Figure Drawing Gesture vs. Block-In:
The Difference & Why We Need Both

Figure drawing gesture and block-in play different, but complementary, roles. 

In this article we'll define gesture drawing and block-in, clarify the difference between the two, and explore why both are essential to a successful figure drawing.

We'll cover:


This lesson is adapted from Figure Drawing Quickstart: an online course simplifying first steps in figure drawing.

What is gesture in drawing?

Gesture, or gesture lines, are implied lines that flow from one part of a subject to another. They create a flowing, underlying structure that connects all parts of a subject:

An image of a flower with a gesture drawing overlaid, demonstrating how gesture lines connect all parts of a form in drawing.


What is an 'implied line'?

In the diagrams below, the dots aren’t physically connected. They are separate dots and lines. But - we have an innate ability to recognize patterns, so our mind instantly connects the dots and reads them in a sequence, immediately creating relationships between them. The invisible, implied line that connects the dots is the gesture.

Even in the straight lines, we’re able to see the flow that occurs:

Examples of implied linesExamples of implied lines

This invisible flow, the gesture, leads our eye through a picture.

If gesture has ever seemed like an elusive drawing concept that’s never explained concretely - it’s because gesture is not always an actual line that exists on our subject. It’s often a subtle, implied line - really more of an idea.

When we know how to look for gesture lines, though, we can find them in almost any drawing subject or image - whether it's a still life, landscape, figure, or portrait.

In my opinion, it’s one of the most poetic and ethereal concepts in drawing.

A portrait reference photo with gesture lines drawn overtop. Text overlay reads: Examples of Gesture Lines in the Face.Face gesture drawing


Learn how to see gesture lines, practice drawing them, and discover how to use them as a method of measurement in Bargue Drawing Level 1 (inside Drawing Decoded - soon to be The Atelier at The Drawing Source).


What is a figure drawing gesture?

In figure drawing, gesture ...

  • Is the main idea or story behind a pose
  • Is the essence, or simplest depiction of the pose
  • Should answer the question: What is the model doing?
  • Captures the movement and energy of the pose in a quick, fluid way

A figurative gesture drawing created with flowing lines, illustrating gesture in figure drawing by capturing the movement, energy, and overall action of the pose.

What gesture is not:

  • A finished, rendered drawing
  • About details or precise anatomy yet

Why gesture drawing is important:

  • Gesture can add life, movement, and personality to a drawing
  • It creates connects separate parts of a subject into a unified whole
  • In a figure drawing gesture connects the separate forms of the body in a unified motion. Instead of looking disjointed, it helps our figure drawing look cohesive - like everything naturally fits and flows together.
  • Gestures move our eye around an image, creating a dynamic viewing experience

What gesture looks like

A gesture drawing often looks like a series of flowing c-curve and s-curve lines, made in the first few minutes of a drawing, that show us what the model is doing.

Different artists, different looks

A gesture can be the starting point for a figure drawing, or it can be a beautiful image on its own.

Some artists love the energy of gesture drawing so much that it becomes their main practice. Some draw gestures loosely and freely, while others treat them as a preparation for the rest of the figure drawing. Because of this, gesture drawings can look very different from one artist to another.


You can explore gesture as both:

  • A beautiful, energetic drawing in itself, and/or
  • Preparation for the rest of a more detailed figure drawing

We'll explore both in Figure Drawing Quickstart, here.

Figure Drawing Gesture vs. Figure Drawing Block-In


First, let's define gesture and block-in.

Gesture Drawing Definition: A gesture drawing is a quick, expressive drawing that captures the movement, energy and overall action of a subject (rather than its precise details, forms and contours).

Figure Drawing Block-In Definition: A block-in is a detailed line drawing that’s used as a blueprint for shading. It helps us establish structure, proportion, and placement, for the rest of the drawing to be built on.

A comparison slide showing two figure drawings: one gestural figure drawing capturing movement and energy, and one detailed block-in drawing showing structure and proportions. Text on the slide explains the difference between gesture drawing and block-in in figure drawing.

When we think of a block-in vs. a gesture...

Typically a block-in:

  • Is more realistic and detailed
  • Focuses on accurate proportions
  • Is drawn using shorter, more angular, more precise and specific lines

While a gesture:

  • Is more fluid and free, with less detail
  • Focuses on the flow, movement and energy of a pose rather than accuracy
  • Is drawn with more flowing, C-curved and S-curved lines

Why we need both: a combination of gesture and block-in


As we'll cover in-depth in Module 4 of Figure Drawing Quickstart, we can use gesture to make sure that every line in our block in visually leads to another line. This makes our drawing feel cohesive, instead of disjointed, it creates energy and a sense of life in our drawing, and it moves our eye through the image:

A dynamic figure drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti alongside a gestural figure drawing derived from it, illustrating how gesture drawing leads the viewer’s eye around a figure.


What happens if we only have one of the two? Only gesture, or only block-in?

  • Without gesture, our block in can look stiff, lifeless, and disjointed.
  • Without the proportions and accuracy of a block in, we simply won't get a very detailed or realistic figure drawing.

We need both because together we get the best of both worlds. Realism, infused with energy and life.


In Figure Drawing Quickstart, we're going to start our figure drawings with what I call a 'gestural block-in', which has elements of both. Our goal is a balance of movement and accuracy, so the drawing feels both alive yet realistic and believable.

Our gestural block-in will become a framework for the rest of our figure drawing. When it’s drawn correctly (and we’ll talk about what the means in the course), from that gestural block-in it’s much easier to add construction, anatomy, shading, and detail.

Next Steps


To achieve a drawing that feels both structurally solid and alive, gesture and block-in need to work together.

But to combine them successfully, we first need to practice them separately:

  • Drawing measured figures with accurate proportions, and
  • Fluid, energetic gesture drawings

In Figure Drawing Quickstart, I guide students through this process step by step - first developing gesture and block-in separately, and then integrating them into a figure drawing framework that you can adapt to any pose.

Learn more about Figure Drawing Quickstart here.


You may also be interested in:

Figure Drawing Quickstart: Online Figure Drawing Course

7 Figure Drawing Proportions to Know

5 Ways to Start a Figure Drawing

Return to Figure Drawing from Figure Drawing Gesture vs. Block-In

Return to the Homepage from Figure Drawing Gesture vs. Block-In