Posing Nude for Drawing Class This Weekend
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
try this but now its actually going to happen. I feel like I'm going
to make a jackass out of myself.
Any advice for a novice? The instructor knows I'm new and he said it
will be a series of two two three minute gestures. I don't want to
dissapoint the 25 or so people who are going to be there. I do have a
few specific questions... I know I'm supposed to shut up during a
pose, but what about during breakes? Does a normal class talk to the
model or should I keep my distance?
Northwoods_Nudist_Couple
Acuraju...@hotmail.com wrote:
> Its my first time, and I'm somewhat nervous. I've always want to to
> try this but now its actually going to happen. I feel like I'm going
> to make a jackass out of myself.
Just try to think positive.
> Any advice for a novice? The instructor knows I'm new and he said it
> will be a series of two two three minute gestures. I don't want to
> dissapoint the 25 or so people who are going to be there. I do have a
> few specific questions... I know I'm supposed to shut up during a
> pose, but what about during breakes? Does a normal class talk to the
> model or should I keep my distance?
I'd suggest asking the instructor about that one.
Dan
David Looser
news:1138063868.1...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
I was nervous too before my first time, but there was no need as it all went
very well. There is a big difference between being one nude amongst many
with no one looking at you in particular, and being the only nude in front
of a group of fully dressed artists who are all staring at you. But remember
that you are there, and nude, because THEY want you to be there, you are the
one doing them a favour.
Whilst posing keep as still as you can. Don't talk, don't make eye contact.
Since you are only doing 2-3 minute poses that should be easy. During breaks
there is no reason why you shouldn't chat to the artists, I always do (and
have found them to be a really friendly lot). You may be expected to be
covered up during the breaks - check with the instructor.
In fact the hardest bit in my experience is the physical discomfort of
sitting still for a long time, but as you say you are only doing 2 or 3
minute poses you wont even have that problem.
David.
smyk...@yahoo.com
This is something I've always wanted to do! What's the best way to
find an oportunity to pose nude for an art class?
cyndiann
Call your local colleges and ask for the art department.
cyndiann
http://www.mynudelife.com
http://www.yournudelife.com
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Yeah, its something I've always wanted to do as well, now I'm shitting
bricks.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
David Looser wrote:
> <Acuraju...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1138063868.1...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > Its my first time, and I'm somewhat nervous. I've always want to to
> > try this but now its actually going to happen. I feel like I'm going
> > to make a jackass out of myself.
> > Any advice for a novice? The instructor knows I'm new and he said it
> > will be a series of two two three minute gestures. I don't want to
> > dissapoint the 25 or so people who are going to be there. I do have a
> > few specific questions... I know I'm supposed to shut up during a
> > pose, but what about during breakes? Does a normal class talk to the
> > model or should I keep my distance?
> >
>
> I was nervous too before my first time, but there was no need as it all went
> very well. There is a big difference between being one nude amongst many
> with no one looking at you in particular, and being the only nude in front
> of a group of fully dressed artists who are all staring at you. But remember
> that you are there, and nude, because THEY want you to be there, you are the
> one doing them a favour.
Thats a good point. Asking somebody to stand there nude shouldn't be
taken lightly.
>
> Whilst posing keep as still as you can. Don't talk, don't make eye contact.
> Since you are only doing 2-3 minute poses that should be easy. During breaks
> there is no reason why you shouldn't chat to the artists, I always do (and
> have found them to be a really friendly lot). You may be expected to be
> covered up during the breaks - check with the instructor.
Yes, its ultra cold these days here in Pennsylvania so I'll have a
bathrobe.
>
> In fact the hardest bit in my experience is the physical discomfort of
> sitting still for a long time, but as you say you are only doing 2 or 3
> minute poses you wont even have that problem.
>
> David.
Do you think I'll eventually get used to being nude in front of other
people?
Will it be second nature eventually? Thats my goal.
