Workshop 3: Decisive Line In Drawing Figures in Motion & Repose

Instructor: Don Low

Workshop description

The workshop aims to help participants overcoming the fear and anxiety of drawings figures in urban sketching by providing simple, practical tips on drawing figures in public, drawing proportionate figures in their sketches, telling effective stories by observing and translating action poses, make quicker drawings by simplifying body shapes and facial features, and eventually rendering with some light and shades with the medium of their choice.

Learning goals  

– drawing proportionate figures | understand basic human proportion and scale | observing key

landmarks | balance and gestures

– drawing figures in action poses and how to tackle the difficulty of drawing figures in action

– simplifying shapes | seeing volume & form | effective use of folds

– drawing from observation and from memory

– translating some likeness in drawing figures

Workshop Schedule  

First Hour –

Basic Human Proportions | Key Landmarks & Basic anatomy | Balance (notes)

Warm-up exercises :

1) Gesture drawing with a continuous line and blind contours

2) Gesture drawing with scribbling & blocking

3) Drawing from memory (partial observation)

Second Hour-

1) Simplifying shapes, forms and understanding volume (drawing with negative space and cross

contours). Use of rectilinear and curvilinear lines to create contrast – dynamic shapes.

2) Adding details to simple shapes and forms (effective use of folds and other details)

3) Simplifying folds to suggest movements

4) Adding simple light and shades

Third Hour-

1) Drawing multiple figures within a composition – consideration of depth and rhythm

2) Adding darks and half tone to enhance depth and movements within the composition

Supply list  

1) Sketchbook

2) Any drawing instrument that includes:

a) one that draw thin to medium lines, and

b) one that draw very thick lines.

3) Drawing board or support