For me, this evening at The Star by Hackney Downs had a surprise extra sprinkling of stardust. Artist Farida Yesmin had travelled all the way from Folkestone to join us. It’s been years since I last saw Farida – we’d often met at Art Macabre events – so it was a joy to find her here, chatting with Drawing the Star organiser Catherine Hall.
Artwork by Catherine Hall.
Artwork by Catherine Hall.
Artwork by Farida Yesmin.
Of course, as well as unexpected old friends, it’s good to catch-up with the regulars. I always look forward to a natter with Alex McKenzie and hearing about her academic journeys into archaeological art, and seeing Mark Doherty making brilliant bold lines on big paper set upon the floor. Like Catherine and Farida, both are superb artists.
I’ve met many other talented artists during my thirty previous sessions as a life model in this space. People come and people go, but pacey poses, peppy playlists, passion for art, provision for all, plus a hint of Hackney hipness, make every occasion special. We started as always: poses of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, half, half, half, 10 and 10 minutes.
Artwork by Joseph O’Connor.
After a break and a casting of votes it was decided the last half-hour would see three more 10-minute poses. I’d misread the signs as I felt sure they would be in the mood for one 30-minute long pose; but 10-minuters were fine by me. Happy days. And now more to follow… a trip to model in Folkestone for Farida is already confirmed.
Each life drawing venue inspires different feelings of anticipation ahead of a first visit. When I was booked by tutor Josie Deighton for my début London Drawing session at Vaulty Towers, I was intrigued to see what magic lurks beyond its ultra-hip façade. Most of all, though, I wondered whether I would be able stand upright in its cellar.
Well, I could, all six-foot-four of me… but only just!
It’s an inspiring space to work within: quirky and cosy rather than claustrophobic. As I had the ceiling so readily at hand I made a point of connecting with it in various ways for my opening five poses, all of which lasted 2 minutes. After these I afforded myself more headroom by sitting for the next two 20-minute poses.
Artwork by Barbara.
Artwork by Barbara.
Artwork by Tim Daly.
As I’d found previously with Josie, she’s the very epitome of kind consideration. Her primary concern here, however, wasn’t the ceiling but the floor. I was obliged to wear the sandals she provided, lest my feet be spoiled by bar debris from the night before. Our second half started in the manner of the first, with 2-minute poses: four more.
Artwork by Tim Daly.
One pose of 30 minutes took us to the end. As I’d sat for the only two previous poses longer than 120 seconds, I felt the least I could do was stay on my feet, albeit without the natty footwear. Meanwhile, Josie circled the room offering advice wherever it was welcome. This is a nice appreciative subterranean art community. I fitted right in. 🙂
It had been seventeen days since my previous life modelling, the last seven of which were taken up with a visit to Sarajevo. Now, 24 hours (and 20 minutes) after landing back at Stansted, I was naked and posing again, for Tanner Street life drawing.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Clive.
This is a straight-forward, well-run group with which to rediscover one’s groove; quiet and focused, a good mix of artists, nice people. We opened with two 2-minute poses, then two each of 5 minutes and 10 minutes. One of 15 minutes took us to our break.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Cliff Barden.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Jacqui Hamer.
Artwork by Clive.
Artwork by Jacqui Hamer.
Artwork by Rod Kitson.
After 12 years as a life model, inevitably a number of poses were tried-and-tested old favourites. However, in each session I also try to include a few not previously used at the venue. For the second half’s 55-minute pose, only sustainability mattered.
Artwork by Rod Kitson.
Artwork by Jacqui Hamer.
Artwork by Rod Kitson.
Artwork by Cliff Barden.
And indeed I did sustain it, albeit with a couple of stretches and a little discomfort. By the end, a smothering veil of numbness in my supporting arm was giving way to ever more pain. Only for the last minutes, though. Overall the feeling was good.
The ideal email to receive when one has nothing planned for the next day: “Last min request but I don’t suppose you are free tomorrow Sunday 12th May to model for an online session 2-3.30pm…”. Within ten minutes I’d posted an affirmative response. It would be my second time on Zoom for London Drawing Group this year.
Artwork by Cynthia Barmish.
Artwork by Brittany Gutheim.
As with my last London Drawing Group booking in January, this session was led by Lucy McGeown. Our area of focus was “how parts of the body meet each other in a pose“, their “points of contact” and “shapes they make of the body“. I would manifest 90 minutes of appendage-on-torso / appendage-on-appendage action.
Artwork by Elin.
Artwork by Brittany Gutheim.
I also manifested the new Zoom backdrop in my studio – a multi-coloured, patterned hippy sheet hanging behind me, in front of which I could pull plain dark curtains from the left or plain light curtains from the right as required. I’d used my previous London Drawing Group wages to buy these, so it seemed fitting to flaunt them now.
