and artist daily present
How to
draw a
model
Life-Drawing Tips
for Beginners
How to Draw a Model:
Life Drawing Tips for Beginners
Figure-drawing sessions aren’t just for students. Continuing with
this practice throughout your career will result in better art.
Here are 11 reasons why by Sharo n A l l i co tti
W e all took figure-
drawing classes
in art school. And
when the semester
was over, many of us didn’t look back.
But there are several good reasons to
continue figure drawing. I can think
of 11 compelling ones right off the bat.
1. Maintaining the practice
(and discipline) of the artist.
Just as a musician, dancer, or athlete
must practice and train to maintain a
level of excellence, drawing the figure
from life on a regular basis keeps
an artist’s visual and spatial abilities
in good form—calisthenics for the
artist’s craft, if you will. Moreover,
attending sessions regularly affords
an excellent means to develop a better
work ethic. And just as one is more
apt to continue an exercise program
with companions, drawing in the
company of a group provides a real
incentive to stick with it. There is no
overstating the value
Samantha,
Seated of a regimen that sim-
2004, charcoal ply keeps one in the
and crayon on
fawn-colored
activity of drawing,
paper, 41 x 29½ circumventing any
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How to Draw a Model:
Life Drawing Tips for Beginners
number of distractions at home or simply overcoming a case of art-
ist’s block. Once you find a drawing group or workshop that meets
regularly, there are no excuses not to draw. (Information on how to
find figure-drawing workshops and artist groups is included at the
end of the article.)
2. Improve overall drawing skills. right
Sean Leaning
“If you can draw the figure, you can draw any- on His Arm
2004, charcoal,
thing,” is an oft-repeated (and very true) adage. 30 x 22.
Draftsmanship is traditionally regarded as the
below
foundation of painting, cartooning, and sculp-
Fey, Seated
ture; with the figure recognized for centuries as 2005, colored pencil
the benchmark challenge of the working artist. on blue-green paper,
25 x 19. All artwork
The great range of movement possible, together this article collection
with the anatomical and structural complexity of the artist.
the body, including the effects of perspective
(foreshortening), require special demands of
an artist’s abilities.
The group experience of drawing the live
model accelerates the process of training the
eye, especially in terms of gauging proportion.
In my figure classes, I encourage students to
compare all of their drawings to see which
bear the strongest resemblance to our model.
Without exception, the most proportion-
ally accurate drawings of the model evoke a
portrait-worthy likeness. Although some of the
students’ drawings may appear as plausible
figures, they do not look like our particular
model, a distinction that even the novice can
detect. When drawing in the company of oth-
ers, such objective comparisons can be made
without an instructor’s assistance.
An improved ability to assess figure pro-
portion extends to drawing other subjects
where proportional discrepancies may not be
so obvious. Moreover, in addition to strong
anatomical
parallels with many animals, the body can be
conceived as analogous with the manifold living
3 www.artistsnetwork.com
How to Draw a Model:
Life Drawing Tips for Beginners
single, monocular position; the photo
does not offer the subtle variations in
vantage point possible when working
from life that enable an artist to grasp
the three-dimensional form of the
body. Even the best photographs pro-
vide mostly an abundance of surface
detail, but not the essence of a pose: its
weight shift and gesture.
I require my students to walk around
the model before beginning a drawing,
observing from many different angles
in order to better understand the pose. I
remind them the life model is a subject
in-the-round and that the students are
not confined to the stationary position
of their easel to gather vital information
about the subject.
Finally, in terms of light perception,
the camera cannot approach the opti-
cal latitude of the human eye, which
can adjust instantaneously to a wide
range of lighting conditions over the
entirety of the subject; an ability that is
essential to effective tonal description
in drawing and painting.
5. Draw better from
photographs (and memory).
Conversely, having had the repeated
experience of drawing from life, one
learns how to use photographs when
it is necessary, or for convenience.
and nonliving forms of the natural land- Karole Posing able by other means. Frequent practice with drawing the life
scape: It’s no coincidence that we speak Draped in Robe This time-honored model imparts knowledge; successful
Conte crayon on tan
of the trunks and limbs of trees, and find paper, 30” x 22” practice promotes observational drawing is not simply
in hilly terrain the undulating forms of a greater empathy for about seeing, but understanding what
reclining nude. the human subject in both its physical is seen. I explain to my students that
and psychological dimensions, offer- the accomplished artist considers that it
3. An authentic experience ing insights into how these two aspects is more difficult to get a good drawing
in a digital era. combine to portray emotion and convey from photographs than from life—usu-
Drawing from the life model, you meaning in figurative art. ally the exact opposite for the novice.
will see and understand your fellow The experienced figure draftsman real-
human beings with greater sensitiv- 4. Better than photographs. izes well what information is missing
ity and acuity. In an electronic age of No photograph—no matter how from photos; he or she has the skills,
increasing disassociation from authen- good—offers the advantages of an and also the ability, to employ memory
tic sensation, the direct experience of actual spatial encounter with a living to compensate for this.