Now I'm locked in, so I can't say now. When I sent my picture into the
instructor (clothed) he said I looked like I would be good for drawing.
The class is also beginners.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
cyndiann wrote:
> >
> > This is something I've always wanted to do! What's the best way to
> > find an oportunity to pose nude for an art class?
> >
>
> Call your local colleges and ask for the art department.
> cyndiann
> http://www.mynudelife.com
> http://www.yournudelife.com
Thats what I did... for the past two months I only got one who was
interested in a novice model.
Marsketa
You'll be fine :)
David Looser
news:1138126157....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
converted cow-shed and works mainly with older "hobby" artists. Only after
I'd cut my teeth that way did I get any jobs at the local college. To be
honest I much prefer working for the independent teacher. I liked the fact
that the artists were my sort of age, rather than youngsters straight out of
school, I liked the fact that I was paid cash in hand and didn't have to
wait ages for the college beaurocracy to get round to sending me a cheque.
I actually got my first job by going for a walk. It was an unseasonably warm
September day and I decided to walk down to my local beach. When I got there
the beach was desterted except for a neighbour (Jenny) who was sitting at an
easel painting the view. She suggested I went for a swim, telling me that
the water was warm. To my protest that I hadn't brought swimming things with
me Jenny said that there was no one else about and that I could borrow her
towel. She knew I was a nudist so it was pointless arguing, and I duly went
for a swim. After I got out and was drying myself off she asked if I had
considered life modeling, I said I hadn't thought of it but might consider
it. A couple of days later I got a phone call from the teacher saying that
Jenny had suggested me as a model, and was I really interested. The rest, as
they say, is history.
David.
David Looser
news:1138126054....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> >
> Do you think I'll eventually get used to being nude in front of other
> people?
> Will it be second nature eventually? Thats my goal.
I'm sure it will. it gets easier with experience, just so long as you don't
have too many hang-ups about your appearance.
David.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
I'm not a nudist, so this is a new thing for me.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
I don't... I'm skinny, my arms, legs and whole body is in pretty good
shape. I don't have a sixpack, but I'm working on it. The weird part
is these will be beginners, I don't want to discourage them, or make
myself look like a dope.
David Looser
news:1138138494.4...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> I'm not a nudist, so this is a new thing for me.
>
In which case I admire your courage, though as I intimated in a previous
reply doing life modeling isn't much like being a nudist. A life model is
"exposed" in a way that a nudist isn't. I know there are life models who
aren't nudists and it suprises me. Being a nudist is not only much easier
than being a life model, but also gives all the benefits of clothes-free
existance which being a model doesn't. If life-modeling was really well-paid
it might make more sense, but it doesn't even have that.
David.
David Looser
news:1138138654....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Begineers will be too busy coping with their own embarrasment at having to
really look at a nude person (normally a total no-no) to really take much
notice of how you are feeling about it!
David.
>
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Interesting. You're right Its not well paid, it can barely cover my
gas costs for a week or two. I'm not 100% sure why I'm doing it. I
think I want to build up confidence. Another thing is these people are
strangers and chances are I won't see them again. If I do, it will be
for the duration of the class and then they're gone. So even if I do
make a jackass out of myself I won't have tolisten to it for the rest
of my life. Beyond that, I really don't have a good reason. BUT, I'm
determined.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
I'll probably be shaking like an epileptic up there.
Let's see, I know the ground rules. Don't look at the individual
artists. I'll start at the cieling. Don't talk during the session.
Would an artist ever say something during a pose? If one does, what
should I do?
Mark
<Acuraju...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1138145203....@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> I'll probably be shaking like an epileptic up there.
> Let's see, I know the ground rules. Don't look at the individual
> artists. I'll start at the cieling. Don't talk during the session.
> Would an artist ever say something during a pose? If one does, what
> should I do?
>
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Model is 60, naked and proud
Artists draw inspiration from human figure, and model is comfortable in her
own skin.
