Figure Gesture Drawings

Oksana started drawing figure at the end of 2017. Majority of these drawings were created during life drawing sessions at TSoFA studio from model. Oksana prefers to use willow charcoal for figure gesture drawings as it’s the softest and most easily movable media. Her favorite paper for practice is 18 x 24 rough newsprint. However, she used any other available paper such as construction paper or anything with rough texture. These drawings are called gestures, because they’re meant to capture movement of a fleeting pose. During these life drawing sessions, the model would first pose for 2 minutes, then for 5 minutes and so on with the longest pose of 20 minutes. Therefore, all of these drawings are pretty quick and rough. Some of these Oksana uses as reference for more detailed drawings.

In this charcoal drawing on toned warm gray paper, a female figure is seen from the back. She’s slightly turned to the left and her head is turned in the same direction. The head is not very detailed, but puffy hair is suggested. Her arms are brough together in relaxed way behind her back. Her feet stand firmly on the ground.

Drawing of Female Figure from the Back

I drew this female figure using charcoal on toned Canson paper. It has a fair amount of detail for a quick gesture. My favorite part of this drawing is the footing and placement on the ground. 2019

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This is a charcoal drawing on gray toned paper. Depicted here is a model sitting on the wooden drawing bench covered in fabric. She’s sitting with one leg on the floor, and the other one bent in the knee and resting on the bench. Her bent knee is partially covering her torso. She’s looking to the left, away from the viewer, but her body is facing almost straight on.

Drawing of Sitting Female Figure

In this charcoal drawing, I tried to capture the model and surroundings. Drawing a model without whatever she’s sitting on produces an awkward pose, so it’s important to capture the seat as well. This time, the model was sitting on a wooden drawing bench and fabric. Overall, I’m happy with the perspective, but composition could…

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Charcoal drawing of a standing female figure depicted from the back and slightly turned, so that her side is showing too. She stands with her weight on the left leg, the right leg is relaxed and disappears into the paper. Her left arm is relaxed and resting at her thigh, and her right hand is resting on her head. The right elbow also disappears into the page, making her father limbs less detailed.

Standing Figure from a Side Drawing

Here, the model is positioned at an angle, so that her back and side are visible. She stands with all her weight on one leg, and the other one is relaxed. Model’s hand is resting on her head, but it seems as if her back limbs disappear into nothingness. 2019

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Depicted in this charcoal drawing is a female figure laying on her back with feet bent in the knees and up on a wooden bench.

Reclined Female Figure Gesture Drawing

This charcoal gesture drawing captures reclined female figure. She’s lying on her back with her legs bent in the knees and up on a wooden bench. The drawing indicates overall pose and focuses more on details such as hands. 2019

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In this charcoal drawing depicted is a female figure. She’s standing with all her weight on the right leg, and left leg is just used for balance. Her right leg is indicated by two lines a little bit of shading, but her foot is not drawn at all. The figure is half-turned, we can see her side and partially front. Her head is looking to the right, her arms are resting on her right hip. Her medium length hair is up in a ponytail. The paper is light gray.

Female Figure Gesture Drawing

In this gesture drawing, female figure stands with all her weight on the right leg, and the left leg is used for balance. Most often, I use willow charcoal for gesture, but here I also used conte. I like the pose, but some things could be improved. I left the right leg unfinished, and I…

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This charcoal drawing depicts a male figure sitting in a wooden chair with armrests. The seat in the chair is cushioned. The figure is shifted to the right, along with his gaze. He has long hair gathered in a bun. Figure’s right leg is bent and up on the chair, while the left leg is on the floor. His right arm is resting on his right knee, and the left arm is on his hip. The paper is light gray.

Drawing of Male Figure Sitting in a Chair

In this drawing, I like the sharpness of angles in the figure and the way the chair turned out. Normally, chairs are left to the last and get nearly no consideration. However, this was a longer pose, so I spent some time on both the figure and the chair. At some point, I might even…

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This drawing is done in charcoal on light gray paper. This gesture captures a sitting female figure. Her torso is turned toward the viewer, but her head is tilted away and to the right. She’s hugging one knee, while her other leg rests on the floor.

Female Figure Sitting and Hugging a Knee

Sitting poses are much harder for me to capture as there are more overlaps. There are parts of this drawing that I like, and parts that I want to correct. But then again, that’s how I feel about most of my drawings! 😁

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This charcoal drawing on blue paper depicts a female figure in a standing pose from a side. She is half-turned towards the viewer with her head facing left and her right arm holding onto a balance rig. The rig is not visible and right hand is cut off in this drawing. Her legs are crossed with the right leg bent and in front of the straight left leg.

Gesture Drawing of Standing Female Figure

My favorite medium for gesture drawings is a thick willow charcoal stick. I like that it can be used to make either thin lines with the tip, or broad strokes with the side. This quick gesture drawing depicts female figure from a side with the legs crossed. This pose is quite difficult to portray as…

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Depicted in this charcoal drawing on dark blue paper is a female figure from the side. She's looking to the left while placing her arms on a stool behind her.

Standing Female Figure on Blue Paper

Normally, I use newsprint paper for gesture, but occasionally I feel like adding some color with toned paper. I used blue Canson Mi-Teintes paper for this drawing. However, I think it’s a little too dark for charcoal alone. Still, it’s a good practice and experiment!

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This drawing is done using a mix of sanguine and charcoal on dark-gray toned paper. Depicted here is a female figure leaning on a stool with one arm up. The other arm is supporting the body on the stool. One leg is on the floor, and the other one is bent and rests on the stool's structure. The figure is turned slightly to the left and facing in the same direction.

Drawing of Kia Leaning on a Stool

I don’t mention model’s name most of the time. However, as I look at these drawings, I realize that I recognize the models. So I’ll try to mention them from now on if that’s the case. I’m actually surprised, I recognize them as I never aim for likeness with these drawings. Rather, I try to…

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This is a sanguine drawing on tan toned paper. It depicts a female figure sitting in the chair with one knee bent and the foot standing on the edge of the chair. The other leg is touching the floor. The figure is frontally facing the viewer and looking to the left. The drawing is rather rough and in the early stages.

Female Figure Sitting in the Chair

Here’s another sanguine drawing of a female figure. This time, she’s sitting in a chair. I like the upward direction the pose is giving to the drawing, but I’m not entirely happy with the chair perspective. Still, it’s a good practice drawing and I think I captured the gesture of the pose well. I used…

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A nude female figure is depicted in this drawing. She's sitting on a stool facing the viewer with her body and looking to the right with her head. The drawing is done in sanguine on tan toned paper. It is a quick and rather rough gesture drawing.

Sanguine Drawing of Sitting Female Figure

All of the previous gesture drawings I posted were done with charcoal. But here’s a sanguine drawing! Most of the time, I use willow or vine charcoal for gesture drawing. Occasionally, I use sanguine such as Pipo’s chalk or Conte. It is a less forgiving material, but I do like the look and it allows…

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