Don't Use a Line of Action (Controversial but True)

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Күн бұрын

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A lot of the advice out there about figure drawing suggests starting with a 'Line of Action'. This is a line that flows through the forms of the figure, and the idea is to ensure the drawing starts with the overall movement and shape of the pose. However, in this video, I argue that for most people drawing from life or reference, this is not a good way to start your drawing.
I also provide you with an alternative starting point that I think works better.
0:00 Intro
1:06 Why it doesn't work
5:18 What to do instead
8:12 Examples
10:45 When a LOA could work

Пікірлер: 97

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Just a quick note for anyone studying animation or illustration and doesn’t see the end of the vid: a line of action can be great for designing poses from imagination with a narrative, this video is about figure drawing from life or a reference. Another note: I'm talking also about those still learning to draw figures with gesture, who have not yet trained themselves out of the conservative tendency to straighten figures. This includes both beginner and intermediate artists. Once you are passed that stage and able to create dynamic gestures intuitively, then I think the LOA might be helpful depending on your process, but it's not a good way to train yourself out of that tendency. the best way to train yourself out of that straightening tendency is the approach described in the video. I hope that makes sense!

@demetriocran4123 11 ай бұрын

Hello! From my point of view, this comment is very relevant since the line of action is one of many tools that allows animators to design clear silhouettes, the kind of silhouettes that tell stories, as you say at the end of the video. But, I would like to add that it is totally posible to use a reference for designing a pose with a clear silhouette. Having a reference does not mean that we must stay true to it if that is not our intention. Right?

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

@@demetriocran4123 yeah sure! so i think i should have been more specific in here about which type of drawing i'm talking about and which stage of learning. i'm talking about people learning to do life drawing, rather than designing poses for an animation or illustration. i edited this comment above to try to make it clearer. anyway, i hope you've been well Demetrio!

@demetriocran4123 11 ай бұрын

@@lovelifedrawing I am doing fine Kenzo, thanks for asking. As always, it is a pleasure to see you growing as an artist and instructor. I also noted nice sunlight, and since here is wintertime, I envy you a little! :-) Your video helped me to consolidate the idea of storytelling drawing (note number 111 from Drawn to Life), which is, I believe, how many animators do gesture drawing (for example, Matt Jones). Sorry, but I need to ask, how do you define life drawing? I ask because it seems that you bind that term to stay true to the reference, and because a lot of that sessions are uninstructed (at least as far as I know), people may go to them with diverse goals in mind.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Yeah so I define it sort of in two ways. A bit like how “colour” is an umbrella term for the whole area but also can refer to hue within colour terminology. So i think of life drawing as meaning drawing humans in all different ways, but also specifically as the act of drawing a nude model posing purely for the purpose of capturing that pose, as an art form or an exercise in itself. The second is what I mean if I say “I’m going to life drawing today”. The first tho is more what I mean with the name of this channel - drawing people. How about you?

@demetriocran4123 11 ай бұрын

@@lovelifedrawing Thanks for the clarification! Spanish is my mother tongue and that influenced my brain wiring for sure. For color, Spanish has the equivalent "two ways" that English has. But, Spanish does not have a specific term to translate life drawing, although some terms are used frequently, such as "Dibujo con modelo vivo", which can be translated as "drawing with a model of flesh and bone". I started to use the term "life drawing" because of your channel, and then I started to see it everywhere :-). These days, I reserve it to the particular case of drawing from nature when the subject matter is alive (croquis cafe kind of videos does not count as life drawing to me, I have to be in front of the model). When the goal is to be true to the model, I say "academic drawing". In my mind, that makes it an exercise with no artistic pretensions. That does not mean that it allows me to make it stiff, but it means that I am aiming to not change the pose, proportions, etc (long poses here if your standards are high, short poses if you are using gestural marks and it is fine some inaccuracies). When I set to change things, I say "storytelling drawing" or "gesture drawing for animators". Sorry for being long, but I found this stuff fascinating!

@richswanderings1664 11 ай бұрын

I have NEVER understood the purpose of a line if action. I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way. This approach...or at least the idea of this approach...is how I thought my figure drawing classes would go. However, they were taught with this "line of action" idea. I remember even asking the instructor what the line was supposed to represent...like what structure. I got the woo hoo answer of it representing the flow of the figure. I was like, "I'm not familiar with 'the flow' part of the body, and I teach human anatomy at the college level as my day job"...😆 JK..I didn't say that, but I thought it. Anyway, it just never made sense. So, when we got to the longer and more detailed drawings I didn't even use the LoA. I only used it for the short drawings, and I just accepted that those drawings would always look like garbage...which they did.

