1-minute drawings












2-minute drawings









5 or 10 minutes?



15 minutes



15 or 20 minutes?



30 minutes



20 minutes



Okay I'm posting a lot of drawings, but we had a very good model today. Good models are inspiring. The model today, I would say she is statuesque: tall, regal and lithe, with long, wavy hair. She practices Yoga. Just see how many different and difficult poses she is capable of doing. Unusual poses are challenging and exciting at the same time. Facing a good model, we students in class almost experience an adrenaline rush, trying to capture what's in front of us as quickly as possible.

A life drawing session usually starts with quick poses 1 or 2 minutes long, and gradually the length of poses increases to 5 minutes, 10-15 minutes, and 20-30 minutes. Usually 20-25 minutes is the maximum time a model can pose. They need a break of about 8-10 minutes in between. It's a hard job posing, staying still the whole time. Have you ever tried to sit still for 20-25 minutes? I bet you'll want to scratch yourself, twist or move a bit. I will. It's impossible for human to stay absolutely still. Even the best models would move a little. As we draw, we get used to the models changing their positions in subtle ways during the course of their pose. You train your ability to capture the pose despite of it.

Some people don't like the initial quick pose series because there is no time for drawing the details. You really have to rush to get the poses on paper. I don't mind it 'cause I know they are good exercises. But today I really started to enjoy them. Since the model only needs to hold a pose for one or two mintues, she can be more creative and get into more interesting, spontaneous and exciting positions. It's hard to imagine them doing that kind of poses for a longer session. Usually they choose a more comfortable position, like sitting or lying down, for a 20 minutes+ session.

With life drawing, it really pays to do a lot of them, and some more!