By LORI BASHEDA
The Orange County Register
It takes a special kind of person to stand naked in front of strangers.
Particularly when those strangers are only a few feet away. And they're
staring at you. Lingering over every bulge.
At the very least, you have to be a person at peace with your bulges.
Maura Laura LeBron is such a person. At age 55, when many women are
embracing the world of bathing suits with attached skirts, she answered an
ad for a nude model.
LeBron is 60 now. A full-figured size 14. And she enthusiastically drops her
robe for students in painting, drawing and sculpture college classrooms
across Orange County.
She and her husband, Paul, a computer techie, have never been big on
clothes. "We're kind of like nudists, but just at home," she says. "But it
never occurred to me to go out in public."
Then one day her husband spotted an ad in a nudist magazine. It was perfect.
Not only is LeBron a closet nudist, she is a closet artist. She has
expressed herself with jewelry, stained glass, abstract paintings. The idea
of using her very flesh and blood to make art was thrilling.
"I have cellulite. And my breasts are beginning to go south. But it doesn't
freak me out," said LeBron, who came to New York City from Puerto Rico as a
teen and still has an accent. "It empowers me. It makes me feel that I am
contributing to the art community."
Dropping your drawers, it turns out, can provide a vital service to the
artiste.
The nude figure, says Coastline Community College art instructor Lynn
Goodin, "nourishes the creativity of any visual artist. It's like a source
of inspiration." As soon as you put clothes on a figure, "you have made a
statement about personality, placed that individual into a specific time in
history."
Elizabeth Knox, a painter who runs a workshop at the Grand Central Art
Center in Santa Ana, put herself through the Parsons School of Design in New
York City as a young student by posing.
"To work from life gives you the vital blood for your work," she says. Not
to mention the ultimate painting challenge. "The human form is the most
complex form in the universe."
Knox says there is a return to figure painting among young artists. And not
just those focusing on the fine arts. "Picasso made figures into
abstractions over and over and over. The mother of Western art is the
figure."
For Knox, painting a nude is "about the psychology of the person and getting
to their soul."
On Saturday afternoon in the basement of the Grand Central Art Center, Knox
and six other painters tried to get to LeBron's soul.
Wearing a satin paisley robe, LeBron walked around the room chatting with
the artists - five men and two women - while they set up their easels and
paints. At 1 p.m. she stepped onto a wood platform raised on four plastic
milk crates and sat down on a chair draped in red velvet. Knox aimed a
spotlight at her, casting a shadow.
"OK," LeBron said, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths. Then
she opened her eyes, gazed off dramatically to the left and let her robe
slip away.
"OK, guys, do you like it?" Knox asked. One painter wanted more shadow.
Another asked her to place her hands on her thighs.
When the pose was agreed upon, the work began. They painted quickly, the
sound of their brushes stroking canvas sometimes louder than a recording of
Brazilian music.
LeBron sat motionless, short red hair matching her red lipstick, wearing
turquoise earrings, a turquoise ring, an anklet, a toe ring and a single
striped flip-flop. Later, she admitted she often uses that time to think
about her grocery shopping list.
After 30 minutes, a timer beeped for a five-minute break. LeBron pulled her
robe back up around her shoulders and did a quick loop around the room,
inspecting and sometimes commenting on the artists' perceptions of her, each
so different.
"A photograph is dead," says Bob McNeil, a former illustrator of schoolbooks
who lives in Santa Ana and attends the Saturday workshops. "This is alive."
After three hours, LeBron went home. But the paintings of her scattered.
They might wind up in a portfolio, on a wall, in a gallery, in the trash.
LeBron has been painted and sketched and sculpted naked hundreds of times.
She gets calls for 12-16 hours of modeling a week, making $18-22 an hour.