@neonranger1192 11 ай бұрын

I use the LOA to exaturate poses. And it genuinely helps me everytime

@dannycruz5446 11 ай бұрын

It's an animation concept

@neonranger1192 11 ай бұрын

@@dannycruz5446what?if you think Exaturation is only for animation. Then you should stop being an artist 🤦🏽‍♂️

@dannycruz5446 11 ай бұрын

@@neonranger1192 yet, I didnt say only for animation

@richswanderings1664 11 ай бұрын

@@neonranger1192 What is exaturation? Do you mean exaggeration? I'm not trying to be a punk. I'm seriously asking.

@AleksVHaecky 11 ай бұрын

I learned of line of action in animation for doing thumbnails. It captures direction (and really needs an origin and a target). Your method captures rotation and relationship within the pose. They are complementary and as you say, drawing the big parts helps get past the brain's symbols, which is a huge challenge for me. Time to go try this.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Great to hear from you Aleks! Yes LOA would be great for creating poses for animation, whereas this vid is about drawing from life / reference

@noparkingtuesday4283 11 ай бұрын

I appreciate that your videos focus on specifics. I’ve noticed over the years that abstractions, and how to draw methods are only really useful once you already know how to draw the thing. In the sense that they streamline your current skills to make something you already know how to draw, more consistent.

@JoshuaCavanagh-uk6ws 9 ай бұрын

I just went through a handful of your gesture drawing videos. My own gesture drawings have literally just improved 3-4x what they were a few hours ago. Thanks heaps for the quality of these videos and your laid back but direct instructions on simply improving our work and understanding of shape and form.

@lovelifedrawing 9 ай бұрын

That's great!

@Dracocanust 10 ай бұрын

My own artistic mind concludes the line of action be the spinal cord rather than just a random guideline which by how I see the spinal cord of action leads into the proper weight distribution...if anything stiffness is something I have issues of conveying because of this change perhaps.

@TheNeefo0o 10 ай бұрын

I’m 29 years old Want to learn drawing since elementary school I just started to learning for 2 months and Everywhere suggested so start with gusture and figure drawing and I have been struggling, I just wanted to say thank you so much You just helped me in a way you could never imagine ❤❤

@elmundodejorgelagocordero 24 күн бұрын

Thank you for the advice. It's really useful, and it's bold (as you said, lots of people talk about how important the line of action is). And, in fact, I really struggled a lot when trying to draw on top of a initial line of action. Your approach works much better for me. Thanks again!

@Jerry_quesoso 11 ай бұрын

Amazing video! I always felt like the LoA was causing more harm than good on my drawings so I eventually dropped it, after reading the book Figure Drawing Design and Invention by Michael Hampton, the bean by Proko and your videos I realized the importance of the 3 major masses "Head, Ribcage and Pelvis". Nowadays what I like to do is to place 2 dots that indicate the overall direction of these 3 masses and work from there, this way the dots are not as intrusive as how a whole line is and allows me to focus on the important stuff

@Aya-vf2pw 11 ай бұрын

I really like your teaching style, you explain and specify things that are often unclear in other materials and because of that I have already corrected some mistakes in the way I draw ;) For people who learn by themselves, such correction of mistakes is something that is really helpful

@kmac7284 11 ай бұрын

I have noticed for years that an end result of my drawings was a nagging sensation of stiffness. If I began with a LoA, I felt, almost unconsciously, that the following forms had to conform to the LoA. And as you suggest, my mind then pressed the drawing toward front view or profile while trying to fit the LoA. Result was stiffness or distortion visible in final drawing. Placing the three forms independently but still believably and related, pushed the drawing back toward motion and expression. My mind seeks order and symmetry naturally. This way of thinking stretches my seeing and loosens my mental habits.

@juliansw239 11 ай бұрын

Interesting. Here in France, I was never taught the line of action for drawing from life or from reference. I did indeed learn it for work from imagination and it has proved very useful. What has been useful for life drawing was 1) learning to see 2) understanding morphology 2) finding where the main weight of the body was

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Yeah I think that sounds a smart approach

@ckwi2245 11 ай бұрын

IIRC I was taught a similar concept to the Line of Action as a way of finding the primary balance of the figure then adding extra lines for arm 2 and leg 2, and sometimes if the head is not in line with the balance. So the main line would always be from one heel (generally the one that should be bearing the weight) to the base of the skull or the wrist of the arm used as a counterbalance to the pose.

@TheALahiri 3 ай бұрын

Nice explanation and illustration, thanks.

@ronkempke6673 11 ай бұрын

Sage advice from a skilled artist. Thank you!

