Capturing feelings in a few lines

Do you want to know how a person really feels about themselves at any particular moment? Just look at the way they sit. It can tell you a lot about that person’s feelings and attitudes.

Often I will do gesture drawings. So what is a gesture drawing? Simply, it is capturing the person through doing a few main lines that describe how a person’s body is positioned. I personally like doing gesture drawings with a paint brush, where with simple pressure, I can vary my line’s width and paint seems to flow better for me than pencil, pen or charcoal.

Anymore, I will see most of my subjects in a doctor’s waiting room. A few years back, I saw them in the school classroom. The students described how they felt about being there through their positions at their desks. It is hard to believe that a person could almost lie down while at a desk but I have seen it. I’m sure they really don’t know about how much they are revealing about themselves even while sitting. The prevalent idea is they don’t care to be there. It’s very hard to change that attitude, sometimes impossible.

If they studied gestures it might be a first step in change. This is one way art could help the students better see themselves especially as others see them. It could help awaken a few of them to the reality they convey.

Art and the study of art is almost always a tool to explain or describe something. Combine a gesture drawing with facial expressions and you have a story told in lines and shapes. Here art can help us understand others through acute recorded observations and ultimately help us understand ourselves.

There are even books (non-art books) that describe certain gestures and what they might mean. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies teach about these and caution officials on what to look for. In truth it’s a form of profiling using gestures and expressions to alert others of possible problems.

If everyone became very observant, what problems or crimes might be avoided. Learning to not only see people but to really notice what messages they are giving by their gestures and expressions is to notice more of the total world around you. Studying art and more specifically people can make you more aware.

Harry Croghan is an artist, photographer, writer and teacher. You can send comments to croghan@dragonbbs.com or call (740) 852-4906.