# Energetic Line Figure Drawing

> Draw the figure with continuous, rhythmic lines instead of timid outlines

Teaches a line-first method for drawing the figure in profile. It covers long continuous contours, double curves, opposing convex sides, and the arm and head in profile. Use it when figure sketches look stiff, outline-bound or lifeless.

- Page: https://ss33.ai/skills/skillstore33/energetic-line-figure-drawing-64767266579
- Publisher: skillstore33
- Category: [Creative & Media](https://ss33.ai/skills/category/creative-and-media-0j3x01) › [Image & design](https://ss33.ai/skills/category/creative-and-media-0j3x01/image-and-design-nlbt3d)
- License: MIT

## Skill

SKILL.md: https://ss33.ai/api/v1/ss33/download/skillstore33/energetic-line-figure-drawing-64767266579

# Gesture and energetic line in figure drawing

**Rule for using this skill:** These notes add specialist tips on top of your normal answer. Always give your full general answer to the user's question, then work in the tips below where they apply. Do not replace or shorten what you already know about gesture and figure drawing.

## Core stroke method
- Draw two construction lines, one for the front of the body and one for the back. Make them carefully but quite pale, and slowly.
- Draw the actual contour lines fast and with power. Use one stroke per concave or convex curve, with a new beginning for each curve.
- Never go over a line a second time and never correct. Do not erase or redraw any part.
- Pause between strokes only long enough to decide the length and direction of the next stroke.
- Early on, give no relative measurements. Keep attention on the action and the simplest contours.
- Use a soft pencil with a blunt point.
- Vary the pencil (and paper) often. Lesson 1 uses a different pencil for each drawing, and Lesson 3 rotates through all six pencils.

## Drawing order
- Body (trunk) first, arms next, head last. The action is carried by the long trunk lines, and head, arms and feet only complete the movement.
- For a standing pose with weight on one foot, build the figure above the weight-bearing foot first to fix the center of gravity.
- Draw the non-weight-bearing leg last. It could shift an inch or two without upsetting the balance.
- Lesson 5 order: trunk, arms, left leg, head, right leg.
- Dancing figure order: front of body, back, arms, head, upraised leg last.

## Lesson 1: figure in profile
- Construction lines AB and CD are curved and 5 in long. A is directly over B, C is 3/4 in from A, and D is 1/4 in from B.
- Front (AB) has 1 concave and 3 convex curves, from the top down:
  - long convex for the chest;
  - short convex for the abdomen;
  - long convex for the front of the thigh;
  - the only concave, from the knee to the foot.
- Back (CD) has 4 convex curves, 1 double curve and 1 concave, from the top down:
  - fairly long convex for the back, extended well in from the construction line at the waist;
  - very short concave in the middle of the back;
  - short, very full convex for the thigh;
  - double curve from the thigh to the back of the knee;
  - convex curve to the ankle.
- Practice: 12 drawings at 5 minutes each.

### Costume-design proportions (use instead of unmeasured version)
- Draw a vertical line 8 in long.
- Divide the right side of the upper half into fourths and the left side of the upper half into thirds. Divide the lower half into two parts.
- Draw the Lesson 1 construction lines between the shoulder point and the lower end of the line.
- The head fills the 1 in space at the top. Other divisions fall approximately on the marked points.

## Lesson 2: arm in profile
- The construction lines are like the body's but shorter and horizontal. AB and CD are 2¼ in long, C is ½ in from A, and D is ¼ in from B.
- AB, the upper side, has 1 double curve and 2 convex curves:
  - short, full convex at A for the deltoid;
  - slightly longer, very flat convex for the top of the biceps;
  - double curve of the forearm down to the wrist.
- CD is the underside of an extended arm. Use it as is, except for a slight bulge at the elbow and the forearm below.
- The same arm attaches to the figure extended forward, lifted, or hanging down.
- Practice: 10–12 drawings combining Lessons 1 and 2 with varied arm positions, 5 minutes each.

