Location is everything...

I had the opportunity to model at a new venue today:



It was a community arts and activity center known as "The Galaxie." I had seen their website in the past but it wasn't until I set foot in the place that I realized what a fantastic facility The Galaxie really is.

The Galaxie is a converted warehouse/industrial building which now houses a community multi-use space. While I was at The Galaxie they had dance classes and martial arts classes in addition to the open figure drawing session for which I was modeling. The building has wonderfully high ceilings and excellent light.

The Galaxie exists to provide a place for the promotion of the arts and artists. This includes performance art as well as the more traditional fine arts. I was quite impressed with the range of activties covered at the Galaxie. I feel fortunate to have had the chance to be involved with the goings-on at The Galaxie.

The Saturday Morning Figure Drawing sesson held at The Galaxie is moderated and organized by Megan Gallagher, an independent artist. Allison Rae Butkus The Galaxie's creative-in-residence charged with securing models for the Figure Drawing session which takes place every Saturday at The Galaxie from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Attending artists need to supply their own paper stock and drawing supplies. Drawing horses are provided by The Galaxie. Free coffee is also available to those who like a little caffeine with their art.

It was a young group at the session- I don't think any of the artists attending the Figure Drawing session were over 30 (though I could be wrong.) I walked the horses during breaks and discovered that some of the artists were quite advanced. One gentleman was doing all his drawings in pen to force himself to work on making confident lines. I'm sure doing value wasn't easy in pen....

We started with a series of one-minute poses, then five minute poses, then half-hour poses. For the longer poses I did standing, seated, seated, and reclining. I think if I'm asked back I will definitely try some more of my aerobatic poses. I do love to torture myself....


Photo courtesy of M. Gallagher.

I really liked The Galaxie and I really enjoyed modeling for the Saturday morning figure drawing group. I hope to be back at The Galaxie soon.

Monday's Model

Monday afternoon in room 400 at the art building on the platform again. That's a good bit of location information...

It was the usual drill of warm - ups: blind contour, mass gestures, scribble drawings. This was followed by a few longer poses (a few 10 minute poses) and then a long seated pose.

This week promises to be better than last- I had no modeling gigs last week. Sadness. I was originally scheduled just for this Monday but then Professor Giese requested me for Wednesday as well. My need to inspire shall be sated for this week.

I'll update with more details on Wednesday....

Wednesday in Room 400

Wednesday rolled around with the sickening thud of the day job trying to interfere with my art modeling. A rather large pile of irritating work found it's way onto my plate threatening to overwhelm my commitment to model at the state U. I worked like a madman to get all of the detail work done and was able to get out the door to make it to the life drawing class on time. I wish life modeling was more lucrative so I could just ditch the corporate sinkhole...

I arrived at room 400 to find the class preceding ours was still in progress. I didn't see the model as I looked through the door but I did see one of the artist's drawing of her. She was quite lovely. I've been seeing her name on the modeling schedule for several weeks now- I alternate weeks with her for the the life drawing class for which I was modeling today. I occasionally see drawings of the other models but rarely ever get a chance to meet them. In fact, I've only met two other art models where I've had any kind of significant interaction. One of those meetings happened to be online through her blog and I'd say I'm just beginning to get to know her.

One of these days I'd like to get to talk with some other life models to compare experiences.

When I finally entered the room I noted the posing platform had a very intricate arrangement of stools draped with fabric, pillows, cardboard boxes fitted together with more fabric draped on them, and even an old motorcycle helmet placed on the front edge of the platform. I'd forgotten my digital camera or I would have taken a photo of the mess to record the outlandishness of it all. I went off to the model's changing area to prepare myself instead.

When Professor Giese arrived I could tell she was not pleased at the mass of objects piled on the posing platform. I already had to move some of the sundry items (the motorcycle helmet, some pillows) out of the way.

We started with the usual warmups (blind contour, mass gesture, line gesture.) She had me pose for a 10 minute line gesture where I overextended myself by taking a pose with one arm up on the cardboard boxes as I leaned forward, my weight on my forward class. The instructor commented afterward it was a daring pose for a 10 minute stint. She was right-my left leg which was set forward was shaking by the minute eight. Oops.... My desire to give an interesting pose sometime gets the better of me.

