![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7rvIreDhNsGMfjZGQPCWSrg2_fFryFA-RyKa7LM6uQ89P-HRhDaFwppHrR5lJRRVjtFe0MGGOnheH5year0HsToxBaFxzctMYPPGfkHIxBmZngnm7HfPNh07pJON3XT7l74NaDFBYA/s640/11-11-19+Derwent+drawing+pencils%252C+Strath+toned%252C+Gage+life+drawing%252C+Shawna%252C+20-min+pose+-+3.jpg) |
11/11/19 Shawna (20-min. pose) |
As I
filled yet another Gage punch card Monday, I thought about how I used to feel
in life-drawing sessions when I first began attending seven years ago. I
would return home completely drained and exhausted, partly from the mental
focus but also because I was entirely tense the whole three-hour session. Completely
out of my comfort zone, I found life drawing stressful.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49ne00XZTgYNsjzb6DDxLbLWzp6VVXsoyVZYGdCMHAPveKhDmA7G_eUg_L0pMPrnGyfxFEWZgHoVh_Vf421igSoP1K1GElTrv8q7hnnZpPiyvcTDC4VpGNXNBJ0fBiG-Mqwo4ZCCivA/s400/11-11-19+Derwent+drawing+pencils%252C+Strath+toned%252C+Gage+life+drawing%252C+Shawna%252C+20-min+pose.jpg) |
11/11/19 20-min. pose |
I
got over it after a few times, and fairly soon after that I started feeling
relaxed and “in the zone” during many sessions. Don’t misunderstand – life drawing
is still one of the most challenging and mentally focused drawing practices I
engage in – but the relaxing part is that I don’t have to do anything to
prepare.
Whenever
I sketch on location, I have to consider the weather and temperature, the time
of day, how to get there and where to park, and once I’m there, I must choose a
composition. It’s all part of urban sketching, and I enjoy the process, but
there’s always a bit of tension in not knowing exactly what I might sketch or
the conditions I might encounter.
At
life-drawing sessions, the conditions are completely controlled, including the
lighting, and the model chooses the composition. All I have to do is show up
and draw whatever he or she presents for two minutes or 20. In that way, I am
completely passive, and my only active engagement is in the act of drawing. I
wouldn’t want all my drawing to be this way – searching for and discovering my
subject and composition are a large part of the fun of urban sketching – but
once a week, it’s relaxing to let someone else decide.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6bq8buK4QgQKQFuws1-STgJC6cnpHLbo5EoyKfVxfoZEclLZB3hZNKnOMqGKYyrkPuJz_Q6fo1jOUzo_LzzKoTUTVJN8lPgvqZXAjKvG-Ym0y5_-QIb0n5n8qqDkNzcjtMb-ebVK3A/s400/11-11-19+Derwent+drawing+pencils%252C+Strath+toned%252C+Gage+life+drawing%252C+Shawna%252C+20-min+pose+-+2.jpg) |
11/11/19 20-min. pose |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvxjopoKP4i9NUhyJhbHO76swyk0r8rzNpFSkFUx4n-Fi6XroLbaaA-R5pjUn8RPYVc-trmAJ7kH05QMZYccLZZcp5faAVOwJg8xdtVb8WzdFMUV5E6-lYMN23Gxhdb_MKx-uF35r9A/s320/11-11-19+Artgraf%252C+98+lb+mixed+media%252C+Gage+life+drawing%252C+Shawna%252C+5-min+pose.jpg) |
11/11/19 5-min. pose |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi7ZjaigVJRF80AOaeBQeWZNZcdqEgPdyhyEjmM-nf6ctky5Aat2xF7k3vnPqljs-CmOUaBlms2vgOU17UMHp7oQYbDcuYarJZOhyphenhyphenNrWXcoWa1RW4a6WOH0bMHo6iGDKekAdbEsU4VQ/s400/11-11-19+Artgraf%252C+98+lb+mixed+media%252C+Gage+life+drawing%252C+Shawna%252C+5-min+pose+-+2.jpg) |
11/11/19 5-min. pose |
Nice collection of life sketches! I find sketching nude models exhausting. It is much easier to do clothed models.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wish I had more opportunities to sketch costumed models! That's so much fun!
DeleteYour life sketches are better and better! What instrument did you use for the shading in the 5 minute poses? Inquiring minds want to know ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnne (hemmedwithhamsters)
Thank you, Anne! For the 5-minute pose, I used a Viarco Artgraf water-soluble graphite pencil in 6B. Here's a review of it: https://tina-koyama.blogspot.com/2018/09/product-review-viarco-artgraf-water.html
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