London College of Communication, London, 13 March 2025

Was this session still going ahead? That’s what I pondered as I waited in the lift foyer on the 13th floor of London College of Communication – part of University of the Arts London (UAL) – hoping someone would let me through the security door to the classrooms. It was 5:59pm, we were due to start at 6pm, yet no-one was around.

At that point tutor Dolph van Eden arrived, but he shared my predicament. Neither of us are issued door passes by the college, so we have to rely on students to let us in. That’s a bit of a problem if the students don’t turn up. Fortunately a security guard on his rounds was able to open the door. Ten minutes later, the first student arrived.

The first student also turned out to be the only student – no idea what became of the rest. I was expecting maybe up to a dozen. Not a problem for me, though. One tutor, one student and one model is enough for a class. The primary focus was portraiture, but we started and finished with full-figure life poses.

Classroom sessions with only one person drawing tend not to be economically viable in the long run but there’s a nice intimate quality to them when they occur. As always, Dolph’s tuition made fascinating listening; no mental exercises necessary to the pass time. Most importantly, of course, our student seemed to take lots of positives.

Pose minutes, 6pm-8pm

Part 1 : 10, untimed demos, 15, 20.
— break —
Part 2 : 12, 14.

Artworks

Demo artworks by Dolph van Eden.