We took a short break as Professor Giese tried to get me, the background, and the lighting arranged. She adjusted things for several minutes before finally starting to toss the boxes, fabric, and extra stools off the stage in frustration. I helped her move a few things so I could sit further back on the platform a position which suited the available lighting best. We finally got things arranged and she had me take a seated pose in my robe to do some more portrait work. She brought back the two skulls from Monday and placed them on stools flanking me to re-create the voodoo-esque scene from Monday.

The rest of the class proceeded without incident. I spent my time thinking about long poses I could do that were dramatic yet easy to hold for long periods.

I'm a bit out of sorts at the moment- I don't have any modeling gigs for next week. I'm not on the schedule at the state U, both community colleges I model for regularly cancelled me, and I haven't been able to fill in anywhere else. My urge for creative collaboration will go unfulfilled this coming week... I'll be jonesing by this coming Wednesday. Pooh.

Baseball and Art

Only one day of modeling this week back in room 400 at the art building at the state U.

This class was a long pose session and I was working for a new instructor. I met with the instructor prior to class so he could give me some idea of what the students what the focus of the class would be. The instructor turned out to be a baseball fan and gave us constant updates on the White Sox game supplied to him by text messages from his girlfriend on his cellphone.

The students in this class were more advanced than those in the other class I model for at the state U. During the break I took a look at their work- some of them were very polished. A number of them displayed a very developed level of technique and skill.

The instructor had me take a seated pose with one foot up on a box, my arm outstretched to a stool with a construction cone on it, and my other foot on the floor. An easy pose, right? My right leg on the box feel completely asleep and the position put most of my weight on my right buttock which also went numb. I concentrated on the tick-tock of my new egg timer which I was using to time the pose.

By the end of class when the instructor released the class, it took me several minutes to get the circulation back in my right leg. I felt a bit out of sorts still sitting on the posing platform while the students packed up their things. When I could finally feel my toes again, I got off the platform and got dressed.

On my way out of the building one of the students from the class stopped me in the stairwell and commented that I had "done good." According to the student I had posed very solidly and mentioned that I was a nice change from Monday's model who kept moving during his pose. It's nice to get good feeback.

Next week I'm on four days- two at the state U. for the novice artists and two days at another community college. I'll definitely be doing alot of stretching this weekend. I need to get to yoga class soon...

Wednesday's Class

It's Sunday and I'm just now getting to posting about Wednesday's class at the state university. It's been a bit of a busy week...

I was modeling in room 400 for the instructor who likes me (it's mutual) and managed to arrive early from my day job still dressed in my business casual attire. The weather looked like there was a possibility of rain so I drove my car instead of riding my motorcycle. When I take the motorcycle I always wear jeans and riding gear and look like I might actually be a college student. When I come dressed for the day job I clearly am NOT an art student.

Arriving early I found the 1:00pm - 3:00pm drawing class still in progress so I went to Fine Art Studio secretary's office to wait. I noted many of the students passing by eyeballing me and realized I probably was dressed like many of their parents who work corporate jobs. Perhaps they mistook me for someone from administration.

When I finally got into the classroom and went to the tiny, shower-curtained changing area, the room was devoid of students. I quickly undressed and got into my robe and flip-flops so I was ready to pose. Then I waited. By five minutes to class only one student had shown up. The instructor was coming in and out of the room obviously wondering where her class might be. Just as 3:30pm hit several more students showed up charging to the nearest easel and setting up.

At ten minutes after the official start of class there were about ten students in class. It seems Wednesdays truly are busy days for art students- they'd rather be elsewhere than in their class. One student whom I had never seen before was accosted by the instructor who asked where he had been for the last two weeks. He claimed illness and the instructor requested a doctor's note. I could sense she was somewhat frustrated by the absence of so many students.

We started with two, seated poses for five minutes each. I set my legs in one direction and twisted by torso in the other direction, setting my weight to one side on one arm. I can't seem to ever take it easy on myself for any kind of pose...

