Gesture drawing

I believe that sketching, scribbling, doodling and mark making of all kinds was practiced from earliest times of human existence on this planet. In one form or the other, humans always tried to communicate with each other with all kinds of signs and forms, either carved into a rock or painted with charcoal on the walls of a cave.This is not the right place to enter into detailed historical discussion about the evolution of the sketching practice of the Homo sapiens but I would like to emphasize the fact that mark making was always one of the most fundamentals of human needs.I believe that it is still an essential need for the healthy development of our brains and the proof is in the instinctual desire to scribble of most children of earliest age.Sketching has many benefits besides the obvious and sometimes dramatic improvement of the hand dexterity and better coordination between the muscles of the hand and fingers and the rapid movement of the eye. Because, usually sketching is an exercise done within short periods of time, it restricts focusing on details too early and actually promotes observation of the essentials and the general relationships of the details within the context of the whole.This is one of the reasons behind the quick poses when working with a model.In this practice the students are asked to concentrate on the gesture and the general balance of the whole rather than observing carefully the details which is reserved for much later practice.Indeed, gesture drawing, is an excellent practice,  focusing on the flow of energy lines within the shapes and forms sometimes following a specific and clearly delineated line of contour but mostly concentrated on the essence of the action in the form and the animating impulse rather then what it looks like precisely.Early on, in my teaching experience, I have discovered that in order to be able to draw in a realistic, classical way it is necessary first to see all the intricate relationship between various parts within the whole. But the problem is that many students do not see the whole and proceed too soon to make an accurate drawing, which usually means, “like a photographic” image. Never mind the misconceptions about the identifying of “realistic” with photographic, this attempt cannot succeed since the laws of gestalt forbid it.This why in my classes the first step is learning how to let go of the fear of making mistakes.There can be no mistakes in creativity. Making as many as possible mistakes is the surest way to get to the place where the hand and eye coordination results in a meaningful expression, even if it’s not photographically accurate. Allowing the hand to move across the paper freely without criticism, without correcting or erasing is very important.Draw everything in your sight. A familiar face of your family members, an apple in the kitchen, a tree outside your window, some folds of a drapery, familiar landscape or a corner of your street. You can also sit in a café and just sketch the people around you.The last one is a favorite activity of mine and I actually hold classes of sketching in café, emphasizing the gesture of the people and the natural still-life on the tables.Here is a short video of the recent class held in my neighborhood café.

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