Guide to Life Drawing - everything you need to know
@elkebucherr
Are you wondering what life drawing is? Do you want to start it but don't know how? Do you need inspiration?
You came to the right place! In this article, you'll find all your answers to these questions:
What is life drawing?
What do you learn in life drawing?
Why is a life drawing important?
What is the difference between life drawing vs. figure drawing?
What is the difference between life drawing and still life drawing?
Where can you practice life drawing?
How do you do life drawing at home?
What happens in a life drawing class?
What not to do in life drawing?
Where can you get reference photos to practice life drawing?
What are my book recommendations for life drawing?
What are my tips for beginners?
What materials and art supplies can you use?
Posting your drawings on social media Instagram
What life models can I recommend?
What life drawing sessions and organizers can I recommend?
What is life drawing?
@anaispomeline
The Oxford dictionary defines life drawing as "the activity or skill of drawing pictures of people who are present in front of you, usually when they have no clothes on."
You draw a nude adult live. That sounds simple, but it can be overwhelming at the beginning since the human body is complex. It becomes easier over time and with a lot of practice.
You will find ways to cover up the parts like hands or feet you don't feel comfortable drawing until you master them.
The session's organizer coordinates the event, communicates with the model, and sets a time limit for each pose. The pose's time limit can range from 10 seconds to 45 minutes or longer (known as a long pose). The speed and fast changes can be stressful at first. Don't worry: this guide will help you navigate and relax.
Life drawing classes take place in groups. Therefore you have plenty of people around you to share your experiences and show your drawings.
What do you learn in life drawing?
@alex
There is a reason why all art students get taught in life drawing. You learn drawing fundamentals like:
sharpen your observation skills
practice your eye-hand-coordination
visualize light and shadows
drawing foreshortenings
learn about anatomy
boost your creativity
These are six reasons to start life drawing right away. On top, you become part of a thriving and supportive community. Furthermore, you collect figure references for later paintings.
Why is a life drawing important?
@pelliefrey
Life drawing is all about improving your skills, especially understanding anatomy and poses.
We all learned basic anatomy in school, but have you ever tried to draw a human being? The human body is a complex structure of joints, muscles, bones, fat, and skin. As if that wasn't difficult enough, every human body looks different regarding proportions, height, weight, and so forth. Life drawing helps you understand and absorb the human structure and visualize the individual human body in a piece of art.
There is no human body without a pose. Have you noticed that some postures draw you into a painting while other poses won't catch your eye? Life drawing teaches the effect of poses. Use this knowledge and incorporate it into your future paintings.
Slight changes in poses are a movement. Observe how the body parts change their position while a model moves slowly.
What is the difference between life drawing vs. figure drawing?
@pelliefrey
There is no difference except for the used noun.
The word "figure drawing" emphasizes the study of the human figure. Whereas "life drawing" emphasizes the aspect that the subject gets drawn live.
You'll find the elder expression figure drawing more in an academic setting.
Life drawing is better known. I recommend using "life drawing" for your internet searches, like classes, references, or materials.
What is the difference between life drawing and still life drawing?
@elkebucherr
Both types are drawn from life, from a scene at the moment.
Life drawing requires that at least one component is a human being. Habitually life drawing models enhance their poses with props like chairs, fruits, or fabric. The focus stays on the nude model.
On the other hand, the still life drawing visualizes only inanimate objects, like fruits, pottery, or dead birds.
Both types help you improve the basic drawing techniques, like forms and shadows and so on.
Comparing both still-life drawings can be an accessible start.
The objects are not moving, so you can take your time. Models need breaks because holding poses can be immensely exhausting.
You can find objects for your still life all around you, just an inch away, for free. Booking a session with a life drawing model can be expensive.
Still-life scenes are more forgiving and adaptable regarding proportions, colors, and shapes.
Where can you practice life drawing?
@marianna
Every larger city has at least one person to offer life drawing sessions privately. On top, museums might carry out sessions. Life drawing sessions organized by universities are limited to art students.
If you want to find a provider near your home, google "life drawing" + your city. Please bring your paper and drawing tools because the organizer won't provide art supplies.
How do you do life drawing at home?
@dominique_a.muse.d
Life drawing at home is comfortable. You dedicate two hours to yourself. You might even drink a glass of wine.