We moved through the usual exercises... contour drawings, mass drawings, line drawings. Finally the instructor asked me to do a twenty minute seated pose- this was the first long pose I had done for this class. She was not satisfied with their progress and extended the pose to thirty minutes.

We took a 10 minute break which I spent stretching and limbering up for the rest of class. l've been running a lot lately and I realized my knees were actually hurting from my last pose so I was glad for the opportunity to stretch my muscles a bit.

After the break the instructor asked for a thirty minute standing pose so I did a classic, contraposto pose with one arm up and my hand spread across my clavicle. This pose was actually more comfortable than my last, seated pose. The only problem is that with thirty minutes to pose, I let my mind wander and I completely lost my timing count. I think I lost count after fifteen minutes so I started over and hoped I really only had 15 more minutes to go.

The instructor finally asked me how long we had to go and I told her about five minutes. One of the students piped in that it was already 5:50pm and the class was ending at 6:00pm! I had held the pose for almost 15 minutes longer than requested! The instructor had been busy advising the class so she hadn't noticed the passage of time. I apologized but the instructor said it was okay- it was the first time the class had done long pose so she was glad to give them the extra time to develop their drawings.

I gotta figure out a better way to self-time. Maybe I can find an egg timer or something...

I'm only for one day next week at the state U. but I do have several days of work coming up at the local community college which means I have several days of long pose ahead of me. It will be a little bit of a relief because the instructor there always times for me...

Full House

Back in Room 400 at the State U. I guess Mondays are better for life drawing.... the class seemed to be full today. The instructor was took the class to show them some slides in another room so I was left on my own in the drawing studio for the first 30 minutes of class. I took the opportunity to do some stretching and meditate on what kind of poses I was going to do.

We hit a lot of the usual exercises- contour drawings, mass drawings, and line drawings. Today the instructor had them combine line and mass drawings. The finished pieces for that exercise were getting quite detailed.

After the break, the instructor had the students do some brush and ink drawings. This was my first time modeling for artists working in this medium. It looked potentially messy and the technique seemed difficult. The instructor had them try it with their non-dominant hand which seemed to be exceptionally difficult. And potentially messy....

After class I found the instructor and chatted about her class. I asked for an assessment of my modeling and she verified that I am doing a suitable job for her class. Apparently after seeing me model in her class the first time she went to the Fine Art Studio secretary and demanded a monopoly on my time so she could have me keep modeling for her class. I take that as a compliment. Apparently she likes my body type- she told me it was nice to see someone with definition so the students could actually see parts of the body working. Models lacking definition lead to the students drawing "tubes" (her terminology) for body parts. Muscle definition forces them to put more detail in their drawings...

Every easel and horse seemed to have an artist in front of it today- it was good to know the students make it to class for at least the first part of the week...

Those Test Shots

Mike the Bucktown photographer emailed me some low res files of the shots he took on Monday. Sixty-three files to be exact! I didn't realize he'd taken that many- I was very grateful to receive the photos he sent. I was thinking he would send five or six but he sent ten times that number!

I am very impressed with his shooting style,composition, and lighting skills. Take a look:




All photos by: face2film@aol.com

I really hope he liked these test shots and uses me for some of the projects he is working on...

Shrinking Classes...

Apparently it's week 4 of the semester and the children have discovered they have better things to do than go to class. Like alcohol. As I rode into town to the state university I noticed the bars seemed to be doing brisk business and there was a mad exodus of students heading off campus to bars unknown. It's their tuition money, I guess... or possibly their parents'.

When I got to my life drawing session (with 10 minutes to spare) I noted I was the second person to arrive. No instructor yet (though I'm sure she was around) and one student. I went to the tiny changing room (a corner of the room with a shower curtain to insure my modesty,) took off my motorcycle jacket, disrobed, put on my light-weight blue robe (that fits much better in my motorcycle tail bag than my old, bulky, terrycloth robe), donned my flip-flops, and headed for the posing platform. Yeehah.

