Maniacal Warm-ups

Lately I've been spending 15-45 minutes on posemaniacs thirty second gesture drawings three or four times a week. Its a nice way to practice anatomical proportions, making quick decisions, and drawing the figure with poses and viewpoints that force me out of my comfort zone. Warming up this way, or more importantly staying warm every day, has helped a ton with my work. Pieces seem to come together faster and with less frustration when I keep my creative engine running, and I'd definitely recommend this type of exercise to anyone wanting to knock the rust off. (A word of caution, though: posemaniacs uses 3d models with a skin that has the muscle anatomy on top, which is misleading when it comes to keeping your anatomy accurate. I'd only recommend using it for quick drawings, instead of anatomical studies.)