You get spoiled for choice. The selection of fabulous classes is gigantic. Don't worry! Below I listed five recommendations that will exceed your expectations.
You book individual sessions. There is no contract over and above that.
booking:
First, you book a ticket for the session you want to attend.
You'll receive an email right away with the zoom link.
participation:
Log into the zoom session a few minutes earlier, greet your fellow artists, and settle down.
First, the organizer will tell you about the time intervals, theme, and rules.
Then you have approximately one to two hours to get creative.
credits:
After the session, the organizers encourage the artists to show their work. Be brave and show your work.
Get inspired by the work of your fellow artists.
Thank the model.
Maybe you want to post your artwork on social media. Tag the organizer, and they may repost.
What happens in a life drawing class?
@pelliefrey
Whether the life drawing classes are held on a venue live (on-site), online via Zoom, or both, the procedure is always the same.
You book a ticket for the chosen session and arrive a few minutes early to settle down. The organizer will instruct on time intervals, rules, and themes. Then you can get creative and draw for one to two hours.
The organizer keeps you up-to-date on how much time you have left for each pose.
Small moments between each pose will allow you to sharpen your pencil and loosen your body. Life drawing requires concentration, but you don't want your shoulders to stiffen.
What not to do in life drawing?
@dominique_a.muse.d
The model is nude and vulnerable. Please respect the privacy of the model.
Do not record the class or part of it.
Do not take pictures, screenshots, or others.
Do not comment on the model's body.
Some models offer reference photos you can buy if you need more time or want to support the model financially.
Where can you get reference photos to practice life drawing?
Do you want to test the water before attending a life drawing class? Did you miss a session with your favorite life model? Do you want to practice on-demand?
@alex
Here are some ideas on where to get reference pictures:
http://reference.sketchdaily.net provides a bulging database of nude model pictures. The website simulates a life drawing class. You choose your time intervals and your subject (whole body, body parts, gender) and draw away.
Some models offer reference pictures for a small fee. It's a win-win situation. You are not only supporting the model financially, but you are getting more time to draw and improve.
https://www.youtube.com/user/onairvideo/videos a youtube channel with a veriety of life drawing models
Some life drawing organizers offer recordings of their online classes. One example: https://londondrawing.com/recordings-of-online-classes-and-events/
If you fancy a life drawing model, in particular, follow the model on Instagram. They post sales of their reference pictures on platforms like Gumroad in their stories. One example: @vilidian_artmodel
Are you on a budget but still want to practice drawing live? Ask a friend if your friend wants to model for you in tight clothes. That is extremely helpful if you need a specific pose for a drawing and want to check the proportions and foreshortenings.
Take selfies of yourself or pose in front of a mirror.
What are my book recommendations for life drawing?
In case you need to relax your hand after all the drawing, I can recommend you these two books.
Morpho: Anatomy for Artists by Michel Lauricella
Morpho is an appealing book for beginners who want to combine anatomy and line work fast and effortlessly.
The Complete Guide to Anatomy for Artists & Illustrators: Drawing the Human Form by Gottfried Bammes
The comprehensive book covers all topics of anatomy that are relevant to artists.
What are my tips for beginners?
@pelliefrey
The fast time intervals can be stressful if you're not used to it and are about to learn the basics. You might want to start with a long pose (45 minutes or longer). That will give you time to observe and get used to it.
Start with the bulk of the body, either by drawing the shape or blocking out the environment. Later add details like hands or feet. The human eye and brain will recognize the human figure, even with single body parts missing. Don't stress out. I speak from experience that hands and feet are quite a challenge.
You don't have to draw the whole body, especially with a tight time limit. Pick body parts that inspire you or that you want to improve. Practice those.
Reduce your art materials. Have plenty of paper sheets ready at easy reach for fast changes between poses. Start with a pencil. No eraser is needed. Better keep it simple. Later on, you can add all the art supplies you like.
If you feel uncomfortable looking at a nude, imagine you are an artist and draw a still life. Concentrate on shapes, lines, and shadows.
Be patient with and kind to yourself. With practice, you will see a rapid development of your skills. Have fun!
What materials and art supplies can you use?
Answer: all of them. There are no limitations.
