PoseTokiPoseToki · Drawing guide
Gesture drawing for beginners: a 10-minute figure exercise
You do not need to finish every contour when you start gesture drawing. This exercise uses two sets of five 1-minute poses: ten minutes of drawing. In the first set, observe the big shapes; in the second, look for what supports the body.
Prepare: choose an observation goal
Take paper and a pencil; leave the eraser aside for now. In the studio choose Standing & weight shift, 1 minute and 5 poses. Your task is to notice the big shapes and supports, rather than produce a finished illustration.
First five minutes: three big shapes
Spend the first ten seconds of each pose just looking. Mark the head and feet with small points. Place the rib cage and pelvis as simple shapes pointing in the directions you see. Connect arms and legs with long axes. Leave out faces, fingers and clothing folds.
Next five minutes: find what carries the weight
Start another set with the same settings. Mark where the feet touch the ground before drawing the body. Which leg supports the torso? Record shoulder and hip angles with two short lines. Move to a fresh space when the next pose appears, rather than correcting the previous drawing.
After drawing: compare only two studies
Choose one study from each set. Cover the face and hands: is the pose still readable? Does the torso connect to its supporting foot? Did you accidentally make the shoulders and hips parallel? Review time is additional to the ten minutes of drawing. Pick just one goal for your next session.
When time is short or the pose looks stiff
Switch to three minutes if one minute is too short, but still begin with the same big structure. If your drawing looks stiff, draw one line from the head through the pelvis to the supporting foot before outlining it. Recheck the contact points and shoulder angles rather than guessing from a tilted view of the photo.
What belongs in 30 seconds, one minute or three minutes?
| Time | Observation goal | What to keep |
|---|---|---|
| 30 sec | Gesture, head and foot positions | One line makes the overall direction readable. |
| 1 min | Rib cage, pelvis and supporting foot | Shoulder–hip angles and the weight-bearing leg are distinct. |
| 3 min | Proportion, rotation and overlap | Check joints and overlap while keeping the big structure. |
Start the first set: 1 minute × 5
Fingers, feet, joints and proportions may contain generation errors. Use these references alongside observation of real people, rather than as an anatomy answer key. Report an image issue with its pose ID through the public contact channel on the operation page.
Start the first set: 1 minute × 5 →Look more closely at one pose
After the basic guide, study one structure at a time in real pose references. Each lesson includes 30-second, 1-minute, and 3-minute tasks plus review questions.