Term
Gesture
Meaning
A gesture drawing is a very fast sketch that records the movement, balance and attitude of a pose instead of its details. It matters because a figure built from the whole pose first looks alive, while one assembled from finished parts looks stiff. Typical gestures last from about thirty seconds to a few minutes, and they are drawn loosely with big arm movements. A good gesture reads like a handwritten note about what the body is doing, and it is the framework on which anatomy knowledge is later placed. See also: Line of action, Contrapposto, Mannequin and the guide "Gesture Drawing for Beginners: Capturing Movement Before Detail".