Todays gesture studies. tried to limit brush strokes and stick to the CSI rule

Hey matt, You got some great advise from @Patrick Bosworth, I would follow what he showed you exactly. I wanted to show you how you could take what he sketched for you and add some structure to it, I hope it helps :)

Hey @matt barton! Nice start here! A few things to consider, the gesture is looking pretty stiff, the proportions could use some tweaking. First, gesture- Your character is stacked upright (almost right against your vertical head measurements) which makes him feel like he's standing up straight, balancing on a tight rope, or he's been caught and is surrendering. You can really push the centerline of the body into a fluid S curve for a more graceful flow to the body which sells an upward flying momentum. Same with the limbs, they're pretty straight and stiff, you can push more curve into the overall flow of the arms, and consider leaning on more asymmetric poses to add some more dynamics to your character. Proportionally the head is a little large for the chest/frame, and the legs and arms feel a little squat for "Heroic" proportions. Especially with the low angle you're viewing this character from you could lengthen the legs a bit to sell the idea that the figure is flying above the viewer. Take a look at "Heroic" proportions from Loomis and you can see the head stays relatively the same size, but the chest, hands, arms and legs are much bigger adding to the imposing presence. Another thing to consider is the overall storytelling of your pose/costume. The cape is a bit inactive, and the hands could tell more of a story. The open hands suggest a peaceful, welcoming character, but if this is a threatening or commanding character, you could use those hands to convey a sense of power and control over their surroundings. The cape is a dramatic element to include for a character and you can use that to also sell the idea of flight, power, and movement. I hope this helps! Keep up the good work! Looking forward to seeing this one cross the finish line!

Hey Matt, It's easier to just show you than to explain it. I did a quick diagram that I hope will help, let me know if you have any questions :)

Cool work :) A tip I would like to add is to watch out for the "snowman effect", which is basically symmetry on parallel sides. It seems to be most prevalent around the arms and legs, with a bit for the center of the midriff too. To fix it, keep an eye out for the natural rhythms of the human body, as often times they will fall more on an alternating rhythm or curve-against-straight pattern. I think you could also benefit from creating more straight lines/edges overall to make the drawing more dynamic rather than all round shapes. As for anatomy, I would recommend slimming down the neck as usually it's not wider than the head, especially not for women or unless the model is a bodybuilder. The pec area also seems a bit unaligned. I see you have a curve for the torso bending backwards, but the breasts seem more 2D facing the towards center rather than following the structure of the torso and sitting on top of the pecs, which would make them face more towards the left of the page and overlapping. Hope this helps :)