"live" drawing exercise

This live drawing exercise was about trying to capture the essence or impression of people drawing very quickly, with little or no detail. The aim was to enhance line drawing, to loosen up our techniques, and to try and capture a moment rather than drawing exactly as with life drawing. Being messy, not worrying about proportions or details was key to getting the most out of this task. This proved to be a very valuable lesson for me as I actually surprised myself as to just how many drawings I was able to produce in the allotted time. Many of these drawing look like a bunch of squiggles, however the best of them show definite character or at least give a sense of who that person was. Most of the people I tried to draw were actually on the move at the time therefore making it difficult to draw them. This was a useful practise as it made me draw really quick with no intention of even trying to grasp any details. The most successful drawing are the most simple ones, with a few lines to show outlines or shapes. This exercise can seem a bit strange to others when you are trying to draw them, especially when in close proximity. This is a barrier probably easier to cross when you are the one drawing rather than being drawn. Sitting in one position allowed for this series of drawing but also limited me in the respect of the types of people walking by, this is an exercise which could be done in a variety of locations to get a more diverse group who may be walking, sitting or standing in a variety of positions. This exercise also creates a great book for referencing in the future, without realising it may also help understand anatomy better as you try to draw people of all shapes, sizes, watching how they move or behave which could add to their character in my drawings. Having the ability to draw messily definitely helped me with this task, I do not need everything to look perfect and enjoy the freedom of just making marks on a page. This can only improve further with practice which should enhance all aspects of my drawing techniques. Drawing people on the move proved to be the most difficult part of this task, again keeping on trying to do this would help me find my own way of improving on this. In order to move forward with this subject matter I believe picking other spaces to sit and draw such as shopping centre's, coffee shops, bars, bus stations would all add to my live drawing skills. Trying to get a variety of people in as many different situations as possible is key to this becoming an invaluable part of my learning. Focusing on trying to capture the person's character rather than their look will also be my main objective in future which can only come through practise.