Strike A Pose
The way a figure is standing, sitting, twisting, or moving in a drawing.
pose
The long, simple curve that shows the main movement of a pose.
What is the line of action?
A fast drawing that captures movement and energy, not tiny details.
What is a gesture drawing?
Not a random person-shape. This is a designed figure with a personality the viewer can read.
What is a character?
A pose should show the whole body doing something, not just this.
What is a floating head / a stiff mannequin / arms glued to the sides?
The line of action is usually drawn first, through the body, like an invisible this.
What is a spine / arrow / swoosh?
Gesture drawings are supposed to be quick. That means you should not start with this.
What are eyelashes / logos / perfect outlines / shoes?
A well-drawn body can still fail this category if nobody can tell the figure’s job, mood, or story.
What is character?
A character with hands on hips and chin up is using pose to show this
What is attitude / confidence / personality?
A bored kid slouching in a chair needs a line of action that does this, not a straight telephone pole.
What is curve / slump / drop?
The goal of gesture is to capture the action of the body, also called this.
What is the pose / movement / line of action?
A huge backpack, scuffed sneakers, and a hurried lean can tell us who someone is before we draw a face. Those are this kind of clue.
What are character clues / costume and pose / visual clues? - the character personality
If the feet, hips, and shoulders all face the same way like a toy soldier, the pose is probably too this.
What is stiff / straight / unnatural?
If arms, legs, and head ignore the line of action, the figure can look like this.
What is stiff, broken, or assembled from spare parts?
A gesture drawing can look messy and still be successful if it shows this.
What is movement / weight / energy / the pose?
Two figures can have the same body type and still read as different people if this is different: hair, clothes, and attitude.
What is character design / their character?
Name two things a strong pose can communicate before you add a face.
What are emotion, action, personality, weight, or movement?
Why do we sketch a line of action before drawing clothes and fingers?
What is to capture movement / energy / the whole pose first?
Give the classroom order: line of action, then gesture, then this later.
What is detail / character details / clothing / face?
Fix this drawing: perfect anatomy, blank stare, generic clothes, stiff pose. Name two changes that would make it a character, not a mannequin.
What are a readable pose, specific costume, expression, prop, silhouette, or attitude?