Artwork by Cynthia Barmish.
Artwork by Elin.
After five warm-up poses of 2 minutes each, we progressed to a couple of 15-minute standing poses: one facing forward with hands on chest and hip, the other with arms as a chalice in sideways stance. For the final two poses I sat on a chair: first with left leg across right thigh for 15 minutes, second with both knees raised for 20 minutes.
Artwork by Sabine Wuttke.
It was a lovely session for a warm spring afternoon. As often when modelling online, I was alone in my own home but there may have been hundreds observing me around the world. Probably It was nearer forty, but nice to find out later that regular in-person artist Elin Wyn had been among them. Thanks, Lucy, for inviting me again. 🙂
Part 2 of 2 at Waterloo Action Centre began just 30 minutes after the end of part 1. When the previous quick-pose session finished and almost all of our artists departed, I’d wondered whether we were destined for low numbers at this long-pose sequel.
Indeed as the 4pm start time approached it seemed we might have fewer than a third of the earlier number in attendance. With a modest flurry of late arrivers, however, we managed to peak at 17 artists in total. The more the merrier, but this felt comfortable.
Although the focus was longer poses we still did our warm-ups. Tutor Andrea Voisey got us underway with poses of 10, 4, 4, 4, 4 and 2 minutes. A 25-minute pose took us into half-time, after which a single 40-minute pose carried us through to the close.
For a while, the cumulative effect of my full-time weekday job, back-to-back Saturday sessions, overexertion in poses and generally challenging times caught up with me; I nearly nodded off! But all was well. Another happy London Drawing event. 🙂
Early each Saturday afternoon an advertising board for life drawing is placed outside
Waterloo Action Centre close to London’s sprawling station of the same name. This ensures that, as well as regular attendees, its hosted London Drawing sessions are often likely to get a few curious first-time drop-ins.
There are two Saturday sessions: quick poses and long poses. The same model and tutor are present for both. This time it was me and tutor Andrea Voisey. People were still arriving at 1:30pm when I opened with a 10-minute pose. Andrea rounded-up the first-timers and gave them a demo of drawing techniques using various materials.
Demo sketches by Andrea Voisey.
This 10-minute warm-up turned out to be the longest pose of our first half. Those that followed were 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5 and 8 minutes, taking us to 2:30pm. As I write this blog more than a fortnight later I can’t begin to recall the diverse range of shapes into which I contorted my body, yet it flowed at the time. Somehow it always does.
After a healthy break in which many artists popped outside for a coffee, maybe a bite to eat, or simply to enjoy the sunshine, we returned for our final three poses. The first was a 12-minute pose taking us to 3pm. Two 15-minute poses completed part one of our afternoon’s work. Part two would begin just half an hour later, at 4pm.
The mixture of regular attendees, first-time bookings and spontaneous drop-ins gave us a total of 31 artists. At the end, almost all seemed to pack up their belongings and leave. It’s quite usual for quick poses to be more popular than long but… surely there would be more than a handful of people at our next session, wouldn’t there?
Upon returning to a life drawing group for the first time in over two years, one doesn’t wish to be late. But trains let me down. Cut to the chase: I had to walk from Denmark Hill to The Prince Regent in 23 minutes. Google says it takes 34. I did it in 18.
Artwork by Jake Attwell.
Artwork by Jake Attwell.
Artwork by Jake Attwell.
Artwork by Gabrielle Bradshaw.
Hot and breathless but trying to look composed, I staggered up to the pub’s first floor where I found SketchPad Drawing and organiser Lisa exactly as remembered them: from both my last visit in February 2022… and my first visit in Janaury 2015. 🙂
Artwork by Jake Attwell.
Artwork by Joris.
Artwork by Jake Attwell.
Artwork by kris_kringlev2.
Artwork by Maria Beddoes.
The group now occupies only one function room instead of two, but that’s fine by me. It’s less limiting than posing in a doorway. We were a little late starting so I recovered enough to stand for a 10-minute pose, then four of 2 minutes, before sitting for 10s.
Artwork by Gabrielle Bradshaw.
Artwork by Joris.
Artwork by Jake Attwell.
Artwork by Ian Thomas.
In the last 15 minutes before our break, I perched on a table’s edge with hands round my head in a favoured Egon Schiele-style. The extended joys of a pub-based interval meant we could squeeze just two poses of 10-15 minutes into the second half.
Artwork by Maria Beddoes.
Artwork by Keith Whitworth.
For the closing poses I got a slightly-less-than-subtle hint to turn my face toward Lisa so she could sketch a portrait. Any time she wants to see more of me I’ll be delighted to return! Two years had been way too long… but it felt like only yesterday.
steve ritter 