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Coursera

Drawing Rhythms

Proko via Coursera

Overview

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In this course you'll learn to capture any pose from any angle using rhythms, the flowing lines that connect the body parts into one unified idea instead of a pile of disconnected pieces. You'll break the head, neck, shoulders, torso, legs, arms, hands and feet down into their simplest rhythms, from the front, the back, the side, and the awkward in between angles that usually stop you cold. You'll learn to balance gesture with structure so your figures feel alive without turning into noodle people, and to place your lines with intention so proportions hold up even when you're drawing fast. It's built around practice, not theory. You get example poses to draw from, rhythm templates to fall back on, demos at two difficulty levels, and honest critiques of real student work, so you can watch the mistakes you're making get fixed on the page.

Syllabus

  • Draw Any Pose From Any Angle - Rhythms
    • In these videos, you’ll learn how to use rhythms, the flowing lines and visual connections between body parts, to capture the movement, gesture, and unity of dynamic poses from any angle. You’ll then apply these concepts in a project by drawing multiple figure poses, focusing on action and structure rather than simply copying contours.
  • Rhythms Demo - Level 1
    • Learn how to confidently break down figure poses into simple, flowing rhythms that capture gesture, movement, proportions, and the connections between body parts. Through several demonstrations, you’ll see how to simplify complex poses, emphasize the most important lines, and use observation to create more dynamic figure drawings.
  • Rhythms Demo - Level 2
    • Learn how to take rhythm-based figure drawings further by adding selective anatomical forms, structural cues, and more advanced line quality. Through challenging demonstrations, you’ll practice capturing complex poses, foreshortening, compression, proportions, and dynamic changes in direction while keeping the overall gesture clear.
  • eBook - Rhythms
    • A handy guide to drawing the rhythms of the body!
  • Critique - Rhythms
    • I’ll be looking through previous student submitted drawings for the rhythm quick sketch assignment and giving some advice on how you can use rhythms more effectively to get more dynamic drawings.

Taught by

Stan Prokopenko

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