These are some basic materials (recommended for beginners):
pencils, pens, fountain pens, colored pencils
charcoal
pastels (soft pastels, oil pastels)
nib and ink
Viarco Artgraf tailor shape or watercolor pencils & water
watercolor or gouache
different grounds, like colored papers, unfolded boxes of cereals, wood, etc.
These are more exotic materials:
mono printing, Gelli plate
collaging
mixed media
digital art
wood burning
clay figures (long pose)
oil paint (long pose)
lino cuts (long pose)
Life drawing is the perfect opportunity to test all the art supplies you once bought. Do you have some waiting in a drawer for their first use? Do you want to try out a new technique? Life drawing offers you the playground. Get creative!
Posting your drawings on social media Instagram
The world wants to see your drawings. Share them with us if you feel comfortable. Please check the guidelines before you post them on social media like Instagram. Are pictures of nudes on the platform acceptable or not?
Particularly Instagram blocked postings of artists in the past year. If you don't want to risk getting blocked, you might want to cover certain body parts with stickers or something else.
What life models can I recommend?
All life models bring their flavor to the table. They are fantastic at posing, holding the poses, and keeping facial expressions. Besides the model, the location lighting is crucial to distinguish between light and shadows. The on-site lighting situation is taken care of by the organizer. With online life drawing, the responsibility of lighting and camera got shifted onto the model. The model's work became more complex.
I encourage you to draw different life models to see who inspires you and you challenges you. A mixture of different body types, characters, and poses can only be an advantage in improving your drawing skills.
I chose five models that I enjoy drawing every single time. As a beginner or professional, you won't regret booking a session with them.
Anais Pomeline (@anaispomeline)
Anais is not only a french model and a fantastic life model. She incorporates objects like a harp, mirror, or pouf to stretch and curve her body to form an exaggerated figure.
Mariano (@mariano_modelovivo)
Mariano is an argentinian model. I would describe his figure poses as classical in the best sense. He is famous for his exceptionally facial expressions and the rapid changes in emotions.
Trixie (@trixiedivine)
Trixie from Belgium is the personification of energy and a great sense of humor. In each session, she invents something new, uses unusual props, or even poses in her bath for a change in scenery. She never fails to bring a smile to your face. Her sessions are perfect for the use of loud colors.
Vilidian (@vilidian_artmodel)
She is a self-proclaimed "color & light freak." Not surprising, considering she is an active model and a photographer. If you book a session with her, you sign up for a dramatic scene with well-thought-after props and expressive poses.
Yuka (@tnkmax)
Yuka, based in Berlin, is the personification of creativity. She paints, draws, and makes her pottery. When it comes to life drawing, she makes body postures she is interested in drawing herself. That makes her sessions so unique and inventive.
What life drawing sessions and organizers can I recommend?
On the internet, you'll find a variety of life drawing sessions. I will introduce you to five organizers that offer classes regularly, treat their models respectfully, and offer added value.
The Jolly Sketcher London https://bookwhen.com/de/thejollysketcher
Tanja is the organizer of the Jolly Sketcher sessions. That is the right place if you are a beginner and want some guidance on how to draw and improve. Tanja has completed a professional art education and offers guided classes. Do you want to sketch by yourself? Tanja offers sessions with extraordinary models and even a membership program when you want to go all in.
Drawing Life Glasgow https://www.drawing-life.com/
Hugo runs "Drawing Life." He is famous for his theme-based sessions. With a lot of care and effort, he reinvents historical paintings in a new way. Did you ever wish to draw famous paintings of Matisse, Lautrec-Toulouse, or Ziegfeld Follies? That's your chance to create your interpretation. Hugo offers a variety of reference pictures on his website.
London Drawing https://londondrawing.com/
Anne and various other artists run "London Drawing." They offer a variety of themes, like drawing portraits, lunchtime yoga, or mindful still lifes. Do you want to practice life drawing but also explore your creative side? Check "London Drawing" out.
Life Drawing Barcelona https://www.lifedrawingbarcelona.com/
Benet runs "Life Drawing Barcelona," and it's famous for high-contrast lighting and offering different camera angles.
Renaissance Workshop https://therenaissanceworkshop.com/
Are you interested in art history and especially in the renaissance? Jon, the owner of the Renaissance Workshop, shares his profound knowledge of art history and his passion for life drawing with you.
If you have any questions or need further information, please contact me via Mail.
For more inspiration, I invite you to my Life Drawing site.