@rayvirgoe7231 11 ай бұрын

Good explanation: Love the manner in which you set up your demonstration. Less digital and more hands-on art. Shows the flow much better. So, Keep on trucking.😊😊😊😊😊😊

@sarahhill3073 11 ай бұрын

I think you are on the money with this. After struggling to put line of action into practice I’ve worked out my own hybrid method using your approach and NEw Master Academy Glen Vilppu’s method. That takes courage to put out such a video. Thanks

@troupemusographes2460 11 ай бұрын

I’m a teacher, I use lines of action in my life drawings and I suggest its use for beginners but in an open way. First of all, what I like with the LoA is it helps materialize the subject in the very first seconds of drawing and helps framing the figure, a process I find very important. But I’m not stressing on using LoA with my students either. At best, it plays as a distant reminder of the pose, it’s nothing like scaffolding. Moreover it’s all curves, and curves are not the best allies for beginners. Straight lines and angles are better for them (one of the many reasons I think gesture drawing is a dead end for beginners). I plan to have my (most elderly) adult students draw the ribcage and pelvis as you do, but even achieving that is a long way ahead^^.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for your perspective! It’s nice to hear from a fellow life drawing teacher :)

@SourenaParham 10 ай бұрын

Excellent! You are a great teacher.

@dpadilla1127 11 ай бұрын

this is so much easier to understand for beginners!! Specific is better thank you!

@sydene54 11 ай бұрын

Thank you, Kenzo. This is amazing.

@maryporter3637 11 ай бұрын

Brilliant thankyou , I love the way you capture the action

@jdmurraydm 11 ай бұрын

very interesting take! love it!

@donphildraws1357 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for explaining this

@margarettee1380 11 ай бұрын

I love this. New to action figures. Always wanted to do this.

@dannycruz5446 11 ай бұрын

i dont think ive used a LOA for my figure drawings in a long time. I'll usually startcwith a head or ribcage & S-shape my way to the next form based on the action.

@Fantasy2012dz 11 ай бұрын

True ! i never use line of action in my drawings though i know what it is ( so abstract ) ... what you said is really true . In the AI age, we need fast and direct

@eatscienceup 11 ай бұрын

Such a great video!

@emilleum48 11 ай бұрын

This analysis of the line of action problem makes so much sense, I think I would have much more success especially with quick-timed sketches, in using your method of the diection-position of the head chest and pelvic area, MSG Leum

@sylvainst-pierre8725 11 ай бұрын

Thank you !

@nitzeart 9 ай бұрын

I think the line of actions helps to see how the weight is distributed perhaps, what's the supporting leg, etc. And maybe it helps you in the first steps to see the flow of the pose of you trace it over the reference. But for everything else, you're right, it might not be the best tool. Great video.

@JH-pe3ro 11 ай бұрын

Lately I have been using the Nicolaides method of gesture with a continuous line scribble, as an alternative to line of action and construction to invent figures. I think this matches the intent of a line of action, but uses more of my previous contour and cross-contour studies because I'm just repeating the motions that follow forms I saw before, tending to create spirals that "touch" those forms in all dimensions. The line of action is a very constructive idea, which poses a problem for beginners because most constructive practices will pull attention away from observation and towards building the abstraction. Getting lost in the abstractions quickly spoils the drawing - what the beginner always needs more of is tools that pull them "on course", which at the very start, tends to mean being strict with the contour and just trying to make it match 1:1.

@suefraser5257 11 ай бұрын

Some interesting replies to this video Kenzo. I straighten line of action, so use your method which is easier and leads to more dynamic poses. Anyone thinking of the doing the Fresh Eyes mini-course - you won't be disappointed. Just do it.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Thanks Sue!

@Jesse-wu6zx 11 ай бұрын

I had always thought about the line of action as a linear way to capture the essence of the gesture, which is basically the movement and energy of pose, rather than a construction technique used in longer drawings or used in constructing the gesture and form of a pose. It's a way I've used to specifically practice the skill of gesture via quicksketch exercises. I haven't found it helpful outside that context; however I do apply the broader concept of gesture to different levels of a drawing in longer drawings that do have a specific construction phase. It's been important for me to bake a sense of energy and movement into any linework to fight against stiffness and lifelessness. To that end, employing specific line of action exercises from time to time helps, i.e. 1/2 hour of 30-second to 2-minute gesture quick sketches where I do make the line of action visible. It's just a gesture skill practice. Longer drawings are a different beast and like you said making the line of action visible as a linear mark isn't something I found useful there. Thanks as always!

