Workers’ playtime, London, 7 January 2020

Having first posed for Blue Zoo Animation Studio in a clothed session two weeks before Christmas, I returned to them two weeks after Christmas to pose nude. As per my previous visit, the two hours would be devoted entirely to quick-fire dynamic work, only even quicker this time.

The shorter the poses, the more I have to conjure up, so it becomes a workout for my body and my imagination. We started with three of 1 minute, three of 2 minutes, three of 3 minutes, then one each of 4 minutes and 7 minutes. After a break we pressed on: 5-minutes, 5, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 8 and 5 – a mighty 25 poses in total.

Occasionally I made use of a perching stool, and once I posed with my umbrella, but otherwise it was just me and my body. So many extraordinary drawings were crafted, capturing the figure and often playfully suggesting character. Every line seemed right first time. Thank you, Wei Wu, who created all the wonderful artworks in this post.