Arts Theatre, London, 21 July 2023

Two days after returning from a fortnight on the sunny shores of Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia, I felt relieved my first post-vacation modelling job was a portrait booking. Aside my body having a less-than-ideal T-shirt tan, I’d also not been sleeping too well over the previous couple of nights. Though, of course, sleep deprivation has its perils for portrait sitters too.

I was back at the Pigeon Loft Studio above Arts Theatre, in London’s West End for a City Academy class. It was the first of three scheduled classes for a portrait drawing course, with a different model at each. Different tutors too perhaps, as a stand-in was needed this evening due to sickness. Easels were positioned horseshoe-style across the width of the studio, with me sitting about a third of the way into the open end.

There were to be five poses, none of which were timed. The first was a warm-up, the next three were practice exercises taking us halfway through the session, and after a break we finished with one long pose. Inevitably the sleep deprivation caught up with me, to the extent that by the fourth pose my eyelids must surely have been flickering. If so, I was forgiven. Fine drawings suggested quality hadn’t been compromised.

Far more rare than drowsiness at a portrait session, but every bit as understandable, was a request that I wear my hair in a ponytail. Not for the benefit of those who enjoy drawing ponytails but for greater visibility of my whole head and the proportions of its skull. For such purposes a ponytail is preferable to scalping, though normally I would shy away from both. Tonight I was happy to oblige… with a borrowed hair tie.