💃🤸‍♀️ HOW TO draw interesting POSES! 🤹‍♀️🏃‍♀️boring poses BEGONE! (∩ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ )⊃━☆ﾟ.*+.

Hello! ₍ᐢ  ›   ̫ ‹ ᐢ₎

In a recent sketchbook post, fellow patron Piper asked a great question:

I have a lot to say about this topic and thought it would be better to compile my thoughts into a post so others could learn as well. Here's a breakdown of how I generally approach practicing poses. This isn't a step-wise process, as in I don't follow these exact steps in this order when I practice, but rather use different exercises when I want to expand my pose vocabulary. I choose what to do based on what I'm feeling up to on any day, I find it keeps things varied and interesting. 

These are the main exercises I regularly use: 

• ★ - gathering reference images (pinterest, tumblr, youtube, pose books, making your own, etc.)
• ★ - doing quick gesture sketches to see what kinds of poses you naturally gravitate toward
• ★ - practice by drawing from reference, doing timed gesture sketches
• ★ - create your own pose and flesh it out using/taking your own reference

1. Gathering and creating reference images

This part is a lot of fun, I basically do it all the time! Whether I'm on the internet, watching movies/tv shows, or out and about, I'm always keeping an eye out for poses that catch my eye, because it's such a low effort activity. Whenever I come across an image that has a pose(s) I like, I'll save it for future reference. Pinterest is a great place to do this, because it's really easy to keep things organized. I also collect images on Tumblr and Instagram and will even save entire Youtube videos for poses. Videos are especially great for poses in motion as well as in between poses that aren't typically captured in photos. If I'm out and about, I'll keep a small sketchbook on me to quickly jot down poses of random people. 

⁺ Doing this also serves the purpose of revealing what sorts of poses you're intrinsically drawn to and find interesting. I think that you enjoy the process of learning and practice more when it's something you like or feel invested in.

• Some of the images I've saved to my Pinterest pose board. Can you detect a theme? I can tell that I'm drawn to women posing in soft, relaxed ways with a touch of melancholic introspection.

More often than not, the pose you want to draw can't be found in just one reference. This is where creating your own reference images comes in very handy. I use the front facing camera on my phone to take quick photos that I can use to reference very specific pose angles. You don't need to guess at how something needs to be drawn if you can take a photo and have a reference! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

• Examples of reference photos I've made in order to nail the exact pose and angle I'm looking for

2. Quick intuitive sketches

Without using reference, I'll draw out a bunch of random poses based on what I'm feeling. I do this to see what types of poses come to me naturally. I like this exercise, because it gives me intel about where to direct my attention and study. My general approach when learning art is not to try and master everything, but instead to focus on the things I really like and improve from there. Spreading myself too thin means I don't get the chance to actually build on my skills.

• Examples of intuitive sketching I've done. I can see elements of the reference images I collect popping up here and there. 

3. Timed gesture sketches

Time to get some practice in! There's really no way around this part, in order to build familiarity with a subject you need to practice drawing from reference. Doing a variety of timed sketches (1 min, 5 min, 10 min are popular intervals) helps you both focus on the foundational gesture of a pose and the key details that make a pose recognizable. Change up the time interval based on what you want to study (eg: 1 min for gesture or 10 min for form and shape). When I spend too long on any one drawing, there's a tendency to get lost in the details and zap the energy and movement from a pose. This particular piece of advice is something I have to continually remind myself of as I make a conscious effort not to overwork my drawings.

• Examples of some gesture sketches I've done. These were likely ~5 minutes each, because I wanted to get a better understanding of how foreshortening works when bodies are in motion.

4. Create your own pose!

Now it's time to make your illustration! Draw out a gesture and rough sketch of the pose you want. If there are parts of the pose that are more challenging, and there will be, use the tips in step 1 to either find reference or create your own. Take it from someone who didn't use reference for much too long (as I say, not as I do). I can't stress enough how important it is to make use of reference when creating. Using reference is crucial, because it helps you draw things that you're unfamiliar with, meaning you don't have to default to drawing the same poses over and over again. I also think that drawing different poses helps improve your art in various ways as you develop more understanding of the body's numerous forms, shapes, and proportions. What you learn is not limited to specific poses, but rather helps train your eye to see the motions of everyday life with renewed interest. 

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All of the above is advice that I'm still taking in myself. It's easy to want to stay in my comfort zone and there's technically nothing wrong with drawing what makes me comfortable. But I, and I'm guessing many other artists, have a lot of art ideas that involve more complicated poses and these tools can help us better bring those ideas to life! 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope this is helpful! ꒰ ๑ơ ₃ ơ꒱

Have a lovely day 💗,

Vicki