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Yeah great insights! So that’s a good point: if it’s just an LOA exercise only, I agree that’s useful. However even for 30 second gesture, mostly I find it less helpful than just gesture drawing without an initial LOA

@horith8033 11 ай бұрын

love your video

@whatifitnt 11 ай бұрын

Thank You 💃🏻🕺🏼

@Sheegrah 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for this, I never really "got" the LoA method and feel a lot of frustration trying to implement it correctly. I understand what the line represents, in theory, but I'm horrible at using it... mostly, I just end up accidentally implying the models spine, instead of this vague "flow". I started out drawing figures by making mannequins/building up the basic shapes for years, and only recently started trying to draw from life using these fancy, loose concepts like "gesture" and "line of action". But honestly, at this point they feel like a hindrance more than a tool. Drawing the LoA first just forces me into a direction which 99 times out of 100 is way off from the reference, and I get confused by it. Just ending up drawing AROUND the LoA instead of using it at all, and ending up with a figure that looks wonky as hell 🥴

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

yeah i think that's a fairly common experience. i would say though that gesture is quite different and really ties in to what is actually happening with the forms, and is well worth pursuing. it's just that i would pursue gesture by focusing on those 3 major forms and pushing their relationship first. hope that makes sense

@Sheegrah 11 ай бұрын

@@lovelifedrawing Thank you, it makes total sense 😊 I love your method of first finding the torso/head/pelvis as separate points and the relation between them. I mostly draw from imagination, so this way of building up form is much closer to how I would draw naturally! ...but better! With "gesture" I meant, the quick coquis type drawings where the goal is to somehow feel the flow and gesture of the figure, but without focusing details. But I find this so difficult, as a beginner life-drawing artist, because there doesn't seem to be a set correct answer to this "flow"? If the "flow" is where ever I think it should be, I'm always second guessing myself because I lack the experience and years of life drawing eye-training. And I think that is my problem with the Line of Action too! 😵

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

yeah that makes total sense. here's a two part series which explains the concrete starting point for gesture, and then a nice tangible follow up for the those 'flowing curves': kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y7qhfsdjvaicZGg.html and kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bpd7f7Oonre2lqM.html

@Sheegrah 11 ай бұрын

@@lovelifedrawing Fantastic! Thank you so much for all you do

@kotarouriderblack6118 10 ай бұрын

Nice video. I was called out multiple times in the video lol

@ThePlummerJoe 11 ай бұрын

I use LOA when drawing from memory, to suggest some motion, but always let that follow by placement of the 3 body masses head, ribcage and pelvis, to avoid ambiguity. When drawing from reference, the LOA doesn't make too much sense.

@koljak9395 11 ай бұрын

I still remember my confusion about the line of action when I started dawing. Much too vague of a concept at a time where I needed very specific drawing advice. And not even being aware of our built-in tendency to straighten out poses, I tend to agree it wasn't helpful. Now, a couple years later, I often like to lay down these simple curves, more to keep note of the overall idea of a pose than an actual thing I tack body parts on.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

yes that sounds like a good progression

@adrianinha19 11 ай бұрын

I'm not sure that I agree, although I can see how this migh help in some ocations. I still think a line of action is important and even if you do it this way, you are still checking if the line of action is there, just on a subconcious level. I would suggest instead to identify the line of action, break it in two if needed so it's more like an S shape for the torso and pelvis, and then after you've identify the flow of the pose, check where the major parts are facing and exagerate the pose as needed. There's a japanese animator who does it like that, he calls it body croquis. His channel is called Hidde Channel (not very imaginative, I know). Not that I 100% recomend him since he exclusively oriented to drawing anime girls in skimpy outfits, but his body croquis techique is very usefull to learn this two step method of action line+blocking the body parts.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

thanks i appreciate your perspective!

@NoOnesaidthis 11 ай бұрын

Is One of action different from gesture? I think it is since it’s all about the flow of the major movement rather than the flow of the major body parts compared to the everyone else. CSI

@samankucher5117 11 ай бұрын

nice

@blackcitadel9 11 ай бұрын

Hm. I've kinda felt the same. I don't know what a LoA is or what it's for. It doesn't map to anything real. I put them in because art teachers say to, but they don't make any sense to me.

@sebastienbegin2948 11 ай бұрын

there is purpose for a line of action in life drawing, but you have to understand what part of the body or silhouette you're defining. and it's harder to do that than with the three base blocks.

@yancowles 11 ай бұрын

Yes, this is me - never got on with LOA and presumed that my brain just doesn't work the right way. That still may be the case obviously but at least I'm not the only one.

