gesture drawing

Part 11 daily journal workshop. Gesture drawing. Abstractions! #arttherapy

| Kat Thorsen

Daily Journal Workshop:

Part 1 JUST WRITE

Part 2 DRAW OUT THE WORDS

Part 3 HEART

Part 4 SPILL OUT COLLAGE

Part 5 NAKED SCREAM

Part 6 INVITE ALTER STRETCH EXTEND

Part 7 ARISE AROSE IN 3’S

Part 8 SELF-PORTRAIT. HUMAN

Part 9 WORD CRAZY QUILT

Part 10 VINTAGE WORKOUT

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TODAY’S LESSON IS ABOUT ABSTRACTION.  [ab-strak-shuhn]

Recall my original tutorial on gesture drawing:

Part 1: INTRODUCTION

Part 2: GEOMETRIC SHAPES

Part 3: ADDING DETAILS

Part 4: ABSTRACTION

We revisit this exercise in today’s journal entry.  We will be finding the image inside a gesture drawing, thereby creating an abstract image.

STEP 1:

Make a gesture drawing.  On a blank piece of paper, doodle random lines.  Random, but with some thought!  Think opposites.  Do hard and soft lines.  Straight, zigzag, curvy.  Staccato, continuous.  Shapes, scribbles.  Just fill the page without thinking about WHAT you are going to do in Step 2.  Change hands.  Left hand.  Right hand. Turn the paper.

STEP 2:

Find the image in the marks you have made.  This goes back to part 2 of the gesture tutorial where you are looking for simple geometric shapes.

We’ll use the vintage photo from yesterday’s exercise.

Can you see similar lines and directions and shapes as in the photo in your gesture drawing?  This is not about realism.  This is about language of line.  Use only the lines you have!  That’s it!  YOU ARE LIMITED!  This will force you to change the way you approach form!  Do you see lines that somewhat liken the eyes?  The mouth?  The cheek? etc.  It’s there.  Believe me.  You’ll see it.

STEP 3:

Start adding details and shading and finalizing the form.  Blacken out areas.  Add lines if you need to, but just minimal.

STEP 4:

Use the words you pulled out of the writing in yesterday’s entry (Part 10).   Add these words onto your image.  This is a delightful way to create an interesting piece of art- works as a book cover, a movie poster etc., or simply a way to present poetry.

You create something quite magical.

Compare the two interpretations of the original photo (Part 10 and 11):

I tried this exercise on my art therapy students this morning:

Here’s the original drawing I demonstrated followed by the abstracted piece and student work.


 

   

HOMEWORK:

Write a secret about yourself on a piece of paper.  We’ll be incorporating into tomorrow’s page.

Kat’s Drawing Tutorial: Gesture Drawing PART 4 of 4- abstraction. #artschool

| Kat Thorsen

In this 4 part tutorial, we move through analysis of form, to drawing details to abstraction through gesture drawing.

See Part 1: INTRODUCTION

See Part 2: GEOMETRIC SHAPES 

See Part 3: ADDING DETAILS 

Now we move to finding the image and abstract it through gestures.  What I mean by that is- you find the form in marks you have made.  You are limiting your decisions.

STEP 1:

On a blank piece of paper, doodle random lines.  Random, but with some thought!  Think opposites.  Do hard and soft lines.  Straight, zigzag, curvy.  Staccato, continuous.  Shapes, scribbles.  Just fill the page without thinking about WHAT you are going to do in Step 2.  Change hands.  Left hand.  Right hand. Turn the paper.

STEP 2:

Find the image in the marks you have made.  This goes back to part 2 of this tutorial where you are looking for simple shapes.

We’ll start with a photo.  (Let’s use the same one we used in Parts 1-3).

Now look for geometrics that emulate the actual form.  Use only the lines you have!  That’s it!  YOU ARE LIMITED!  This will force you to change the way you approach form!  Do you see lines that somewhat liken the eyes?  The mouth?  The cheek? etc.

 

See how I am allowing the existing line to shape the form.  E.G. I’m thinking eye but it’s an UNUSUAL eye!

   

STEP 3:

Start adding details and shading and finalizing the form.  Blacken out areas.  Add lines if you need to, but just minimal.  Use the eraser to draw out light.  You will end up with a Picasso-esque image!

   

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Feel free to email questions and share your work!!!

CONTACT ME AT Email

This tutorial was originally taught to me by artist, Martin Guderna.

See also:

DRAPERY TUTORIAL

PORTRAIT TUTORIAL

Kat’s Drawing Tutorial: Gesture Drawing PART 3 of 4- adding detail. #artschool

| Kat Thorsen

In this 4 part tutorial, we move through analysis of form, to drawing details to abstraction through gesture drawing.

See Part 1: INTRODUCTION

See Part 2: GEOMETRIC SHAPES 

Now I want you to build on the simple forms you saw in your subject in Part 2 by drawing details.  Enjoy, relax, have fun!  There is no right or wrong!

Part 2

In part 4- we move to the glory of abstraction through gesture drawing!  Can’t wait!

See also:

DRAPERY TUTORIAL

PORTRAIT TUTORIAL

Kat’s Drawing Tutorial: Gesture Drawing PART 2- geometric shapes #artschool

| Kat Thorsen

See Part 1: INTRODUCTION 

In this tutorial, we move through analysis of form, to drawing details to abstraction through gesture drawing.   In part 2 I want you to build on the intro where you drew on top of a photo, and draw the simplest form you see in a subject.

Let’s use my latest favorite face, John:

Draw simple shapes you see- ovals, circles, triangles etc.  These shapes build the form.

—

as the

spirit

wanes

the

form

appears.

– Charles Bukowski

Kat’s Drawing Tutorial: Gesture Drawing PART 1- INTRODUCTION #artschool

| Kat Thorsen

My favorite drawing technique: GESTURE DRAWING– finding the image in random marks.  Don’t worry if you don’t know what I mean.  In this drawing tutorial, I’ll slowly take you from this:

through to finding the form, then enhancing the form and finally decontructing/reconstructing the form.

In this introduction, I simply want you to look at images and see what the SIMPLEST shapes are.