Project - Rhythms

6.6K
Course In Progress

Project - Rhythms

6.6K
Course In Progress

It’s time to draw the figure! Use the rhythms method I showed in the previous lesson to draw the poses from the photo references in the downloads tab.

Deadline for submissions to be included in the video critique is 10/6/2023.

  • Capture the gesture of each pose using rhythms.
  • Spend at least 5 minutes on each pose, ideally 1-2 hours per session. Take breaks as needed.
  • Shoot for accurate proportions by eyeballing placement of the rhythms. Have an idea of where the line will end before you execute the line.
  • Use the the template as a starting point, but observe the pose. Remember that each pose might have some of their own unique rhythms that differ from the template I proposed. This will develop your own rhythms over time.
  • Balance loose, energetic lines with more committed singular lines. Don't let it get too messy. Consider what we've learned about line quality.

Level 2

There are a few ways to make this more challenging. Mix and match based on your comfort and experience.

  • Set a timer for 5 minutes to force yourself to draw only the most important rhythms.
  • If that's too easy, go for 3 minutes.
  • Practice developing the overhand grip.
  • Try charcoal pencils (sharpened like a bullet) on newsprint paper.
  • Add another layer of smaller rhythms indicating the muscle masses. You can add some time to the clock.
Newest
Bruno Akune
so far only had time to do 10-15 min rhythm drawings. Maybe next time I will do a longer drawing, if time allows
Mal
18h
I have a bad habit of erasing. I should have done these using black colored pencil. My least favorite is the man in the middle.
Alison Shelton
Help please. I am very frustrated. I decided to go big and draw on newsprint with charcoal paper. No matter how much I try to pre plan, I keep running out of room. I admit that this is not a new issue to me but it seems to be amplified on this larger paper. I should probably mention that I usually draw lying down because of my severe dysautonomia, being upright gives me vertigo. Newsprint is big and forces me to sit up. However, I would like to be able to do quick draw sessions sitting up with breaks between sessions. I might ask my family to build me something someday to get around this. Also, I really believe I have skill issues that can be improved . Any suggestions? Even though I am embarrassed, here is what I have done so far. It’s not all bad. I feel like the overhand grip is becoming more natural.
Alison Shelton
After the demo and the tips I received, I tried 2 on 9/x 12 paper. They are messy but already better than before. Now I just need to do about 1000 or so more.
Melanie Scearce
Hello @Alison Shelton! Thanks for sharing your work. You found some nice gesture in these, especially in #4. The long line that you found from the top of the head to the left knee and the alternating rhythms on the right leg are lovely. One thing that you might try if you haven't already is the envelope method, where you lightly lay in guidelines around your subject. You may not get the proportions right at first so keep your lines light and work out the overall shape before you move into more specific shapes. This should help you keep your image not only on the page, but centered exactly where you want it to be. It's difficult drawing larger so give yourself some grace and don't get too frustrated with yourself! I also wanted to share this image of Frida Kahlo painting one of her still lives in her bed. I'm sure you can figure out some kind of set up that makes drawing more comfortable for you. Good luck with your studies 🍀
Rachel Dawn Owens
I really like your drawings. How big is your paper exactly?
@yearly7777
My head hurts. I gotta do more of this and improve my line quality with fast drawings. Let me know if I did something wrong :]
Melanie Scearce
'Wrong' is kinda subjective when you're dealing with rhythms. It's an idea rather than what's anatomically accurate, and your ideas will be different than someone else's -- specifically what you want to communicate in your drawing and what design choices you make to convey that. I think something you can try that will help you continue to design good rhythms is to focus on pulling longer lines. Instead of making up a line with a bunch of smaller strokes, which can result in stiffness and may make you too attentive to unnecessary detail, think of ways that you can connect forms with a CSI line. You may need to slow down a bit to give yourself time to make these decisions but that's ok! These are good drawings. You definitely have the right idea. Keep it up!
@yearly7777
My head hurts. I gotta do more of this and improve my line quality with fast drawings. Let me know if I did something wrong :]
@yoyoy12
7d
I decided to return to Proko after a significant break. I continued drawing and wanted to know at what level I could perform this exercise.
Rachel Dawn Owens
This is perfect for this exercise! These are very solid gesture drawings!
Marcin Ch
Hey all, Here are my results! I started out following the tips from Stan and Mike (graphite and charcoal drawings), but I wasn’t too happy with how they turned out. I kept feeling like I was missing something important — how to actually move through the body. So I went back and read the first chapters of Mike’s FORCE book, and it really clicked for me. I’m really enjoying this approach and exploring rhythms and poses now. You can see the results in the digital sketches — I’d really appreciate any feedback on whether it’s the right direction or any pointers you might have.
Rachel Dawn Owens
All these drawings have so much energy! Great gesture drawings!
Michael Longhurst
Really nice to look at. I like the differences in line weights. You can really feel the motion in them.
Evander
11d
My attempt on this project. I'm not as confident on this one but I tried my best not to overthink what lines I should use for each pose. Feedback is appreciated.
Melanie Scearce