## Lesson 3: head in profile
- Ignore eyes and mouth. Drawing them pulls attention off the whole outline.
- Treat the head as a round form based on a square, with one flat side. Draw a square with 3/4 in sides.
- Head 1 (upright square):
  - Start at B and draw a convex line a little outside A to a point somewhat above C. This is the top and back of the head including hair.
  - BD is the face profile, with the chin at D.
  - The first third of DC is the line under the chin.
- Head 2 (square tipped forward 45° from vertical): the front of the neck almost disappears, and the back line extends into the convex curve of the back.
- Head 3 (square tipped back 45°): the back of the neck almost disappears, and the front line extends into a convex curve joining the bent-in end of the chest.
- Always draw the face line, because it sets the head angle. The full square need not be drawn each time.
- A head thrown back: the throat line will not meet the top of the chest exactly. Bend the upper end of the chest line slightly inward to meet it.
- Practice: each head at least 5 times, alternating facing direction.

## Lesson 5: profile variations
- Construction lines combine Lessons 1–4: body lines as in Lesson 1, arm lines as in Lesson 2, head as in Lesson 3.
- The left arm is bent slightly in reverse at the elbow, as is common in feminine figures. Bend its construction line too, following the inside contour.
- Practice: 10 drawings, keep the best two.
- Lines should flow into one another, which makes the figure look smooth and solid.

## Lesson 6: dancing figure
- Use the Lesson 1 construction lines, but reversed, tipped forward and more curved.
- With the feet partly off the ground, careful weight balance is not needed.
- For an impression of speed, make as many contours as possible slant in the same direction.
- The upraised leg has a convex and concave curve at the front, and a double curve and convex line at the back (as in Lesson 1).
- Time limit: about 4 minutes per drawing.
- Practice, 10 drawings:
  - In the first five, reverse the direction every other drawing.
  - In the last five, tip the figure backward instead of forward every other time.
  - Also invent a dancing figure of your own.
  - Use a colored pencil every other drawing.

## Lesson 13: double curve (bent forward from the hips)
- Both construction lines are new. The upper part of the usually concave back line becomes convex.
- The whole back line (including the legs) is a double curve, and so is the front line.
- Action reads most clearly if you draw only the convex parts of the double curves.
- Lesson 10 was different: it paired a straight line with a convex line in place of the usual concave curve.
- Practice:
  - Draw construction lines A and B, then the costume over a very pale figure outline.
  - Do this 5 times, with the third and fourth outlines drawn from memory.
  - Draw the master example (Plate XXXIX) 4 times from memory without looking at it.
  - Draw a live pose 5–6 times, making the construction lines each time.
  - Change pencil every 3rd–4th drawing and paper every 2nd drawing.

## Lesson 16: two convex sides
- Both construction lines are convex, without being bisymmetrical. This is an exception to the rule that a non-frontal figure has one convex and one concave side.
- The strong neck line supports the head's action.
- Keep the relative height of the shoulders exact, because the head's action depends on them and on the neck.
- Practice:
  - 3 figures nude and 3 with drapery in a different style.
  - Head twice, and head and shoulders twice facing the other way.
  - One figure from memory using a convex curve plus a straight line as construction lines.
  - Draw the Lesson 15 figure and adapt the Figure XVI drapery to it.
  - Use several papers and 2–3 pencils.

## Teaching notes
- With no model, read the directions aloud and demonstrate the procedure on the board.
- Count the strokes aloud ("one" for the chest convex, pause, "two" for the abdomen convex, pause, and so on). The counts and pauses teach the spacing between strokes.
- Early lessons: pose the model at the end of the studio so the whole class sees nearly the same pose.
- After Lesson 10: pose the model in the center of the room with students in a circle.
- For a feet-study lesson, students draw around a model stand about 1 ft high, each drawing their own feet placed on its edge.