Venus and the Lute Player, Titian and Workshop, 1565-1570 More than just sittingĪ class usually begins with the model holding several short poses for a few minutes each, then a longer pose for 20 minutes or more. Creating the illusion that those shapes are three-dimensional on paper or canvas is the big challenge for every artist,’ said John. ‘The human form, in all its shapes and sizes, has a sensual beauty for sure, though artists often talk about the body just being a collection of shapes. Despite its significant history, many life drawing classes are open to anyone, regardless of skill. Life drawing is still an important practice for many artists, both established and new. Michelangelo’s mammoth sculpture of David (1504-1504) and Titian’s Venus and the Lute Player (1565–1570) were the outcome of years of study of the human form, and hundreds of figure studies using life models. One only has to look at Renaissance art to see that artists have been using life models for centuries. Read: The nude Bundaberg doesn’t want you to see ‘The artists are all completely focussed on their own work.’ Classic nudes It is definitely not sexy or sleazy – if anything, it is quite clinical and workman-like.

There is definitely a degree of trust involved, but everyone I have worked with has been extremely professional. ‘As a woman, having unknown people staring at your naked body can be quite confronting. ‘I loved it so much that I kept doing it after my twins were born. ‘I began life modelling when I was pregnant with twins,’ said Tess, a part-time model who enjoys the flexibility that life modelling offers for her young family. Skin folds and lumpy parts often make for a more interesting drawing. Students want to draw a variety of body types, so models with curves, a pregnant belly, or body hair are just as in demand as trim and taut models. While catwalk models are expected to be wire-thin clothes hangers, life drawing welcomes models of all shapes and sizes. with students in the Life Room in the Royal Academy Schools, 1953. ‘The work trickled in and after six months, I was working regularly, sometimes up to five or even eight sessions in a week.’ After participating in a life model training workshop, he began promoting himself to art groups and art schools. ‘I’d done a nude scene in a short film and quickly realised that life modelling would not be a big deal,’ he said. He became a life model to supplement his income as an actor. John is a life drawing model in Melbourne. None of the models we interviewed wished to include their last names, indicating that ,while they have no qualms with what they do, the rest of the world might not feel the same way. While life drawing has long been accepted in the arts, there is still a stigma attached in the wider community. It’s hard not to feel like a Botticelli nude when you are draped over a cloth-covered couch and can hear only the sound of pencils on paper. And then it became empowering: I began seeing my body for what it is. The first few minutes of my first session were nerve-racking, but I quickly got used to being naked once I realised that the students are all focussed on their work, not on my lumps and bumps. It can be cold and uncomfortable but it can also be pleasurable to be part of an intense artistic environment that has enabled artists for hundreds of years. And life models don’t just pose for life drawing classes, they also work for animation students, sculptors, architects and one-on-one. Most classes have a convivial vibe, with a coffee break and chat, and are made up of everyone from accomplished artists to complete beginners.

And I can say that it is neither seedy, nor snobby. I have been a life drawing model on and off over the past decade, for various art schools and friends’ art classes. Both views, it turns out, are utter nonsense. The second is that life drawing is the preserve of snooty, high-minded art nerds who would laugh a newbie sketcher back out the door. The first is that it is a low, seedy business, frequented by perverts who want to leer at naked people. Ironically, the two most common misconceptions about life drawing are completely contrary to one another.

Female models for drawing