As 3:30 post-meridian rolled around only five or six students had filtered into the room. The instructor came in (her class was the first I'd modeled for at this university) and seemed pleasantly surprised to see me. Apparently she was expecting another model but had read the modeling schedule incorrectly. It was reassuring to know she had liked me during that first class and my presence as her model was a good thing.

We finally ended up with a class of about twelve which was much smaller than any class I had modeled for at the university the previous week. Obviously people were missing. The instructor called roll and at least six people were absent. Hopefully their beverages of choice were refreshingly intoxicating.

We actually started out with a six-minute, seated pose which was nice- it gave me a chance to cool off a bit. I was still sweating from rushing to class when I arrived so the six minutes gave all that a chance to evaporate. We moved on to short gestures for contour drawings,scribble drawings, and mass drawings. I had to self-time everything but I'm getting used to doing that- it still feels like it divides my energy a bit...

We moved on to some line drawings generated from longer poses. The instructor kept commenting on how my body was perfect for this exercise. I concentrated on the pose and timing refraining from dwelling on the compliments. I'm not good at taking compliments- I have to hold the world upon my shoulders like Atlas to feel I deserve a compliment. Don't get me wrong- I like getting compliments and I've even learned to say thank you when complimented. But I still feel like I need to do more to earn it.

The poses were not long- the longest one was six minutes but I managed to make them complicated and painful (as usual.) I just don't feel like I've done my job unless I put some effort into my pose. I did a fencing pose (a riposte) for seven minutes which actually fatigued my guard arm. Oddly my sword arm which was extended fully for that same amount of time didn't bother me.

We broke a bit early and the instructor wished the class a good weekend which seemed to be working ahead of the curve- I still had two days of the day job ahead of me before the weekend. I guess the student life is a bit different than the life of the working drone...

The instructor thanked me and complimented me some more as I got down from the platform. I went to the tiny changing booth to get dressed. I realized I was always calling the instructor "professor" and I didn't know if this was how she wanted to be addressed. I went to find her after I was finished dressing but couldn't find her. So instead I went and retrieved my motorcycle and went to Rammy's to get a sandwich.

I hope the twelve students who chose to come to class appreciated my efforts today. I hope those that chose to engage in other activities make it home safe tonight. To those who head to Rammy's to get a sandwich I recommend the "Sawhorse" sandwich. It has horseradish but it's mild. It's a special and not on the regular menu so you'll have to ask if you don't see it on the specials board.

Test Shots

Drove into the city to Bucktown to do some test shots for a photo artist. He had some interesting ideas for creating artistic images. He was very professional and had a great idea for what images to catch. He showed me a few examples of his work which was quite creative.

I hope I can work with him again... I'd like to be featured in one of his finished works.

He's going to share some of the images he shot with me- I'll post some once he sends them my way.

The Local Venue Again...

Back on the platform at the community college - I made sure to get there with time to spare. It was time to do the second day of what had become a two-day pose.

We started with the usual gesture warm ups followed by two short poses to explore negative space. I hit a really dramatic pose with my last gesture supporting my upper body weight on one arm. It was a great pose but very difficult to hold. I was glad when the instructor called for the longer poses...

Following short pose, the instructor had me re-assume the pose I had started on Tuesday. My left ankle (which was folded under me), already sore from resting on the lip of the platform on Tuesday, was quickly overwhelmed with sharp pain as the rough edge of the platform dug in. By the end of the class I had deep, welted lines in my ankle. Ouch.

Luckily I seemed to be able to get the pose right almost from the get-go. One of the students seemed to find fault with my pose after each break but luckily the instructor just told him to work with the pose as it was. This student was dressed in exactly the same clothes I had seen him wearing on Tuesday. His facial expression was a mix of morose, confrontational, and human darkness. I saw him after class as I was walking to my car (the weather report said rain so no motorcycle) and said hello to him. He did not reply. He seemed to be waiting for someone to pick him up. I hurried away from his cloud of darkness.

This student brings up one point which some students and instructors seem to understand and others just never seem to get- this is LIFE drawing. Life is not static. Life moves. I will come as close as possible to keeping the pose but to duplicate it exactly would defeat the purpose of having a live model. As a life model, I live, I breathe, I am subject to the earth's gravity. I exist with my own inner energy and motion which is part of what I am giving the artist and part of what they should be trying to capture in their art. I didn't sign on to be a still-life. It wouldn't be "life drawing" if that was the case.