@IsasuLD 11 ай бұрын

Hmmm interesting, but what about multiple and bigger lines of action? Like finger to toe and top of the head to knee, great video as always

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Yeah I don’t find those too useful for drawing from life or reference either, except for certain specific poses perhaps. In this vid I tried to choose poses that would really lend themselves to a line of action but still didn’t think it was a great way to start. LOA can be awesome for designing poses for animation or illustration tho!

@SatoshiDo 11 ай бұрын

According to Michael Hampton, gesture corresponds to the longer axis but also is divided into the curves that the neck, spine and legs create as individual parts of a whole. LOA is not just some random concept. LOA is not outline or contour, it is gesture, it's not meant to be part of the final drawing.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

yeah so i really believe in gesture drawing, that's my favourite thing to do. i also like using the longer axis that sweeps through the forms in a meaningful way. this video is about using an 'LOA', which as it is generally taught and defined, is a different concept to 'gestural lines'.

@doncraig6058 10 ай бұрын

The line of action is the big picture of what’s happening, it’s not something you draw but something that you see and think about when drawing the stretch and squash to push the action further and the rhythms pushing through the figure can be exaggerated to create even greater dynamic energy in the pose! This can definitely be achieved drawing the figure live or through reference.

@Fyrhp 7 ай бұрын

My teachers NEVER told me about the line of action to be honest. And i went to art school for 11 years, + graphic design, NONE of the teachers taught us about the line of action....

@keepyourshoesathedoor 2 ай бұрын

Me neither.

@gorequillnachovidal 11 ай бұрын

but the thing is you are supposed to use LoA as the fist step in your gesture.... LoA then gesture then putting on rib cage and pelvis and proper head and some basic arms and legs and then the real anatomy....but LoA and gesture should be pushed further and more extreme than reality because each step after that will make it straighter and straighter

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

yeah so i've found for most people learning to draw figures, the LOA becomes a vague and almost random line under the drawing, on which a stiff drawing is created. what works a lot better is to focus on the 3 major forms and their relationship from the beginning. Once you've trained yourself away from those conservative tendencies, then more free flowing lines can start to work great

@yodiedodie6816 11 ай бұрын

I don’t like LoA but at least it teaches gesture directly. Other methods say “just feel it" or “draw quick & curvy.” Gesture isn’t mysterious. It’s the language of movement, just like color theory is the language of color. But it's a big topic that has no instructors, so of course artists reach for the clarity of LoA, what else can they do? They can't recognize that tilted body parts show strong movement - I mean the model literally had to pop her hip out! - because portraying movement (gesture) is one of the most awkwardly taught subjects ever.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Yeah I like to think I’m doing a good job on clarifying it tho!

@rosanabarrios7468 11 ай бұрын

I hate the action line, I think it's because I never learned how to use it, it always makes everything look stiffer, personally I like Matessi's force method.

@ManWithoutThePants 7 ай бұрын

I haven't learned it either, but I have watched videos and gotten idea(at least my idea) of it. My poses look stiff with line of action or just drawing without it, but seeing people that have practiced LOA, I see how it can convey a pose with quick way. When I look my LOA attempts I can see why they don't work and why they look stiff, but with practice they could start to become more natural and I think it would be a good skill to make up your own poses fast to see which would work the best for your drawing/painting. But drawing from reference, I don't use it. But I'm still going to try to develop my LOA drawing skills to make fast natural pose variations :).

@I_like_science 11 ай бұрын

I would argue that the line of action on the thumbnail is wrong. The actual line of action goes from the tip of the toes on the left foot all the way to the hands like this / and not like a C.

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

Sure ppl define it in different ways. Some suggest it flows through the spine specifically. I chose the C curve since it best matches the ribcage to pelvis relationship and squash an stretch. Either way, I don’t think it’s too helpful for most ppl!

@I_like_science 11 ай бұрын

@@lovelifedrawing In my personal experience, the line of action has always confused me. the method that really seems to help me sketch better is drawing the frame of what I'm drawing. before I start. I draw a rectangle that matches the ratio of the image I'm practicing from. this takes my sketches from looking deformed to looking less deformed and semi Human hahaha thank you for all the free content you put out! I don't understand how you put all this knowledge out there for free. Ive learned a ton from you. thank you.

@I_like_science 11 ай бұрын

@@veawr714 yeah, I guess I see what you guys see. this line of action has always confused me.

@ShakalakaKing 11 ай бұрын

I never use it but that's because Im bad and dont really get it :v

@rogeras5966 11 ай бұрын

I don't think it's a good idea to have that thumbnail and the model un-censored Edit: oh wait, she has a leotard with her same skin tone, my bad, I didn't notice from a far look

@lovelifedrawing 11 ай бұрын

yeah she's clothed - but thanks for looking out for me!