She is proud that breast cancer didn't stop her. Several weeks after
surgery, she arrived for a class bloated and bandaged and feeling anything
but feminine. The instructor, knowing what she was going through, had
created a stage that looked like a French boudoir; all lace and flowers and
everything pink.
"I just broke down and cried," she says. And, sitting naked on a chair, she
continued to cry while they painted her. She has pictures of it.
LeBron is one of 32 models on Knox's on-call list. Other instructors have
their own lists. Workshop facilitator Debra Marsh said she's had models from
21 to 80 years old (one man walks with a cane). There are more women than
men. "The models are artists in themselves in one way or another," Marsh
said. "A lot of them are actors and dancers."
LeBron is one of Goodin's favorites. "She's got a little drama," she said.
All shapes and sizes are welcome. Short or tall. Plump or bony. Muscular or
wrinkled.
"We like variety," Marsh said. Unlike the magazine and advertising
industries' obsession with air-brushing out every freckle, curves, folds and
rolls are embraced. (Think of the Rubenesque nudes of the Renaissance
paintings.) Really the only requirement is that the model must be able to
stay still.
"We're always looking for new blood," Knox said. Of course, it takes a
special kind of person to stand there naked in front of strangers.
Marsketa
shape. I don't have a sixpack, but I'm working on it.
>From an artist's point of view, it is more interesting to draw somebody
whose body is less than percieved perfection. Artist models should all
look different and have some quirky interesting imperfection. :)
Marsketa
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Now its been changed. Its an impromptu group of people in the studio
and it will be painting not drawing. WOuld that mean longer poses?
That might work out better since I'm not very creative on what poses I
should strike - yet.
Cheri Alexander
have worked with photographers as well as art classes.
The gesturing 2-3 minute poses were great, but you really need to not
lock your knees or get into a position that would be uncomfortable for
even that short period of time. The last time I modelled was for an
art class in our city's art museum. It had lots of interesting things
to look at during the longer poses. I did bring a robe to wear during
breaks. I also brought a thick towel with which to pad a hard floor or
bench/chair when I sat for poses for up to 60 minutes. The gesturing
poses are easiest to do if you think athletics: tennis, skating,
bowling, baseball, swimming.
The students were all adults over 30 yrs. of age, mostly in their 40s &
50s I'd say. They did chat during breaks. Do NOT leave your cell
phone on during the classes.
I was asked again to model this past Dec. but refused. The art museum
is kept at 68 degrees for the artwork, and it was a little chilly to be
sedentary and nude for some of the sessions.
Cheri
http://pages.prodigy.net/cheridonna
http://www.travelites.info
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Actually since I'm a beginner it might be a good idea to keep it
cold... if you know what I mean. So long as I'm not shivering, os
passing into a cryonicsleep.
TerryJWoodN...@hotmail.com
<Acuraju...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Actually since I'm a beginner it might be a good idea to keep it
>cold... if you know what I mean.
The cold always gives me muscle cramps -- a "charley horse" muscle pain.
Cold is no good for you! If it's too cold for you, then let the instructor
know that.
Terry
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Gotcha, will do! I ran track when it was really cold so I think I know
the feeling. Its bad.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
small group, two men and two women everyone was in the 35 to 45 year
age range. I actually felt bad taking money for it.
It was one single post with 15 minute breaks - everyone knew it was my
first time so they were patiend. At the end the one woman said I was a
born model - because I never moved and after the break I was able to
get in the exact same position. Everyone said that was the first time
they saw a new model do that. The only thing I had a problem with was
my finger positions. I was sitting with my right hand on my right
thigh; but my thumb and a few of my fingers were floating. As I got
back into position, she did run over and position my fingers in the
right spot. That was kind of surprising. During a break I got down
from the stand and one of the men got a cellphone call and he went over
to where my stuff was and answered it. So I didn't have access to my
robe. I just got down and stood there and waited. One of the women
went to throw something away and walked right in front of me. On her
way back she stopped and asked what I did for a lifint where I went to
school - etc. Basically had a conversation with her as I was standing
there naked. I actually forgot for a minute I was nude.
