Drawing Session 5

Today marked the first day of our life modelling. Before the session I wasn’t too sure how I felt about it. It has been a while since the last time we did any modelling, so today was a chance to pick up where we left off, and get back into the groove of what we learned last year. Primarily, how to correctly measure the model onto our page, using our thumb to fit the head, measure out how many 'heads' were needed to fit the model, and marking it on the paper. Today was a beneficial day as it was the first time we had a female model, and not only that, but a few months pregnant. Having had all male models last year, we had become use to drawing the same basic shape for the body. Now we had new grooves and shading which needed to be taken note of when drawing. The lecture began fine, with the model taking short 15 minute poses sitting on the table. But then the model fainted, at which point we were not sure whether to continue drawing, or insist she stopped and went home. But she was a trooper, and continued to model from a chair until break time, at which point, thankfully she agreed to go home and rest.

At this point we took tuns to sit in the chair and be the model. Don’t get any ideas you. Clothes stayed ON for the entire session. Each student would model with the chair being rotated slightly each time, so on paper, we would have a 360 degree view of a model sitting in the chair. I believe it was a good reintroduction to life modelling, although Id argue to have the model be conscious at all times, and getting the blasted easels to stay upright in one position has become a bigger battle than I remember from last year. I look forward to doing more in the future weeks and getting use to sketching the human body again.