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Dynamic Gesture Drawing

In this 9-week course with master draftsperson Glenn Vilppu, you will learn a drawing approach rooted in the Renaissance tradition yet applicable today in the world of fine art, animation, and illustration. Glenn will lecture on the concepts of gesture and rendering that will aid in the development of your figure drawings. Using a variety of drawing mediums, you will gain the knowledge needed to break down complex forms into simpler ideas, and at the same time, better your understanding of the human anatomy. Through Old Master analysis, you will examine the concepts presented in Glenn's lectures. This course will provide you with the real-time practice needed to take your figure drawings to new heights.

9 Lessons 20h 4m 2s of videos

In week one, Glenn covers the foundation of figure drawing: the gesture. You will learn the origin and main principles of gesture through Glenn’s lectures.  Glenn will illustrate these concepts in several demonstrations, using a variety of different tools.

In week three, Glenn will break down the use of spherical forms in gestures. You will learn how spherical shapes act as building blocks in your gesture drawings. Glenn will analyze Old Masters works and examine their use of spheres, followed by several demonstrations constructing the spherical forms from the figure.

In week four, Glenn will lecture on box forms. You will learn how to deconstruct complex anatomy into simple boxes to help you understand the three-dimensionality and twists of the figure. Glenn will give an analysis of Old Master drawings.

In week six, Glenn teaches you the basic procedure for creating a dynamic figure drawing. You will learn how to combine gestures, spheres, boxes, and cylinders in your drawing process. Glenn will then illustrate these concepts in a figure drawing demonstration.

In week seven, you will watch Glenn explain the process of modeling tone in figure drawing. Glenn will show you how the Old Masters described forms through an illustrative tone. Next, you will get a chance to apply what you’ve learned in a timed figure drawing assignment.

Common Questions

Is this course beginner friendly?

This course is appropriate for the intermediate level.

Are there any assignments in this course?

This course includes downloadable assignment PDFs, that help you practice the materials taught by instructor Glenn Vilppu. Keeping up with these assignments will maximize your learning outcomes.

What materials do I need to get for this course?

A material PDF list is linked in each lesson under the description. Please check the file to see what you need to prepare.

Can I do this course digitally, using Photoshop or Procreate?

All New Masters Academy courses are designed to be done traditionally or digitally. Software changes constantly, but the fundamentals stay the same. It will be up to you to translate the information that you are learning to your software of choice.