Introduction to Gesture Drawing

Feature animation character designer Brooklyn Walker presents her guide to the art of gesture. Learn how to infuse your characters with life and vivacity, with tips and tricks used every day by working professionals.

Have you ever wondered how feature film animators create characters that feel elastic and full of life? Movement and energy are vital to a compelling story, and your best path to creating that energy in your work is through learning the finer details of gesture. Gesture takes stiff, wooden character designs and makes them exciting — and perfect for compelling stories.

In this course, feature animation character designer Brooklyn Walker covers industry tested techniques and exercises you can use to bring life to your characters, including the Flour Sack Method, the Bean and Noodle Method, and many, many more.

This course covers several methods of gesture drawing, with demonstrations by Brooklyn based on image reference. This course does not contain nude models.

The best materials for gesture, and why you need something “forgiving and unforgiving”
The major differences between gesture drawing and figure drawing
Why you need to name every pose before you start
How to do the Flour Sack Method, the Bean and Noodle method, the One Line method, and more
How to recognize and use basic shapes to define your characters
How to use empathy to create more vital, interesting poses
Extrapolation, and the simple technique behind drawing other people’s characters in new poses
How carrying your sketchbook everywhere can supercharge your skills
How to build a compelling gesture portfolio

Watch Intro Video

Video:

Course Trailer

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Brooklyn Walker

Brooklyn Walker is a character designer and illustrator living in Los Angeles, California with her daughter and husband. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 2018 with a BFA in Illustration and is currently designing characters at Sony Pictures Animation. www.brooklynwalkerart.com

1

Introduction
- Course Introduction
- What is Gesture Drawing?
- Naming the Pose
- Practice Exercise: Naming the Pose
- Introduction to Construction Methods
2

Construction Methods Part 1
- Line of Action
- Practice Exercise: Line of Action
- One Line
- Practice Exercise: One Line
- Flour Sack
- Practice Exercise: Flour Sack
- Assignment 1 Introduction
- Assignment 1: Basic Emotions
3

Construction Methods Part 2
- Bean & Noodle
- Practice Exercise: Bean and Noodle
- Basic Shapes
- Practice Exercise: Basic Shapes
- Silhouette
- Practice Exercise: Silhouette
- Negative Shape
- Practice Exercise: Negative Shape
- Assignment 2 Introduction
- Assignment 2: People as Shapes
4

Construction Methods Part 3
- Tornado Drawing
- Practice Exercise: Tornado Drawing
- Drawing Through the Figure
- Practice Exercise: Drawing Through the Figure
- 3 Attempts
- Practice Exercise: 3 Attempts
- Assignment 3 Introduction
- Assignment 3: Weight and Wait
5

Construction Methods Part 4
- Minimalist Gesture
- Practice Exercise: Minimalist Gesture
- Faces and Hands Only
- Practice Exercise: Face and Hands Only
- Assignment 4 Introduction
- Assignment 4: Hands and Feet
6

Construction Methods Part 5
- Empathy
- Practice Exercise: Empathy
- Extrapolation
- Practice Exercise: Extrapolation
- Assignment 5 Introduction
- Assignment 5: Heads
7

Construction Methods Part 6
- Beginning and End of an Action
- Practice Exercise: Beginning and End of an Action
- Models in 360
- Practice Exercise: Models in 360
- Two Figure Interaction
- Practice Exercise: Two Figure Interaction
- Assignment 6 Introduction
- Assignment 6: Two Figure Interaction
8

Conclusion
- 24/7 Sketchbook Challenge
- Final Assignment Introduction
- Final Assignment: Portfolio
- Conclusion
9

Reference Resources
- Children Playing Video Reference
- Male Swimsuit Part 1
- Male Swimsuit Part 2
- Male Swimsuit Part 3
- 360 Male Swimsuit
- Male Clothed Part 1
- Male Clothed Part 2
- 360 Male Clothed
- 2 Figure Part 1
- 2 Figure Part 2
- 2 Figure Part 3
- 2 Figure Part 4
- 2 Figure Part 5
- Female Swimsuit Part 1
- Female Swimsuit Part 2
- Female Swimsuit Part 3
- Female Swimsuit Part 4
- Female Swimsuit Part 5
- Female Swimsuit Part 6
- 360 Female Swimsuit Part 1
- 360 Female Swimsuit Part 2
- Female Clothed Part 1
- Female Clothed Part 2
- Female Clothed Part 3
- Female Clothed Part 4
- Female Clothed Part 5
- 360 Female Clothed Part 1
- 360 Female Clothed Part 2
- Additional external resource:

1000+

non-nude model photos to draw from
20+

downloadable practice exercises and assignments so you can master the art of gesture
30

videos with nearly 2 hours of instruction and demonstration

Intro to Gesture Drawing is Amazing!

Charity Munoz

Being a person who tends to draw very tight and tense at the start, this class not only gave me ways to immediately have my drawings be more relaxed and simp...

Being a person who tends to draw very tight and tense at the start, this class not only gave me ways to immediately have my drawings be more relaxed and simplified, but was so thorough in the covering of all the ways to simplify and think about each drawing, that it cast them all in new light for me. Thank you so much! A game-changer class that I will definitely be coming back to after I spend more time practicing the recommendations given.

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A Fantastic Course!

Joseph Buenning

Brookyln's course is fantastic for anybody wanting to learn about gesture and even character design. I really enjoy seeing her process and I'm grateful for h...

Brookyln's course is fantastic for anybody wanting to learn about gesture and even character design. I really enjoy seeing her process and I'm grateful for her sharing different approaches to constructing gesture drawings. Another thing I'm loving about this course is seeing how decisive Brooklyn is with her lines--everything has a purpose! Fantastic course and thank you for making this available to everyone!

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