Monday 2 March: the start of a lean week for life modelling. My one and only booking was this evening. If you’ve got only one booking for a whole week, you want it to be a good one. And so it was: with Walthamstow Lifedrawing.
“Good” is determined by the feeling it gives me. It doesn’t have to be the best paying, the best attended, the most prestigious or the most glamorous. If it energises me and leaves me feeling happier than when I arrived, then it’s a good ‘un.
The pose durations were well known to me from previous visits yet I arrived with only two or three poses in mind. The rest were inspired in the moment: one wholly original and another an old favourite; the rest all new hybrids of bygone arrangements.
Warm room, warm hearts. I did indeed leave happier than when I arrived. Not that I’d been at all unhappy upon arrival, it’s merely testimony to the ability of a good session to raise my spirits higher. Week’s work done, I walked out my full 6’4″ height.
Pose minutes, 7:30pm-9:15pm
Part 1 : 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 15, 20.
— break —
Part 2 : 30.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Week Three of three in February sitting for portraits with Ilford Art Society. After this, no more sitting with my chin resting on my fist! It was only ever intended as a novelty pose for just the first session, yet here we were three weeks later.
The one artist who’d wished to work on a single painting of the same pose over three sessions was focusing only on my upper body. This meant I could at least amend my leg positioning to create a modicum of variety for other artists.
After two weeks of sitting with legs crossed I opted to stretch out with my left leg fully extended. Yeah, let’s finish with a foreshortening challenge! It went very well. Whilst I won’t miss my chin-fist pose, I’ll miss February Wednesdays with these gentle folk.
Pose minutes, 7:30pm-9:30pm
Part 1 : 60.
— break —
Part 2 : 41 continuation.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Jolanta.
As with my previous job, for Crouch End Life Drawing, this one at Kindred Studios was another debut appearance for me. For Crouch End I had responded to a call-out (an increasingly rare occurrence but I had a really good feeling about them), whereas in this case I was recommended to the group by an artist – also rare, but so nice!
And what a nice group Kindred Studios Artists turned out to be. Based in a gigantic ‘reimagined heritage building’ – The Gramophone Works on Grand Union Canal – it took a while for me to locate the right Reception area behind which life drawing takes place. That might say more about my navigation skills, however.
Once there I quickly warmed to the efficient set-up: easels for artists; floor and bench for me; plenty of space for all; a good mix of natural and focused light; ample heating and clear time-calling. I always relish opportunities for theatrical life modelling but the purist in me is still most at home with this kind of classical minimalism.
Most importantly: lovely people. Natural, at ease, open, friendly… and so generous in sharing some utterly delicious chocolates. They seemed to appreciate my efforts too, which is just as well because I already have four more bookings here – from Monday next week through to early May. Honestly, I can’t wait to return!
Pose minutes, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Part 1 : 2, 2, 2, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 15.
— break —
Part 2 : 20, 20, 10.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Abigail Burton.
Artwork by Annabel Hill Loureiro.
Artwork by Judith Brenner.
I’ve life modelled in pubs and clubs, bars and cafes, museums and galleries, libraries and community centres, churches and village halls, studios and work places, but only once before had I ever modelled at a cinema. That was way way back in 2013 for Art Macabre at Hackney Picturehouse. Fast forward thirteen years to the present and I find myself at Crouch End Picturehouse, posing with Crouch End Life Drawing.
We were in the Picturehouse’s Community Space, not in front of the silver screen but in front of a whole wall of mirrors. It was my first time modelling for this group, and my first meeting with its organiser, fellow life model ‘Fat Meg‘. As requested, I’d sent Meg some photos for promo material, from which one of me holding a wooden mannequin figure – taken during a ‘How to Draw‘ session at The Conservatoire – was used.
I felt duly it was appropriate that I bring a couple of mannequin figures to Crouch End for use as props. Plus I brought a skull too, because why not? Prop-use is very much encouraged here. I repeated my pose holding one of the figures, but most of the time they just kept me company. Overall it was a relaxed sociable fun session, slightly low key due to foul weather but great to meet Meg at last. Good times.