Another of the students commented that my abdominal muscles were giving her trouble in her drawing - I think this was her way of saying she liked my physique. Or perhaps she meant that I should lose weight. I'll have to ask her if I see her again.

I waited through the end of the class while the instructor gave a critique of all the students' drawings. Some of the drawings definitely showed promise- promise as both a finished artwork and the promise of a student's burgeoning drawing skills. The instructor took them out into the hall to hang up their drawings leaving me alone in the drawing studio. I took the opportunity to do something I almost never do- get dressed in the studio. It only took a moment but it felt odd to get dressed in that space.

The instructor let me know that he would call me and arrange another opportunity for me to model. I look forward to my next chance to model for his class. I'm hoping to see how they have developed as the semester progresses.

Pain and the Recliner

Back at the State University for my third stint as a life model for the Fine Art Studio. I worked with a new instructor. Following some minor scheduling confusion, I made it into class and went right to work.

The instructor started out with gestures which I threw myself into with gusto. It was a good warm up for the artists and for me as well. I was sweating pretty hard by the time we finished with gestures.

The instructor proceeded to put the long, step board to get on the posing platform part way onto the posing platform to form a long, forward-angled plank. He had me take a reclining pose on the plank which should have been an easy pose for me. I, of course, made it painful. I partially bent both of my legs as I twisted my body slightly left, put my left arm up high partially supporting me, and lifted my head so all the students could see my face despite the partial twist of my body.

The instructor mentioned we would take a ten minute break every 40 minutes or so which I thought would be manageable. In the 150 minutes of class, we took one break after the first forty minutes. This was to be the last break of the class. I ended up holding my self-inflicted pose for the better part of 100 minutes straight.

When we did get the one break I took a look at some of the students' work. Some of them were very good and had quite developed drawings after just 40 minutes. These were clearly more advanced students. I was impressed.

The last, 100 minute stretch of the class had me straining to hold the pose. My neck was throbbing from holding up my head. The right side of my abdominal muscles and my right side oblique muscles were also throbbing pretty hard. I was essentially doing an abdominal crunch on the right side of my body and holding it for an extended period of time. It was all complicated by the fact I had a sheet between me and the plank which kept gradually slipping downward with my weight. I had to keep pushing myself back up in tiny increments to maintain my position on the plank. By the end the pain was excruciating. The things I do for art.

I guess I could have called for a break myself but I was sort of hoping the instructor would do it. I guess on the positive side the students got 100 uninterrupted minutes to finish their drawings. Hopefully they appreciated my ability to maintain the pose for so long.

When I left the drawing studio my neck was throbbing intensely from the long effort of holding my head up. I thought riding my motorcycle home would be a bit of a chore as I have a sport bike which requires one to hold one's head up and forward. This actually put my head at the opposite angle of my pose which sort of helped ease the strain on my neck muscles. Small mercies are appreciated.

When I got home I could still feel the pain in my neck, abdominal muscles, and oblique muscles. Hopefully it will clear up because I model again tomorrow at the community college...

The Local Venue

One of my favorite places to model featuring one of my favorite instructors is the local community college around the way from my home base. It's not far, it's a pleasant campus, and motorcycle parking is right in front of the art building.

I've modeled at this community college more often than any other place I've modeled. I have a great rapport with the instructor who is quite dedicated to teaching the art of life drawing. He seems to like my style and presentation because he asks me back fairly often.

Most of the students are fairly new to life drawing but the classes are usually small so the instructor can give each artist a lot of attention. I feel with the smaller classes I "project and connect" with the group much better than I do at larger venues. There's usually a more congenial atmosphere than some of the larger universities and art schools where I model.

Today was my first time modeling at the community college for the fall semester which is already three weeks in motion. A whole summer had gone by since I last modeled at the college. I hadn't set foot on the campus since May. It felt like no time at all had gone by as I removed my robe and got on the posing platform in the life drawing studio.

