Carolynn Helton's Classes
This site shows all the classes I have taught or currently teach. My goal is to have all the curriculum available here online for students, parents and myself. Currently I am teaching Photography/Yearbook, Art Exporations, Video/Media, Leadership and Mixed Media Arts at ERCLC (Eleanor Roosevelt) .
Developing Int/Adv Drawing Techniques Gesture Drawing
Lesson:
3. Gesture:
A gesture drawing is a laying in of the action, form, and pose of a model/figure. Typical situations involve an artist drawing a series of poses taken by a model in a short amount of time, often as little as 10 seconds, or as long as 5 minutes.
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1) Start very light. Think of using layers to correct and build. You will start light, correct a little darker, finish even darker. 3 to 5 layers will be used. If you have charcoal or chalk pastels in different colors, use the light one for the first outline sketch, then a mid tone for the next and a darker tone for the last. Using the light to dark can also suggest shadow and value as you go, not just for correcting as you build. Find the essence of the pose or shape first. Keep a sensitive touch with your drawing tool, initially drawing so lightly that you are barely making physical contact with the paper as you draw. Staying light will allow for more flexibility as you continue working on the drawing. Don't use an eraser. This will allow you to continually move forward, and be fluid in your work. As we learned in Restatements before this, learn to accept the mistakes and not take the time to erase and correct.
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2) Draw with very light, continuous lines that never leaves the surface of the paper more than choppy lines you may have used in Restatements. Concentrate on seeing the whole shape all at once. Fluidity in your work should show, not chopping up your marks into disconnected parts. At first your lines will not be correct, which is why you start light, it is just about getting the outline on the paper. You have to draw it wrong before you can draw it right.
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3) Block in the largest shapes first, unlike Contour Line drawing where we started at a spot and worked around, you are now looking at the large shapes to get them in first then adding the smaller details. Eventually work on medium and small shapes at the same time. Leave out the details at first in the drawing and concentrate on the larger shapes. Look at how the large shapes transitions into each other one at a time. Make sure to use those larger shapes as your focus on how they transition into each other.
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4) Transition into working with the whole of the image. Find an overall balance in your work, with all areas given equal treatment and attention. Bounce around as you build detail, do not ignore one part to focus too much on another. All of the parts of the drawing should be developed at the same level of completion at all times. Move your eyes, keep them alert and active (taking what we learned in Contour Line and Restatements with the exercises learning to look at the subject as much as the paper) while physically moving your hand around the page.
Start with this video and his 7 L's of Gesture Drawing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvjB0rj6yAc
Kathe Kollwitz’s is a fantastic artist to look at for developed art in this style.
This video is a great example of how to start as well
, if you are using pencils and not charcoal, just work very light and erase when needed BUT STAY LIGHT IN YOUR DRAWING TO START NO MATTER WHAT MEDIUM! The second half of the video develops cross hatching, which maybe how you do your final art work for this section but not the exercises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=59&v=3VxcbxAE1vQ&feature=emb_logo
Day 1. one of each in your sketchbook
5 Quick Sketches
Work from a photo or person, these can be pets, animals or people. I want the photo turned in with the drawing/objects. DO NOT WORK FROM SOMEONE ELSES ARTWORK. The photo will be proof you worked from a photo, if you have a live subject which can be preferred, take a photo of it as well.
Day 2.
5 Quick Sketches that show movement/action
Work from a photo or person, these can be pets, animals or people, but pick images showing movement or action. I want the photo turned in with the drawing/objects. DO NOT WORK FROM SOMEONE ELSES ARTWORK. The photo will be proof you worked from a photo, if you have a live subject which can be preferred, take a photo of it as well.
Final Gesture Drawing Artwork,
Objective:
The objective of this project is to take what is learned above, apply it to an individual art creation that helps develop a freedom of style that says, it is ok not to be perfect, it is ok to experiment with drawing and mediums. To develop skills that let you go with the flow. We will continue to go back and forth with learning more control in drawing and letting go of control in the intermediate/advanced drawing segment.
Requirements:
you will create a final artwork based on elements using Gesture Drawing, BUT developed into final artwork using layers of lines, color or shading that evolve into sections of detail. To make it more developed, make sure details are there and layers of lines to redo/correct lines, Color and/or shading is involved. Push yourself to be creative and looser in style. Mottos for this project is "Sometimes there is more control in not having control because it doesn't control you" meaning if you don't try to have the control over the drawing, you can let go of that anxiety of perfection... and "Go with the flow" applied here, means do not be afraid to mess up and see what you get. FINAL IMAGE SHOULD SHOW ACTION OR EMOTION IN THE WORK, EVEN IF IT IS A STILL PORTRAIT. BUILD LINES FROM LIGHT TO DARK STILL AND LET THEM SHOW.