Most pose timer tools make you create an account, navigate a library, or sit through a setup process before you can draw a single line. SketchKit's free Pose Timer skips all of that. Open the page, load your images, press Start. This guide walks you through every feature so you can get the most out of it from day one.
Getting Started in 30 Seconds
You don't need an account, an install, or even a reference image to start. Head to sketchkit.art/timer.html and you'll see the tool load instantly in your browser. From here you have two ways to get images into the timer:
- Use a built-in reference pack — click one of the three packs in the sidebar (Dogs, Horse Riding, or Birds) and the images load immediately. No upload required.
- Upload your own images — click the upload area or drag and drop any JPG, PNG, or WebP files from your computer. You can select multiple files at once.
Once images are loaded, the Start button activates and you're ready to go.
Choosing the Right Duration
The sidebar has five preset durations — 10s, 30s, 1m, 2m, and 5m — plus a custom input if you want something specific. Here's what each one is actually for:
- 10 seconds — forces you to draw only the line of action. Nothing else is possible. Use this to train decisiveness.
- 30 seconds — line of action plus the roughest indication of body shape. Good for warm-ups at the start of a session.
- 1 minute — the most useful duration for most artists. Enough time for gesture and basic structure, not enough time to overthink.
- 2 minutes — adds time to think about weight, volume, and the 3D form of the subject.
- 5 minutes — a short study. Use this at the end of a session to consolidate what you practised at shorter durations.
You can switch duration mid-session without stopping — the new time applies from the next image onward.
The Options: Loop, Shuffle, and Sound
Three toggles in the sidebar control how the session behaves:
- Loop images — when the last image is reached, the session starts again from the beginning. Useful for longer sessions where you want to cycle through your reference set multiple times.
- Shuffle order — randomises the image sequence every time. Recommended once you're familiar with your reference pack, so you can't anticipate the next pose.
- Sound alert — plays a short beep when the timer expires and the image changes. Useful if you're looking at your sketchbook rather than the screen.
Using Fullscreen Mode
The Fullscreen button in the bottom-right corner opens a dedicated practice overlay that fills your entire screen. The image takes centre stage, the timer displays at the top, and a thin progress bar shows how much time remains in the current pose.
Fullscreen mode is ideal when you want to eliminate distractions — no browser tabs, no sidebar, no notifications visible. The controls at the bottom let you Start, Pause, skip Prev or Next, and change duration without leaving fullscreen. Press Escape or the Exit button to return to the normal view.
Navigating Manually
You don't have to wait for the timer to advance. The Prev and Next buttons let you move between images at any time — useful if a pose isn't working for you or if you want to spend extra time on a particularly interesting one. The Reset button returns the session to the first image and resets the timer.
Preparing Your Own Reference Set
The built-in packs are a good starting point, but uploading your own images gives you complete control over what you practise. A few tips for building a useful reference set:
- Keep file sizes reasonable. Images compressed to around 100–200KB load instantly and don't slow down the session. You can use a free tool like Squoosh to compress images before uploading.
- Curate for variety. A mix of standing, seated, and dynamic poses produces better practice than a set of similar images.
- Match your current focus. If you're working on animal anatomy, build a pack of animal reference photos. If you're focused on hands, a hand-only set will push your practice more specifically than a general figure set.
- Simplify complex references first. If a photo is too detailed or cluttered to read quickly, run it through the Image Simplifier before adding it to your practice set. The simplified version is much easier to work from at speed.
Combining the Pose Timer with Other SketchKit Tools
The Pose Timer works well alongside the other tools on SketchKit:
- Image Simplifier — strip a complex reference photo down to its core shapes before using it in a timer session. Easier to read at 30 seconds.
- Value Checker — after a gesture session, use the value checker to analyse the tonal structure of your reference images. Useful if you're also working on light and shadow.
- Grid Drawing Tool — the grid tool is for careful, measured drawing — the opposite of gesture. Use both: the timer for fluency and speed, the grid for proportion and accuracy.
None of your uploaded images are stored or sent to any server. Everything stays in your browser for the duration of your session and is cleared when you close the tab.
Session Stats
While a session is running, the sidebar shows a live count of completed poses, remaining poses, and total time practised. A small detail, but useful for tracking how much work you've put in during a session — especially on days when it doesn't feel like enough.
That's everything the tool does. Simple by design — because the point is to spend your time drawing, not configuring a tool. Open it, load your references, and draw.