At life drawing sessions, we often get to do warm up exercises, starting from a few 2 minutes poses, then a few 5 minutes poses.
But away from life drawing, it never crossed my mind to do warm up exercises. When my art teacher asked if we do warm up exercises, the answer was “no” from most (if not all) of the students.
According to my teacher, hands are the next best thing to having models. He suggested that we draw them from different angles and positions.
Other warm up exercises that I have come across includes contour drawing, quick sketches, scribbles and drawing 3-dimensional forms.
(I am making a mental note to do warm up exercises - I forget most of the time.)
Do you warm up? What is your favourite technique?
14 comments:
I remember doing warm up exercises when I did Art at college, We did hands, and lines.
Hi Diane
Hand are fun aren't they! I did lots of contour drawings at art school. Ev
Hi, Evelyn,
I move around my favorite hand on paper lots and quickly without thinking.
Cheers, Sadami
you are great with hands!
Sadami-san
Yeah, hands are good fun to draw. Difficult and challenging at times :).
Ev
Christine
Thanks for the compliment. Hands are accessible when I run out of subjects to draw. I have had a bit of practise but there is lots of room for improvement :).
Cheers, Ev
you are great artist!
Hi Wenn
:) Thanks. I am still learning; you are too kind!
Evelyn
This is fascinating. It sounds a lot more fun that what we have to do. In Etegami our warming up exercise is to paint line after line after line with our sumi brushes. (yawn) We have to take a full minute or more to move the brush across the coarse paper TEN CENTIMETERS (4 inches). This is so that the lines become wobbly from the friction between the brush and the paper, the shaking of your arms, and the beating of your heart. Wobbly lines are called "living lines."
A firm yes. Not only to loosen up, but to lighten up and go into my "serious" work less seriously. I've drawn my left hand many times--so many I have no fear of hands at all.
I use watercolor for warm up purposes or charcoal. They are gestural mediums to me. Contour was never a favorite. I always peeked:-))
Hi Debbie
Hi Debbie, that's very interesting that wobbly is good - I guess that's character. This has nothing to do with warm up but my teacher used to say that if we draw "slowly", our lines become more deliberate and becomes like a signature.
Evelyn
Hi Linda
Me too - I used to be afraid of drawing hands - now, it's fun. My left hand has been drawn many times, and have saved me from boredom many times :).
Evelyn
Hi Evelyn
I love your Hand drawings, they are brilliant. yes I often draw mine. Even so I find that they are one of the hardest things to draw but great
fun. All the best Evelyn.
Vic.
Thanks Vic. They are great fun :), Ev
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