I think you did a good job staying loose/not overthinking, and supporting the overall gesture of each pose with smaller rhythms. Your lines get a bit scratchy in some areas but look pretty good on the whole. Also love the way you've set up your pages, these are fun layouts to look at. Nice work :)
Sofy
10d
Very nice!
@bezet
14d
It was difficult. I noticed that my mind tends to flatten all curves and straighten all angles, and when it comes to proportions, it can't trust my eyes (“there's no way those legs are that long,” “the torso should be much longer” :D). I definitely need to do more of these.
@bezet
9d
Few more.
Flo
14d
Not sure I'm the best judge, but I really like the sketch of the woman looking over her shoulder.
Daniel Divinus
My first few suffered from long torsos and short legs. Towards the end I started to get a little better. So guess I’ll need to do a few more of these.
C. A. Corbell
I did all 24 of these because I know I need lots more practice... Here are six of them, critique/encouragement welcome!
Flo
18d
I'm having a hard time with this assignment. I can't get the proportions right, and it's taking so much of my focus that other aspects of the task are falling short. Honestly, I don't enjoy figure drawing, but I can see that I definitely need more practice and should make it a regular habit. Also, it takes me much longer than 5 to 10 minutes to draw a single pose. Should I be stricter with the time limit?
Flo
18d
Forgot to attach the drawings...
@lynnare
19d
Fun assignment! I feel like I constructed them a bit too much but it helped a lot with proportions and cleanliness. Tried to put some dynamic lines directly as Stan does with a few (last image) but they all turned out way more off looking. Already curious about the demo as always.
C. A. Corbell
These are great!
Youssef Ateya
Hi, this is just some of the drawings that I did for the rhythm chapter and I don't know. I feel so confused because I have tried a lot to capture how proko does it but I always fall back and when I draw at the end I got back to using graphite instead of charcoal because I tried charcoal for some of them and I cannot get this like line control line weight control with it. I sometimes I get it but sometimes it just doesn't and it's super frustrating to just not get this hand eye coordination and get accurate proportion like sometimes it feels either I get proportions right? Or I get the line weight right? And if I just can't get like for example draw so fast because sometimes I tried the force method and it's just if I draw fast. I don't get good line quality. If I draw slow I get a good line quality but not the good proportions. If I drow slow and concentrate on the proportion I get good proportions but the line quality is not that much. It's just a mix of weird things and I don't know how to fix it and what's wrong. And yeah, if anyone has a critique or something to help with what I said I would gladly hear it
Sofy
19d
Really nice work! I think most of the time it’s easier for us to see mistakes, than to see what we actually do right. Especially when there’s no physical teacher to give feedback. That’s why it’s great that these lessons focus on one concept at a time. So, it’s obviously easier said than done, but I would try to ignore everything else except the rhythms and accept that this is like doing push-ups but for drawing.
Melanie Scearce
You're absolutely on the right track, @Youssef Ateya! What you're describing sounds like a very common experience of anyone who is on the journey of learning how to draw well. The more you practice the more consistency you'll see. I'm glad you included multiple drawings of the same pose here because the proof that you're heading in the right direction is in the improvement between the two drawings. It's clear which drawings have the more thoughtfully designed rhythms between the two attempts. They are stunning and full of energy! Don't let the frustrations of not getting it every time stop you from trying. There are some really beautiful moments in these drawings. The best thing you can do is analyze each drawing when you're finished -- one or two things that you did well, one or two things that you want to work on moving forward -- and keep going.
@silver847
25d
This was really hard. I think I did okay, but I’m not sure. I’m going to watch the demo and then attempt more.
Thomas Nolan II
Anatomy is hard haha. I predict my classmates and I that will be putting this aside for months will become rather rusty and have to come back to these videos to rediscover a rhythmic groove. Most of these are with Proko demos so need to practice on more models independently.
@ironfern
28d
Hi! This is my submission for the assignment! This was quite the challenge! Especially finishing the pose in 5 minutes. They were super fun to do though! I'd appreciate any feedback! Thank you!
@chrisdzy
1mo
Bruhh… Hashtag humbled by the overhand grip smh. Here’s the ones I actually finished in 5 mins. Tried my best to keep the references, I’ve drawn like 2 million people in 2 days >.<
Rachel Dawn Owens
These are wonderful gesture drawings! So much animation and energy caught in these. You’re not getting caught up in stiff ideas. These drawings have great flow! This one is my favorite-
Wenhan Lee
1mo
At first I struggled at this assignment because I was too distracted by the contours. Below are the drawings that were made after I started to do better. These drawings were made under 5 minutes. As far as I remember, I lowered the time limit to 4 minutes for the last 2 images. Feel free to give constructive criticism. I'll have to admit, I did not exaggerate the poses much. So at one point I will definitely revisit this exercise (with different reference images).
@chrisdzy
1mo
I think they look great
Natalia
1mo
I think something is off but I don’t know what. I need some advice
Rachel Dawn Owens
As far as I can tell, nothing is off. This is a very solid series of gesture drawings!
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Founder of Proko, artist and teacher of drawing, painting, and anatomy. I try to make my lessons fun and ultra packed with information.
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