Long Pose – How does a long pose work?

The so-called Long Pose is when a model poses for an extended amount of time.

To give you an idea, let´s take a look at the process:

Before starting with the big drawing, we first make a pencil drawing. With that, you have a first idea of the pose and train your gaze to the body type. It is recommended to take a DIN A 4 sheet because on a small paper you can recognize your mistakes way faster.

In the big drawing, you start, as in the previous study, with the block-in. Try to contour the height and width of the main body parts, the proportions and the gestures of the model with the easiest lines possible. You should make sure that the figure centered on the paper is positioned so that the finished drawing is consistent in the end. The big lines will gradually become smaller and the drawing will be adapted to the model more and more.

Also, do not forget the gestures and the expression, that the drawn person should have in the end. These can be static, dynamic or relaxed. Give yourself time for the block-in part, because nothing is more annoying than a finished drawing with inharmonious proportions or an unclear pose.

After the block-in, comes the so-called Value-Study. It determines the degree of brightness and darkness and defines the existing main shadow shapes on the body of the model. A self-made scale with the individual grayscale values and a small sketch of the shadow areas are very helpful if you want to get a better feeling for light, shadow, and shape.

When the Value Study is complete, we start highlighting the main shadow surfaces and the background in a light grey, to make the areas illuminated by the light clearer and possibly to correct the elements. Over time, you darken the background and all the shadows. Furthermore, you include new shades, such as halftones and mid tones.

During the process, the drawing is constantly improved, and the light and shadow surfaces are compressed. Through the different shades, we model the person, so that it seems that it is emerging more and more from the paper.

Last but not least, the final design. The design decision lies with the single artist: how dark should the darkest surfaces be? Which parts of the body should be highlighted, and which should fade into the background? Which and how much information should be visible to the viewer? In any case, the drawing will have its own touch and its personal charm, and thus make the artist’s personal signature recognizable.