The Star by Hackney Downs, 13 March 2018

I’d last visited The Star by Hackney Downs three weeks before to draw Esther. That session was notable both for its superb poses and the fact that dozens of newcomers had come to draw, filling all available seats. I suspected artist numbers might return to nearer 10 or 12 when I modelled there, but no! We had another completely full house.

With in excess of 20 artists poised to draw, we began with the regular format for short poses: 5-minutes, 4, 3, 2, three of 1-minute, and three each of 30-seconds. I intended that the last of these would be a balance on one leg – normally straightforward, but I’d weakened it during the preceding poses. Note to self: always do the balance first.

Two poses of 10-minutes led us to a break. After my balancing failure I was minded to begin twisted upon the floor, but organiser Catherine Hall asked me to be upright, so instead I became as tall as possible. Democracy reigned at the restart, with a popular vote for either three 10-minute poses, two of 15, a 10 and 20, or one half-hour pose…

It was a close call but two 15-minutes poses carried the day. As ever at Drawing the Star, once the session had ended artists were invited to place their works on the floor for admiration. A carpet of excellence materialised, and I was very happy. We finished our drinks under hot lamps outside. This great group truly deserves all its successes.

Drawing Esther at The Star, 20 February 2018

As ever, it had been pleasure to draw Esther during our previous time here together. I have taken a liking to the use of coloured pencils, and alternating hues for each pose. I’m still no artist, and cannot cope with the really short poses at all, but only practice will make that better. Exceptional model, scratchy drawings, lots of fun.