Chapter 4: The First Impressionthen back to the paper to see if what you have already drawn will give you a clue to what
to add next, and so on.
The “feeling the pose” method is of great help in a live sketching where you have an
awkward view of the model; say a view where one leg and one arm are hidden from your
view. With the live model the pose is somewhat clear because there are dozens of telltale
indications of what is going on, but these illusive indications are difficult to capture in a
line drawing. However, if you lock into the pose, you can make the necessary
adjustments required to clarify the pose. After all, in animation you would have to do
that. You go to great lengths to get everything “out in the open” to make your pose
“readable” —so why not in a practice session. I’m sure you all know how to fantasize.
Okay, put it to use in drawing.
If you can lock into the pose, you can also fantasize the pose into useful variations—
which sounds a little like animating.
I came across a book "How to Draw the Human Figure" from the Famous Artists School.
Lo and behold, they also stress the importance of seeing in order to learn to draw well,
and to first feel the gesture before attempting to draw it. They also strongly advise
assuming a new mood with each change of pose, bringing a freshness and spontaneity to
each and every sketch.
To carry the idea further, it would help to quickly assume the pose yourself, to feel it, to
experience it, in order to jettison yourself into the proper frame of mind. Further into the
book I find other points that were brought up in our classes such as: gesture drawing is
more than just copying the action of the figure. It has, especially for us, to do with
capturing the inner meaning, the essence of the pose—what is happening at that moment.
With and through that first impression sketch, a good final drawing is assured.
Draw Verbs, Not Nouns
A sure way to keep from making static, lifeless drawings is to think of drawing “verbs”
instead of “nouns.” Basically, a noun names a person place, or thing; a verb asserts, or
expresses action, a state of being, or an occurrence.
I speak often of shifting mental gears, and here is another place to do it. The tendency to
copy what is before us without taking time (or effort) to ferret out what is happening
action-wise, is almost overwhelming.
Let’s say for example, the model (and this also goes for making a drawing without a
model) is leaning over with her elbows extended. If you approach the pose from the
standpoint of drawing nouns, you will name and draw the parts (humerus, radius, ulna,
scapula, biceps, triceps, deltoid, etc.) and place them as best you can in the positions
suggested by the model. With good hand/eye coordination, or a good memory, or either a
model or a good anatomy book handy, you can produce a fairly handsome drawing of
nouns. If you approach the pose from the standpoint of drawing verbs, you will simply be
using those nouns to produce a drawing that portrays a woman bending over, stretching