Capturing Motion in Observational Drawing

Life drawing, contrary to popular belief, is not about creating the most realistic drawing possible, but is instead more about capturing the essence and personality of a person in as simple and effective a way as possible. In Life drawing motion can be implied through the posture of a model and the media in which the artist chooses to interpret them.

Some of my Life Drawings which communicate movement

Media can be a deciding factor in whether a drawing communicates motion, for example, by using more loose media such as charcoal sticks and graphite pencils with their less defined, sketchier lines, the artists can more effectively communicate a sense of movement in their observational drawings, when coupled with dynamic poses. Media such as charcoal has a certain impermanence and texture to it, something that is lost when using more permanent media such as ink pens, and this impermanence gives a sort of illusion of movement through a space when coupled with unrefined scratchy lines.

Another factor that can give life drawings the illusion of motion is in the posture and body language of the model. Obviously, its impossible to capture movement in a model if they're just standing statically, but movement can be implied through posture and gesturing. It is estimated that up to 30% of communication is non-verbal, communicated through body language and gestures, so in order to communicate movement effectively, one must observe the more subtle nuances of motion and the way parts of the body react during movement. For example, some of the principles of Animation can be implemented in this context, such as squash and stretch as well as secondary motion. It is important to keep in mind every movement in the body has an equal and opposite reaction, such as when one shoulder is raised, the other moves downwards.