How to use DrawGestures to practise gesture drawing.

New to gesture drawing? Start with the pillar: What is gesture drawing?

What you'll need:

• The DrawGestures app — on iOS or Android.
• A few reference images — your own, or the built-in free library.
• A drawing surface — paper + pencil, a tablet, or the app's built-in Tracing mode.

Step 01. The Practice Setup screen

When you open DrawGestures, you land on the Practice Setup — the launchpad for every session. Four rows:

1. iReference Imageswhat you're going to draw.
2. iiSession ModeSession, Quantity, Class Room or Relaxed.
3. iiiTime per image30s, 1 min, 2 min, 5 min, 10 min, or custom (Pro).
4. ivConfigurationDisplay Mode, Drawing Mode, Shuffle.

Step 02. Add references

Tap Add Images. You don't need any of your own photos to get started.

Free for everyone

1. iMy LibraryDrawGestures' built-in cloud library. Curated, ready-to-draw pose collections.
2. iiFolderPick any folder of images from your device.
3. iiiPhotosImport from your device's Photos / Gallery app.

Pro

1. ivPinterestImport a board directly.
2. vGoogle DriveConnect your Drive and pull from any folder.
3. viDropboxSame idea, for Dropbox.
4. viiCustom URLPaste a list of image URLs.

Want more pose variety? Pair the Folder import with Line of Action, Quickposes, or SketchDaily.

Steps 03–04. Mode, timer

Pick a Session Mode:

For the 15-minute starter, pick Session with a 30s timer, then bump to 2 min for the second half.

Step 05. Pick a layout

1. iReference Only (Free)Just the reference image and timer. Draw on paper. The standard, distraction-free setup.
2. iiTracing (Free)Draw directly on top of the reference image inside DrawGestures. Great on a tablet.
3. iiiSide by Side (Pro)Split screen: reference on one side, blank canvas on the other.
4. ivFloating Reference (Pro)The reference image sits as a small draggable, resizable window over your canvas.

Step 06. Start practising

Hit Start Practice. The session screen is intentionally minimal: reference image, circular timer, image counter.

What to do in a 30-second pose

1. Look for 5 seconds before drawing anything.
2. Draw one line of action — the longest curve in the body.
3. Add the ribcage and pelvis as simple shapes.
4. Sketch limbs as flowing lines.
5. Stop when the timer beeps. Do not erase.

And in a 2-minute pose

1. Same line of action.
2. Add rhythm — alternate straight and curved lines down each limb.
3. Indicate weight: where is the figure pushing into the ground?
4. Suggest head tilt and shoulder/hip angle.
5. Stop. Move on.

For deeper drills, read 10 exercises that actually work.

Step 07. Review your session

When the session ends, DrawGestures shows the Session Complete screen with images drawn, total time, and average time per image. From here you can Practice Again or Back to Setup.

A sample week

Where to go next.

• 01 What Is Gesture Drawing? A Complete Beginner's Guide Gesture drawing is a quick, expressive sketch that captures the movement, energy and rhythm of a pose in seconds. Definition, why artists use it, and how it fits into figure drawing. 7 min
• 02 Gesture Drawing Exercises That Actually Work (10 Drills) 10 gesture drawing exercises used in real art schools and animation studios — line of action, force lines, C/S/I curves, mannequin construction, and more. 10 min
• 03 Gesture Drawing Tips for Beginners (and 7 Mistakes to Avoid) The most common beginner mistakes in gesture drawing — stiff lines, perfectionism, copying contours, no warm-up — and exactly how to fix each one. 9 min
• 04 Gesture Drawing vs Figure Drawing: The Difference Explained Gesture drawing and figure drawing are not the same thing — gesture is a subcategory of figure drawing. Here is what each one is, and when to use which. 6 min