Gesture

Hey everyone.
I've been having a lazy Saturday so I think I'm going to talk about gestures.

These are gesture drawings.
They have only the most important lines, but you can still understand what the figure is doing. And there is a sense of movement. That is really important. The sweeping lines follow the action of the figure.
Gestures are done very quickly. Anywhere from 30 second to 5 minute drawings. The key is to capture the entire action of the figure first. What is this person doing? That is done with the line of action. One key line that runs through the entire body and shows where the figure is going.

(These aren't mine)

(More internet findings)
Draw the line of action in the first few seconds and then build the figure off it.
Gesture drawings do NOT have detail.There are no toenails, there are no bellybuttons, there are no earrings. Just the major important body parts. The action.
Here's a very helpful video that teaches how to do gestures.

Here's the website the guy uses. It's a great way to get pictures of nudes without going to sketchy places. They also have animals, hands and feet, and facial expressions. 

http://artists.pixelovely.com/

If you do about a hour of gestures everyday, or at least some gestures regularly, I guarantee your drawing will improve.

Gestures are so important, especially to animators.It's all about capturing movement quickly. So if your model is moving, draw a gesture. Also, gestures start the structure of your drawing. After you get the gesture down, you can put in more details and refined lines. 

Animators draw gestures ALL the time.

THOSE LINES OF ACTION ARE IMPORTANT!!
I have some gestures of my own. Since I took that animal drawing class, I only have my animal gestures right now. A few were from Petsmart but most were from the pixelovely website.

Oh, I forgot. I always used Youtube videos of animals too. You see, there's no details. Some of these are just a mass of lines. (Those were probably the videos. The animals move so fast.)
Side note: If you want to draw animals, check out How to Draw Animals by Jack Hamm

Very helpful.
Do gestures!
Some tips:
1. Put the line of action down first.
2. Get a vague structure of the whole figure next. (From the top of the head to the toes)
3. Mark joints and important landmarks.
4. Think of body as masses, not lines. (No outlines)
5. Simplify. (You don't have much time!)
That's it. Do gestures everyday! Whenever you have free time, sitting at a bus stop or at a cafe, just take out your sketchbook and start drawing random people. Do it quick or else they'll catch you staring at them. By the way, you should always be carrying a sketchbook around, or at least some pen and paper.
Once you get these gestures down, your drawings will become solid and alive!
It'll be so awesome.
Peace!