Gestures, those pesky little exercise that students race through in order to get to the long pose. But the gesture can be an art form in itself, a record of an artists understanding of the figure and so much more then a "warm up" exercise. I often tell my students that what they dont understand in a gesture, they wont understand in a long term drawing. If you are perplexed by the shape of a knee in a 5 minute gesture, chances are you wont understand it any better given a longer pose. The gesture allows an artist to see where their knowledge of a figure is lacking, or generalized.

Gestures are a dialog between the artist and the figure, a system of short hand mark making that describes the form. Broad sweeps of value can quickly describe the under planes of a figure. Sensitive line quality can direct the eye around the contour. Its a delicate push pull between value and line to define the pose. If done with intent the gesture can quickly and expressively describe the strain of the pose or the grace of the model. The gesture should be so much more then a contour... for the contour is where the figure ends. The gesture is a record of the artist searching to find correct form... a catalog of the artist seeking the more accurate passage.

Consider these lovely gestures the next time you have the opportunity to draw a 5 minute pose, perhaps they will inspire you to push your gesture to the next level.