Pose minutes, 7:30pm-9pm
Part 1 : 1, 1, 1, 1, 5, 5, 10, 10.
— break —
Part 2 : 30.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Vincent Brown.
Artwork by Vincent Brown.
Artwork by Vincent Brown.
Artwork by fatmeglifemodel.
Week Two of three in February sitting for portraits with Ilford Art Society. Week One had been a fortnight before, Week Three will be the following week, whilst in between weeks One and Two I’d been away in Antalya, Türkiye. Very nice.
As one artist used the previous session to continue work on a portrait of me that he’d started last year, I’d wondered whether this would carry on into subsequent sessions. Well, the answer was ‘yes’, so back I went into pose with my chin resting on my fist.
To some extent enabling such continuations was the point of booking three sessions. With everyone else starting a new work in each half of each session, however, it was an unusual group dynamic.
I guess I’d best prepare to wear the same fleecy top and have my chin on my fist one last time when I return for Week Three. Hopefully I’ll be invited back later this year so we can work on something fresh. 🙂
Pose minutes, 7:30pm-9:30pm
Part 1 : 55.
— break —
Part 2 : 42 continuation.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by David Fallows.
Vitruvian Man. The drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. You know the one, described on Wikipedia as depicting: “a nude man in two overlapping standing positions, inscribed within a circle and a square“. Well, for this online session run by Joanna McCormick the time had come for me to be that man.
‘Two overlapping standing positions‘ meant two separate standing poses for artists to overlap in any way they liked. Maybe drawing the second pose directly upon the first, or maybe making each drawing on a separate piece of tracing paper. Whatever. That side of things wasn’t my problem. My problem was keeping my arms up.
Each pose would last just 12 minutes (mercifully chopped from 15 minutes before we even started) but, hey, try it! The first pose had my feet wide apart and hands at head height; the second pose had legs together and hands at shoulder height. During both it became necessary to shake my aching arm muscles after six and nine minutes.
I was a little disappointed with myself. I knew it would get uncomfortable but I hoped I might go the distance without visibly wilting. Alas my home studio doesn’t have ropes hanging from the ceiling to cradle my arms; a luxury I’m told was available for models at the more enlightened Renaissance art studios.
After these two endurance exercises it was comparatively a sumptuous comfort to sit motionless for a 40-minute close-up portrait study. Ohh, the relief. Yet thinking back, I learned nothing about myself or my practice during the portrait pose. As the Vitruvian Man, however, I discovered limitations that, with practice, maybe I can exceed.
Pose minutes, 11am-12:30pm
Part 1 : 12, 12, 40.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Michelle Russell.
Artwork by Usha Chitsabesan.
Artwork by Peter Mollett.
Artwork by Peter Mollett.
Artwork by Michelle Russell.
Artwork by Michelle Russell.
Artwork by Usha Chitsabesan.
Artwork by Sandra Kinchin Thornley.
Artwork by Dick Graham.
Artwork by Jo McCormick.
Portrait bookings for Ilford Art Society have come in threes. That is, three at the end October / early November last year, and now three in February this year. Thus far I’ve not been able to oblige with three consecutive Wednesdays (the diary gets busy), but three-out-of-four consecutive weeks has been acceptable.
So, this session was the first of my February triptych. I’m given no steer nor particular requests for the set-up of the evening’s single pose, which gives me latitude for some improvisation. Last year I wore bright colours and first held a neutral expression, then held a smile, and lastly held an upward off-centre gaze for my three poses.
I decided to open this set of three sessions by wearing a heavily-textured furry fleece and posing with my chin resting on my right-hand’s closed fist. As far as I was aware, each session is a start-and-finish exercise but, unexpectedly, one late-arrival brought out his in-progress painting of last year’s final pose and continued working on it.
By close of play, the continuation painting had gained the ghost outline of a fist below my chin. This puts me in a quandary. What to do when I return on 18 February? I had considered the ‘fist pose’ to be a one-off, but will there now be pressure to resume it? And if so, how will the other artist’s feel about that? To be continued…
Pose minutes, 7:30pm-9:30pm
Part 1 : 55.
— break —
Part 2 : 45 continuation.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by David Fallows.
steve ritter 