Anyway I'm just so amazed at how easy it was.
Now when I start modeling at other places, I'll probably do one or two
minute gestures. He suggested a rope, tie it to the stand and sort of
pull it and lean back. So I'm guessing artists like to see muscles
working? What if I brought a golf club and stopped at the top of my
backswing? Or at the end of my downswing? I need ideas on how to
pose, I don't want to stand there like soem sort of lump.
Sylvia Else
Acuraju...@hotmail.com wrote:
> I DID IT! I loved every minute! The time literally flew by. It was a
So I'm guessing artists like to see muscles
> working? What if I brought a golf club and stopped at the top of my
> backswing? Or at the end of my downswing? I need ideas on how to
> pose, I don't want to stand there like soem sort of lump.
>
Just try what you're thinking of for a reasonable period beforehand.
Some positions may seem easy enough, but hold them for ten minutes and
you'll think otherwise.
Sylvia.
Floyd Baker
>Its my first time, and I'm somewhat nervous. I've always want to to
>try this but now its actually going to happen. I feel like I'm going
>to make a jackass out of myself.
>Any advice for a novice? The instructor knows I'm new and he said it
>will be a series of two two three minute gestures. I don't want to
>dissapoint the 25 or so people who are going to be there. I do have a
>few specific questions... I know I'm supposed to shut up during a
>pose, but what about during breakes? Does a normal class talk to the
>model or should I keep my distance?
Well I'm probably late here for your 'weekend' nude model session...,
but this is what I think and have done...
http://www.cheef.com/buffaloskin/Living_It_/Nude_Modeling/nude_modeling.html
Floyd
Please visit my website at www.cheef.com/buffaloskin/
* Learn about the lifestyle *
Mark
"Floyd Baker" <feb...@olm1.com> wrote in message
news:0b2ot1lbdmnf5nm54...@4ax.com...
Nice work and nice pages Floyd......
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Not sure if you say my other post but I did it and It was great.
Certainly one of the best experiences of my life. I'm not a nudist so
its quite a bit different. But I just have a weird sort of feeling
like I accomplished something just by sitting there in the buff and
thinking about whatever. I didn't create anything. Normally when I do
something there's a finished product or its the end of a process, like
college I got the degree. Or when I write a program, I'm finished and
there it is. I don't know if a nudist feels the same way. Remember,
I've never in my life taken my clothes off in front of strangers.
Ever. This was completely new.
The only thing I can think of now, is where I can do it again! Since I
owe it to the students and instructors, I want to be the best. I have
to find some creative poses. I'm thinking parts of the golf swing for
gestures. I don't know... thats where I need help. My inexperience
plus my lack of artistic creativity is really hampering that aspect.
What about a baseball swing? I can get a stick and strike a pose where
it looks like I'm up to bat. Would that work?
David Looser
news:1138487821....@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>I DID IT! I loved every minute! The time literally flew by. It was a
> small group, two men and two women everyone was in the 35 to 45 year
> age range. I actually felt bad taking money for it.
Congratulations! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
> It was one single post with 15 minute breaks - everyone knew it was my
> first time so they were patiend. At the end the one woman said I was a
> born model - because I never moved and after the break I was able to
> get in the exact same position. Everyone said that was the first time
> they saw a new model do that. The only thing I had a problem with was
> my finger positions. I was sitting with my right hand on my right
> thigh; but my thumb and a few of my fingers were floating. As I got
> back into position, she did run over and position my fingers in the
> right spot. That was kind of surprising. During a break I got down
> from the stand and one of the men got a cellphone call and he went over
> to where my stuff was and answered it. So I didn't have access to my
> robe. I just got down and stood there and waited. One of the women
> went to throw something away and walked right in front of me. On her
> way back she stopped and asked what I did for a lifint where I went to
> school - etc. Basically had a conversation with her as I was standing
> there naked. I actually forgot for a minute I was nude.