drawing from the live, human subject subject. Photos are static, momentary In my own highly developed, time-
yields important insights unattain- documents that lock in a pose from a consuming portraits, I often use photos
4 www.artistsnetwork.com
How to Draw a Model:
Life Drawing Tips for Beginners
Fey Reclining
on Colored
Drapes
pastel and charcoal
on gray handmade
paper, 32” x 22”
5 www.artistsnetwork.com
How to Draw a Model:
Life Drawing Tips for Beginners
in conjunction with actual observa-
tion. I almost always begin my draw-
ings from life, devoting one or more
six-hour sessions to settling on a pose
and redrawing and subtly adjusting
proportions to suit pictorial and
expressive requirements. I then make
dozens of photographs, moving
around my model and
varying the camera exposure. This
process of extensive photo-
documentation more closely simu-
lates actual observation than a single
photograph, but it is still best when
used to supplement life drawing.
I refer to the photos for rendering
fine detail and perhaps color in a
highly developed drawing or painting
between sittings.
Please remember that
professional figure models usually
have different rate schedules for pho-
tography versus life modeling, charg-
ing a substantial premium for pho-
tographs. Never photograph a model
without their express permission.
6. Learn from others.
At the beginning of the term, I explain
to my figure-drawing students that
they can expect to learn as much
(if not more) from their classmates
than they will from me. This is not
an instance of false modesty, nor am
I known to be a lax teacher (as my
Wendy
students will certainly attest). In truth, 7. Network with other Reclining, to access one’s local art
I have learned a great deal from my artists. Taos (detail) scene and make impor-
students over the years, which I have Few things are more crucial to an art- 2003, graphite, tant contacts.
30 x 22.
applied to my own work as well as to my ist’s viability than an affiliation with Participation in draw-
teaching. Drawing with a group offers a a creative community, yet negotiating ing workshops enables
variety of approaches to a single subject. the social dimension of the art world one to tap into the collective energy
Rarely does one have the opportunity can seem baffling. If your aspirations and expertise of a motivated group of
to view an individual artist’s process, let include becoming more “visible,” individuals. It is not unusual for life-
alone that of several others. Most attend- associating with other artists signifi- long friendships to form in drawing
ees, some of whom are accomplished cantly increases the likelihood that groups. Working with others in the
professionals, will be happy to share invitations to exhibit, make presenta- field builds confidence and creates a
information about their working meth- tions, and the like will be extended. sense of belonging in a forum where
ods and if requested, to comment or Attending artists’ drawing groups news and information about events—
give advice on another’s drawing. and workshops is an excellent way even scuttlebutt—can be exchanged.
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How to Draw a Model:
Life Drawing Tips for Beginners
9. Inspiration for
personal work.
Through many life-drawing sessions
over the years, I have met a number of
models I have gone on to hire privately.
Workshops are an ideal setting to dis-
cover prospective subjects for your own
personal creative work. Skillful mod-
els may take poses that are especially
inspiring, generating ideas for further
exploration. The majority of models
are happy to arrange private sittings, be
it for figure or portrait. In the context
of a workshop, you and the model will
become familiar while working togeth-
er in a comfortable group situation.
10. Experimentation/
exploration.
Working from the life model affords
an ideal opportunity to experiment
with new techniques or unfamiliar
media and, quite possibly, to expand
your artistic range. The inherent “no-
pressure” nature of the workshop,
combined with an accessible and excit-
ing subject on view in front of you, pro-
motes risk-taking and exploration.
11. Look for “uninstructed
figure-drawing” or “life-
drawing” workshops at
7. Substantial savings will largely be learning experiences, local colleges, community
in model fees. which they truly are in the best sense recreation centers, galler-
Figure-drawing-workshop fees average of the phrase. Most drawings done in ies, museums, artist clubs,
about $15 per three-hour session—ver- workshops are likely not exceptional, and associations.
sus $15 to $20 per hour for private sit- but some will invariably be of interest Also, figure artists—found through gal-
tings. Eventually, if you have the space to family and friends and perhaps even leries, local art schools, and colleges—
in your home studio, you may wish to saleable. Certainly, regular attendance at sometimes run figure-drawing sessions
organize your own sessions. Splitting workshops enables one to quickly build in their own studios or belong to drawing
model fees with even one other artist a portfolio ranging from rapid sketches groups that meet regularly to draw from
results in significant savings. to a series of “resolved” drawings from models. This arrangement confers the
longer poses. Begin by first attending added benefit of working with talented
8. Produce a series of sessions featuring shorter poses from professionals; attend one workshop and,
drawings quickly. three-minute gesture poses to a maxi- in turn, find out about
Workshop time-limits, coupled with mum of 25-minute poses. These short- Eric Posing in venues from both
Los Angeles
various factors beyond one’s control, er-duration poses are the fastest way to Conte crayon on tan
participants and the
means that drawings produced there hone your basic figure-drawing skills. paper, 23” x 17” models themselves. n
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