Drawing from Life: 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Drawing a Nude Model

Do

1 – Arrive early

Due to the popularity of life drawing classes (I can’t imagine what for?), even large classrooms can easily fill up. Nobody cares that the slacker is late, gets on everyone’s easels, elbows them in the face. Being late won’t make you popular. It’s also embarrassing for everyone involved when you start borrowing a knife to sharpen your pencils or tape to stick the paper to your board. Yeah, make sure you get all that chatter and stolen stuff before the model strips.

2 – Draw the whole model

Although this is not a problem for the serious artist, when I attended art school it was surprising how many people chose to remove areas of the model’s nude body or focus too much on a specific “region”. Unless it’s his raison d’être and his master plan for world domination, it probably won’t serve his masterpiece to make a tiny doodle or a huge closeup of the model’s breasts (or whatever the favorite part of him). You’ll look amateurish and a bit silly. Another good tip to impress the tutor is to start drawing from the inside out instead of just focusing on the outline of the body. Although Picasso got away with stunning nudes of him, Van Gogh’s “crazy marks everywhere” approach is more artistically appealing.

4 – Draw negative spaces

A good way to convince everyone that you’re not there just to act deviant and misbehave, and more importantly, to learn something about drawing, is to focus on drawing the spaces between the shape. Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? However, it is often the case that by filling in the background as much as the figure itself, a striking drawing can be achieved, especially if you draw a silhouette of the figure, perhaps basking in the shadows as the daylight fades into the shadows. room. Another reason to draw in this style is that a nude is much more attractive and atmospheric when details of the body are suggested rather than depicted in glowing detail. This also sometimes has the double benefit of making your drawing easier to do. Why make it difficult for yourself? Surprise everyone with this clever trick.

3 – Remember to draw a nude figure is the same as any other drawing

It sounds obvious, but some people get carried away by the fact that they are drawing a naked human being. Keep it real. Artists have focused on using the nude as a subject for centuries, and not all of them slept with their models. It’s unlikely to work well if you form an unhealthy stalker-like fixation on the model. Also, if you join a class that lasts an entire semester, the actual model will likely change and you never know who will show up. It will get very suspicious if you suddenly disappear when the seventy year old bearded man shows up, but you start hanging around for a long time before class when there are rumors that the twenty five year old naked Swedish girl is “in” this week.

5 – Pay attention to foreshortening

If you look at any object from different angles, it has a different eclipse. The nude human figure is no different. You are trying to create the illusion of depth, which is no easy task. Foreshortening is like perspective and can be used as an excuse to show off (for the highly practiced and talented) or a very easy way to show off your flaws (and perhaps give yourself away as a voyeuristic interloper). Just keep the faith and move around the room, taking advantage of the versatility you can gain by drawing multiple poses. In no time you’ll be as good as a pompous Renaissance artist.

Whose

1 – Do not dictate the flow of the class

Some novice still life artists are surprised when the tutor suddenly becomes hyperactive and begins ordering the class through quick “familiarization exercises,” such as making lightning-fast charcoal sketches and frustrating fifteen-minute poses in which they are tells the model to change her pose. when you’re just starting out. It is outrageous to vent your frustration on her in such a situation and you may even risk getting kicked out of class for being a troublemaker.

2 – Don’t forget to use the ‘Thumb and Pen Method’ when drawing the face

Although you might feel a little self-conscious standing there at arm’s length, the thumb and pencil method is a surefire way to make sure everything balances. Become aware of seemingly irrelevant facts, like how many human heads fit on the naked human body and how you can line up your pencil with the top of the model’s head and slide your finger down to the chin. This is a basic unit of measurement that you can use to calculate the rest of your body proportions.

3 – Don’t be afraid to draw yourself

When not in class, enthusiasts can use whatever free time they have to keep up the good work. All you need is a mirror to draw yourself. The bold can bring their work to class next week or you can keep your sketches in an old drawer. Really do not care. The point is that you are developing as a figurative artist. Many famous artists like Van Gogh and Rembrandt have used their own bodies, or at least their faces, in their paintings. A good exercise is to find some old photos and choose some where you are in a situation that brings back positive memories. Start blocking out the background of the photo in your drawing or painting, and at the same time, use a mirror to draw yourself in the present moment. The joyful associations of the photo will affirm everything that is optimistic about you and art in general.

4. Don’t Look Down On Online Virtual Figure Drawing Galleries

There are many portals on the Internet where models, such as onemodelplace.com, pose with full frontal nudity in the name of art. Some sites are made up of glamor models as well as artist models, but usually you can find a good variety of figures, shapes, and forms. Choose someone who piques your interest and draw them repeatedly for several weeks, then move on to another model. Some 3D computer artists post their animated models online that allow you to rotate the model’s body in three dimensions. This can be particularly useful when learning foreshortening and how to draw precise proportions.

5. Don’t date the model

While it may be okay to date the tutor if he’s a part-time teacher, it’s a no-no to hit the model. Some classes meet in cafeterias and bars after class but it is not usual for the model to attend. Fully liberated models can send mixed signals skirting the class during breaks without ever putting their smocks back on. If you’re faced with the naked, big-breasted Swedish exchange student complimenting your drawing as she smiles at you in the afternoon sunlight, she tries to see that as enough without asking her to join you for dinner.