The importance of gesture drawing goes deeper than simply 'studying anatomy' or 'warming up'. In truth, it taps into a very important type of repetitive practice that improves artists of every skill level. In previous videos I've talked about the technique of gesture drawing, and in this video I'll discuss why it's worth doing in the first place.
The difference between a "good painting day" and a "bad painting day" often comes down to mindset. This video shows a simple but effective warm up exercise to start painting with the right mindset. If athletes and musicians begin each session with stretching and warm up exercises, why aren't you? Painting is a physical and mental exercise, and you benefit from a bit of limbering up before you work.