Gesture Drawing Poses

Free Reference For Beginners

Gesture drawing poses – examples of moments or interactions for practice. This are what I’d classify as “light” dynamic poses.
If you want more kinetic action check out the categories below for those pose pages.

• Dramatic • Floating • Kissing

Dramatic Drawing Poses

gesture drawing pose for figure body anime and manga reference dramatic magic female woman girl base

gesture drawing pose reference girl dramatic choking boy female strangle male woman man manga anime base couple 2 people

gesture drawing pose for figure body anime and manga reference dramatic magic man boy male base

Floating Drawing Poses

gesture drawing pose for figure body anime and manga reference floating flying man male boy superhero base

gesture drawing pose for figure body anime and manga reference floating flying woman female girl superhero base

Kissing Drawing Bases

gesture drawing pose for figure body anime and manga reference 2 people duo romantic kissing coulpe BL yaoi gay lgbt base

gesture drawing pose for figure body anime and manga reference 2 people duo romantic kissing coulpe GL yuri gay lgbt base

Drawing Gesture Poses Tips:

Practice Often In Small Amounts

The best way to practice is the way that gets the best results with the least amount of energy spent. Studies on how humans learn shows that way is in small frequent amounts. So if you’re interested in making the most progress on your figures, you should do a single pose sketch every day, just 5-10 minutes.

It keeps you fresh and keeps burnout at bay. Don’t cram learning your figures. It slows your progress in the long run and drains your excitement.

Use A Reference

If you’re feeling lost, use a reference example. Don’t just guess how to draw something. If you have to guess you are very likely going to draw it wrong. When you have to guess, you actually lose twice. You get a less strong artistic result and you’ve learned nothing.

When you don’t know how to draw something, look it up. It’s a great signal and chance to expand your visual library. Take advantage of what you don’t know so your art can grow.

Keep It Simple

When working with gestures, poses, figures, or references a huge mistake newer artists make is getting too detailed too fast. If you’re practicing the sketch only need to get the placement and proportions right in a loose sketch – that’s all you need to benefit from the practice. If your goal is to lay the foundation for a finished piece, don’t get lost in the weeds before you’ve designed the garden. Keep it loose and don’t commit to anything until you get the pose right.

You can use these examples I’ve made to help get you started right (or just get some ideas). The sketch is the most important part of your character art. If you can’t nail the rough idea you’ll never nail the polished idea.

Drawing Pose Categories:

Anime Pose Categories:

Back to pose categories <<