Make your notes come alive with figures in action.

Sheri Kennedy • Aug 25, 2023

The Art of Applied Visual Thinking

The official newsletter of Applied Visual Thinking SUPERHEROES. Vol. 4 No. 16 August 25, 2023

What's something exciting you've seen, learned about or experienced this summer? Gone birding? Whale watching? Taken an online course? Have you tried drawing it?

When I look back at notes I've taken, the ones that I am most compelled to revisit contain figures of some kind and an image that shows some kind of action.

When I look back at notes I've taken, the ones that I am most compelled to revisit contain figures of some kind and an image that shows some kind of action. The idea of drawing a person doing something can seem daunting, I know, but it can be as summer simple as putting on a pair of sunglasses.

Read on to learn how.

a line drawing of a table tennis or ping pong paddle containing the word tiny and a person with their hand outstretched. A white ping pong ball rests on the palm and there are 3 arrows pointing to the ball.

Start with the end in mind.

What action or concept do you need to show? If you were taking a photo, would you need a full-frame close-up or a wide-angle distance shot to best spotlight the idea?

When to use a close-up:

Zoom in on the person's EXPRESSION to convey an emotion.
Call attention to A THING such as a telescope, whiteboard, sign, book, telephone, or product.

Draw the thing first – don't be afraid to make it BIG!
Draw the person around the thing – smaller than the thing.

FILL a small space or shape.

Draw the container first – a shape, a corner of a room or whatever abstract outline fills the space (leave a gap or two if you want the person to overlap the outline).
Draw the person in the space – maybe conforming to the space or breaking out of it.

A drawing of a blue, kneeling figure holding a very large, multicolored beach ball over their head. On the beach ball is the word humongous.

When to use a full-body figure from a distance:

Indicate that the person is moving or performing an ACTION – running, swimming, jumping, reaching, swinging a tennis racquet.
Include more than one person INTERACTING – high fiving, talking/listening, giving/receiving.
Take up more space and therefore give it more IMPORTANCE.

A drawing of a tennis match. One figure is preparing to hit the ball, while the other is preparing for the return. There are 4 rows of simple, abstract figures watching the match from grandstands.

When to use a group:

Set a larger CONTEXT – whole team, organization, city, world.
Include a DIVERSITY of figures or responses.
Convey PERSPECTIVE such as foreground to background or small vs. large.

NOW YOU TRY IT!

Find a video or start a class, take some notes and juice 'em up with a figure or two in action. If you have a few more minutes, check out our recent blog post for more ways to Expand your Figure Library.