Week 5: Gesture Drawing and Fat Over Lean

Week 5 might be my favorite week so far. Everything about it clicked for me. I got to paint loose and fast, dive into wildlife, sketch real models, search for expressive poses in photo references, and even bring a little abstract energy into my statue drawings. It felt like a week where my creativity finally got permission to stretch its legs.

Fat Over Lean Assignment

We started the week with a two hour wildlife painting using the fat over lean approach. This was so fun and honestly felt natural to me. The idea is simple. Start with thin lean paint to block in the shapes and background, then slowly build up thicker fat opaque layers on top.

Expressive wildlife painting of a buck with warm browns and cool highlights against an abstract dripping background in greens, golds, and teal tones. — My fat over lean wildlife study. Two hours, loose brushwork, and an abstract background that let me paint freely without overthinking.

The abstract background helped me stay loose and trust my instincts. The deer came together quickly and I loved how the layers created depth without forcing me into perfection mode.

Gesture Drawing with Live Models

Next came a series of timed gesture drawings. Five minute poses, one minute poses, ten minute poses. Every study forced me to commit to proportion, movement, and storytelling in a very short amount of time.

I thought coming up with interesting poses would be the challenge, but capturing correct proportions under a timer was definitely harder. Even so, drawing people in motion was energizing.

Page of loose pencil sketches showing multiple human poses drawn quickly, capturing gesture and proportion through simplified shapes and lines. — Timed gesture exercises. One minute poses, five minute poses, and a few longer studies. These helped me train my eye, loosen my hand, and stay committed to the clock.

Gesture Drawing from Photos

We also completed four gesture drawings from photo references, about twenty minutes each. Since the poses were already chosen, I could focus entirely on expression and energy. This gave me freedom to study attitude, weight, rhythm, and anatomy without rushing to invent the scene.

Pencil gesture drawing of a ballerina curled into an expressive pose with elongated limbs and flowing fabric, sketched quickly with soft shading. — 20 minute gesture drawing from photo reference. I focused on capturing movement, rhythm, and the graceful tension in the pose.

Pencil gesture drawing of a leaping figure arched back with dramatic emotion, emphasizing anatomy, movement, and expressive shading. — A 20 minute gesture drawing from a photo. I focused on energy and anatomy while trying to keep the lines loose and expressive.

Expressive Statue Drawings

One of the surprises of this week was the statue drawing assignment. I had never considered using statues as references but it ended up being one of my favorite parts. The details in the forms, the dramatic lighting, and the sculptural folds of the fabric were all inspiring. Adding abstract shapes and textures around the figure allowed me to create something that felt both classical and modern.

Charcoal and pencil drawing of the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue with dramatic shading and abstract marks surrounding the figure. — Expressive statue study inspired by the Winged Victory of Samothrace. I loved mixing realism with loose abstract textures.

Final Thoughts

This week reminded me why I wanted to return to art. Movement, energy, freedom, and emotion. Gesture drawing pushes me to let go of perfection and connect with the spirit of the pose. And the fat over lean painting gave me space to be bold and intuitive.

Everything felt alive. Everything felt fun. This week made me feel like an artist again.