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4 chapter 1 ■ Blocking In the Mesh
Figure 1.3 An example of gesture drawing
Gesture is just as important in sculpting as it is in drawing. A figure without a clear
gesture will seem stiff and dead. Even if it is a well thought out sculpture with accurate
anatomy, if there is no gesture, the sculpture will fail to excite the viewer. Gesture is appar-
ent even in a neutral pose. The bones of the body have a gesture that telegraphs out to the
final fleshed figure. Without this gestural quality, characters would appear to be composed
of tubes with no overall rhythm.
Closely linked to the idea of gesture is rhythm. Rhythm refers to the alternating curves
or shapes present in the figure. Figure 1.4 shows how rhythm can be seen in the alternating
masses of the head, chest, and pelvis. Notice how the masses are offset and rotated against
each other to create the alternating flow of mass distribution. Figure 1.5 shows the rhythm
in the curves of the skeleton. Notice how each level, from the most basic representation to
the most complex, echoes the same general rhythm.
These rhythms that are present in the skeleton influence the muscle forms and finally
telegraph out into the final fleshed figure (Figure 1.6). Notice the rhythmic curves of the
skeleton leg and how they are echoed in the final fleshed leg in Figure 1.7.
Sculpture by Scott Spencer. Image courtesy anatomytools.com.
Figure 1.4 Rhythm expressed in the
alternating of masses
Figure 1.5 The rhythm of
curves visible in a skeleton
Figure 1.6 Rhythm in silhouette
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