Many first-time nudists also react with suprise when they realise that they
actually forget that they are naked. Because we live in a society which
makes such a big thing out of nudity, many people are suprised when they
discover just how ordinary it can seem after just a short length of time.
David.
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
I did make a quasi joke. They were talking among themselves and they
all agreed it was too hot up there. As I stood up to take a break I
said "Gee, I'm not hot. I can't imagine why." So they chuckled. I
dunno, was that proper?
David Looser
news:1138550757.0...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> I did make a quasi joke. They were talking among themselves and they
> all agreed it was too hot up there. As I stood up to take a break I
> said "Gee, I'm not hot. I can't imagine why." So they chuckled. I
> dunno, was that proper?
>
David.
roberts
Check out from your local library drawing books with copies of Master
Drawings (Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Rubens, Durer, etc.). You will see some
fine examples of classical poses. I've had some teachers bring in drawings
and paintings from the Masters and ask the model to assume the same pose.
Examples of muscles at work are good but difficult for most models to hold
the pose. It's much better to draw from a relaxed model.
Some studios have a rope from the ceiling for the model to use (think of
holding a sub-way strap). This illustrates the muscles in a
stretched/elongated position. Most studios have a staff that you can lean
on to acheive a similar effect.
Learn what a contra-posto pose is and practice it. Instructors always ask
for it: one side of the body is elongated and the other side is compressed.
Check out the student drawings on wetcanvas.com. You will see many poses
for inspiration.
If the pose is a long and you need to break, consider having the instructor
or teaching assitant place tape on the dias and/or chair so you can hit the
same pose after the break. For example: tape an outline "box" on the floor
for your feet.
Pick a spot on the wall and remember where your nose was pointing and
remember your hand positions. Don't be afraid to ask the students if you
are not sure...they have a drawing in front of them.
I can understand your initial intimidation. I can't tell you how
initimidated I felt at my first life drawing class. I felt a great
responsibility to draw good because the model was putting him/her self out
to pose naked in front of me. My point is that it is a two way street.
There should be a sense of team work in creativity. Do like the artists try
and do: relax and have fun.
Most artists are a friendly lot and all that I have worked and studied with
appreciate and thank you for your efforts to be a part of and join in
creating something.
As a life drawing artist, may I say I appreciate you and thank you.
<Acuraju...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1138487821....@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
Thanks for the tips! I have a few wooden dowels laying around I can
use those.
Let me ask you a question though. Do you think it would be better to
stick with art instituted not colleges until I get more experience?
Would the institutes students/instructors tend to be more tolerant
towards a novice mocel?
roberts
Universities and Colleges have Life Drawing Classes which are mandatory for
a degree in the Arts.
Junior or Community Colleges have Life Drawing Classes which are accredited.
Many artist use these classes to hone their skills. Where I live (West
Coast) these are sixteen week (32 sessions) and cost about 90 bucks. At
less than $3 a session, it's a real deal to get some model time in.
Adult Education classes in Life Drawing are hard to find. They are not
accredited and usually don't require a nude model. Many times they
concentrate on head portraiture.
Art Associations are "clubs" of artists and are many times supported by the
local community (San Pedro Arts Association, Newport Beach Artists
Association, etc). The members pay a small fee to be part of the
association and then mutually contribute to the model(s) fee(s).
Institutes, as I know them, are run by known artists. Generally, they hire
models that with whom they have experience. A prominent artist will offer a
two day to three week seminar and show the attendees their method and style.
Although I really hate to mention, there are other "institutes" that offer
life drawing, photography and who knows what else.
So, may I make the following suggestions;
1. Universities are hard to get into. You need to meet the professor and
show your experience.
2. Junior or Community colleges are easier. They are always looking for
"good" models. See following about business cards.
