.

Colored pencil and graphite stick (6B) on 18 x 24" Strathmore 50lb sketch paper.