Gesture drawings is another great sketchbook exercise. The objective of a gesture drawing is to capture form and movement. You can do this by observing your family members while they're doing their chores, drawing people playing sports, or just people walking along the street.

These drawings don't involve a lot of detail. Much of it is quick "gestural" strokes. It may appear scribbled and not at all like the subject but keep in mind that the objective is form.

Gesture drawings will prepare you for a lot of observational work. It increases the speed at which you can work at, so when you're in a workshop with live models, you will be able to capture the details that you want to include in the time allotted.