3. Adult Ed classes are the easiest. Just show up and tell them you are
willing to sit still for 15 minutes and you'll get hired.
4. Art Associations are really based on networking: Consider printing out
on your computer some business cards (maybe with a PO address). Check with
the instructor, if there is no problems discreetly hand them out to
students.
5. Probably the most important: Always, Always, Always, arrive early.
Make it a point to be 15 minutes earlier than requested. Make sure everyone
(instructors and students) know that you are a professional. Bottom Line:
if you arrive on time, can hit and hold the pose, you are the model they
need.
6. Please be careful of "institutes" and private parties. Never be lured
into situations where you have minimum control. NEVER.
7. Remember there are real slugs out there. But true artists outnumber
them. Always be careful, be professional, be on time, and smile alot.
As an artist, I appreciate you and thank you.
Your Pal
<Acuraju...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1138676703....@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> roberts wrote:
> > Some thoughts and suggestions from a figure drawing artist:
>
> You respond:
>> Do you think it would be better to
> >stick with art instituted not colleges until I get more experience?
>>Would the institutes students/instructors tend to be more tolerant
> >towards a novice model?
Acuraju...@hotmail.com
roberts wrote:
> I'm not sure your meaning of "art institutes".
> Universities and Colleges have Life Drawing Classes which are mandatory for
> a degree in the Arts.
> Junior or Community Colleges have Life Drawing Classes which are accredited.
> Many artist use these classes to hone their skills. Where I live (West
> Coast) these are sixteen week (32 sessions) and cost about 90 bucks. At
> less than $3 a session, it's a real deal to get some model time in.
> Adult Education classes in Life Drawing are hard to find. They are not
> accredited and usually don't require a nude model. Many times they
> concentrate on head portraiture.
Around here there are town and county Art associations. Doofusville
Art Associatioin - stuff like that. I'm having good luck with that so
far.
> Art Associations are "clubs" of artists and are many times supported by the
> local community (San Pedro Arts Association, Newport Beach Artists
> Association, etc). The members pay a small fee to be part of the
> association and then mutually contribute to the model(s) fee(s).
> Institutes, as I know them, are run by known artists. Generally, they hire
> models that with whom they have experience. A prominent artist will offer a
> two day to three week seminar and show the attendees their method and style.
> Although I really hate to mention, there are other "institutes" that offer
> life drawing, photography and who knows what else.
> So, may I make the following suggestions;
> 1. Universities are hard to get into. You need to meet the professor and
> show your experience.
Yes, I'm goign to avoid them for now.
> 2. Junior or Community colleges are easier. They are always looking for
> "good" models. See following about business cards.
Yes, I contacted a few of thhe local community college and did not get
a return call.
> 3. Adult Ed classes are the easiest. Just show up and tell them you are
> willing to sit still for 15 minutes and you'll get hired.
Alot of Art Associations around here have adult classes.
> 4. Art Associations are really based on networking: Consider printing out
> on your computer some business cards (maybe with a PO address). Check with
> the instructor, if there is no problems discreetly hand them out to
> students.
> 5. Probably the most important: Always, Always, Always, arrive early.
> Make it a point to be 15 minutes earlier than requested. Make sure everyone
> (instructors and students) know that you are a professional. Bottom Line:
> if you arrive on time, can hit and hold the pose, you are the model they
> need.
Bingo. I arrived half an hour early and the instructor called and
saidd he would be late. Oh well. I roamed around the place for a
while.
> 6. Please be careful of "institutes" and private parties. Never be lured
> into situations where you have minimum control. NEVER.
Yes. I had one local artist ask if I wold be able to go to his home
studio. I don't think so.
> 7. Remember there are real slugs out there. But true artists outnumber
> them. Always be careful, be professional, be on time, and smile alot.
>
> As an artist, I appreciate you and thank you.
>
> Your Pal
>
thanks, I find the whole expereince to be very enjoyable, hence I'm so
willing to do it again!