The instructor had me start with some fast gestures as is his custom. I am conversant with his routine and it was nice to follow a familiar rhythm. I went for the dramatic as is my custom forgetting that my right knee had taken a nasty impact with the pavement a few weeks ago following a motorcycle mishap. I could feel the quadriceps in my right thigh start to shake a bit but I was able to get through most of the gestures. I didn't have this issue modeling last week so I'm guessing some of my poses must have aggravated it. I'll have to see the chiropractor soon...

Following the gestures the instructor had me take a leaning standing pose which proved to be real bothersome to my knee. He quickly changed it up in deference to my injury and put me in a seated pose, one leg folded under me. I still managed to get in a bit of lean on my left arm. This pose put my folded, left leg to sleep as well as my left hand which was partially supporting me on the box on which I was seated. My left ankle, pressed on the lip of the box, began to feel like it was being seared with a branding iron. Thankfully this was to be a one-day pose.

The instructor likes to go for fairly long periods before taking breaks. Typically the students draw for 30 minutes at a time before taking a ten minute break. The pose put the sleeping limb - searing joint at a level of about seven on a scale of one to ten. It takes a lot of mental gymnastics to block that out. I spent most of the time contemplating the figure drawing tableau in my mind. A lone, nude model on a platform surround by artists wielding charcoal sticks on acid-free paper in a furious attempt to record their interpretation of the model's form. This would be a scene most bizarre for the uninitiated.

The instructor liked some of what he was seeing of the artists' work and decided he wanted to give them more time to develop their drawings. He announced that the pose would now be a two-day pose as I was returning in two days for the next class. I had to give a mental sigh of anguish as I now had the opportunity to savor the anticipation of another three hours of sleeping leg, sleeping hand, and searing pain in my ankle.

The physical discomfort is only momentary. It only exists when I let myself be aware of it. It is the price to pay for being the catalyst for the generation of art. It is the price of being a life model. I pay it gladly. When I see the finished drawings hanging in the hallway of the art building I know I did my part in those drawings' creation. The collaboration with artists and new, original art is the return on my investment of pain. I think it's all worthwhile.

I'm looking forward to Thursday.

(Of course I have to get through tomorrow night at the state university where I'll be modeling for a much larger group. I'll tell you how it goes.)

Blogs I like...

Here's a few blogs I found that I like:

Museworthy

Figure Drawing

If you like figurative art you should visit them...

An Introduction to Life Modeling

If you've found my blog, you're probably an artist, someone who likes to draw, or are a life model yourself. To the uninitiated, a life model (sometimes called a figure model) is someone who poses nude for artists involved in the creation of figurative art. Life models are of all body types: fat, thin, muscular, voluptuous, athletic, young, aged, but above all- interesting.


I am such a model. I pose nude or "undraped" for artists. I have posed for beginning artists, experienced artists, art students, design students, and artists seeking inspiration. I am that inspiration- I am the catalyst for artistic creation. I feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to be that.

Many people do not understand why someone would pose nude for artists- they view it as something perverted or lascivious. I do not deny that there is sexual element to life modeling- the work is sexual in nature. I present myself unclothed to artists who scrutinize my every curve, nook, cranny, and hollow. I stand motionless as they view me and reproduce my nude form on paper, on canvas, or in clay. However, the sexual energy present during a life drawing or sculpting session is channeled into the creation of art. The goal is not to achieve sexual gratification but to create art.

I have participated in art projects that have created art that is erotic in nature- drawings and sculptures that emphasized my genitals or consisted of suggestive poses. I would posit that the production of erotica was not the focus of these efforts- the resulting work's erotic nature emerged incidentally. The primary focus of the effort was still to produce "art"- artifacts that represent the culture that produced them.

This process of creation and the tangible products that result from this process- that's the juice that keeps me up on the dais and in the nude for artists. To be the spark that starts the process of creation- it's an awesome feeling.

In this blog I will relate my experiences as a life model. I will give my impressions of the process of artistic creation and all the happenings that go with it. I hope you find my blog interesting, informative, and inspiring.

life-modeling