Sometimes when drawing time is limited I’ll do a quick exercise from memory, maybe 10-20 mins in length. I’ll just work through an idea, in this case a leg study but it could be anything really. It’s a great way to gauge how well you know a subject and helps keep the tools sharp. It feels similar and I think has similar rewards to doing scales or exercises on a musical instrument.
Drawing with intention
I think it's really useful to go into a drawing with intention. Before starting a drawing ask yourself what it is you want to say. What speaks to you about the pose and what's the story you want to tell. It's so easy to go into autopilot and just copy what's in front of you. Give yourself that moment to gather your thoughts, then draw!
Sometimes, less is more!
Shorter poses give us the opportunity to get right to the point without getting too fussy or obsessing over the details. When working on shorter poses ask yourself, what's absolutely necessary to tell the story? Everything else is a bonus. 10 min, charcoal on newsprint.
Push those proportions!
In Figure Drawing, one of the keys to maintaining vitality and life in a drawing is down to how you handle exaggeration. I always try to push a pose 10% further than what’s in front of me. That way, when the drawing settles down you still have something with life and not a stiff facsimile. This can also apply to proportion. I find it’s a good exercise to push proportion till it ‘almost’ breaks. Sometimes you go too far but but that’s half the fun of it!