The Gesture Course by Proko

The Proko Gesture Course is a self-paced online course taught by Steven Michael Hampton, an educator, painter and author of books on figure drawing and gesture. It teaches you to capture movement, weight and rhythm in the human figure, using Hampton's 16-line approach and an alternative shape method. There are 27 video lessons totalling about 11 hours and 16 minutes, with a handful of preview lessons free. The full course costs $125 as a one-time purchase.

Gesture is often taught as quick, loose scribbling. Hampton's approach is more structured: it ties gesture to the skeleton and to proportion, so the energy of a pose survives once you add construction and detail. It sits well alongside his other Proko courses on figure construction, heads and drapery.

What You Will Learn

The official course page lists these topics:

• Gesture fundamentals and how they relate to the skeleton
• The 16-line approach to laying in a pose
• Proportions for gesture drawing
• Tackling difficult poses, including foreshortening and twists
• The gesture of the limbs, hands and feet
• Distribution of weight and balance
• The shape method, an alternative to line-based gesture
• Master studies and practice strategies

Who Is the Proko Gesture Course For?

Proko lists it as suitable for beginners and intermediate artists. It is a good fit if your figures look stiff, if you rely heavily on reference and want more freedom, or if you want a system for life drawing sessions. Animators, comic artists and illustrators who draw characters in action will get a lot from it.

Absolute beginners may find it easier after a general course such as Drawing Basics. If you want more on proportion, landmarks and shading, Stan Prokopenko's Figure Drawing Fundamentals covers a broader range.

Course Structure

The lessons are grouped into seven sections:

• Intro to Gesture
• Proportions
• Learning Gesture
• Difficult Poses
• The Gesture of Limbs
• The Shape Method
• Beyond Gesture

Lessons combine lectures with demonstrations narrated by the instructor, and many end with exercises to practise before moving on. The early sections set up the core method; the later ones apply it to harder cases such as limbs, extreme poses and finished drawings, so it pays to take them in order rather than dipping in.

Price and Access

The full course costs $125 as a single payment, with no subscription. Adding other Proko courses to the cart gives a small bundle discount, up to 15%.

Unlike some of Proko's courses, this one offers very little free content. The page lists a few preview lessons, but Proko is clear that most of the teaching is for premium students. Buyers can download the videos for offline viewing, and all lessons have closed captions. Refund requests go to Proko support within 30 days and may be reviewed if more than a quarter of the content has been downloaded.

About the Instructor

Steven Michael Hampton has taught drawing and anatomy for around 25 years, including at Art Center, LCAD, Blizzard Entertainment and Lucasfilm. He holds degrees in illustration, fine art and art history, and is the author of Figure Drawing: Design and Invention and Gesture Drawing: Dynamic Movement and Form.

Things to Consider

• Time: About 11 hours of video, plus regular gesture practice. Gesture improves through volume, so plan short, frequent sessions.
• Reference: You will need pose reference, such as photo sets, timed pose tools or life drawing sessions.
• Materials: Any drawing tools work, traditional or digital.
• Limited free content: There is little to sample before buying, so check the preview lessons and Hampton's books if you want a sense of his style.
• Feedback: Exercises can be posted in the Proko community for peer feedback. Instructor critiques are not listed for this course.
• What next: Introduction to Figure Construction continues the same system with volume and form.

Start the Course

Interested in learning with Proko?

Start The Gesture Course

For the full syllabus and pricing of Proko Gesture Course, visit the official Proko website.

Looking for more ways to learn? Browse all courses and learning resources on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 16, 2026