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This Website documents some aspects of a drawing session where
a group of people circle around a stage and fix their eyes on a model.
We find that each time we sit down to draw, its not just the resulting
artwork that's memorable, but also the session itself.
Below, you'll find a wide range of drawings; male vs.
female, clothed vs. nude, full body vs. portrait.
While modeling, Tracy talked a little about the modeling profession.
Each job by itself isn't particularly lucrative, only $30
for a two hour drawing session. Photography sessions run $50 per hour.
The idea is to pack multiple sessions into a single day.
Tracy's busiest day ever, she had 5 modeling jobs. Most days, she
averages 3. Her day is also structured differently than conventional 9-5ers.
Sometimes she has to kill several hours between sessions
by hanging out in her van with a book. Remember that this is in the
middle of the day. Adding to Tracy's artistic life, she is also the
drummer for a local band.
(1)
I forgot all of the interesting stories that Dan told. Hmmm....
My friend,
Kim,
says its because of a lack of mammary glands.:).
(1)
Erin has this thing with plants. Apparently, there is store around
town who has a 60 day exchange policy on all merchandise, (including
plants). Erin wasn't one to water her plants, so she took advantage of
this policy.
... heck, she even encouraged the behavior from others. Every 60
days or so, Erin would pop into the store with a dead plant and skip
away with a new one. Eventually, the store clerks started to call her
the 'plant girl'.
(1)
Catalina's day job is a computer animator. She recently applied
for a job with one of the large 3d animation houses of Lucas. She's also
met with "Spike" of
Spike and Mike's Animation
movies. She returns to model on May 5th... I can't wait.
(1)
(2)
[slideshow]
On Siiri's last pose,
(1)
there was soft classical music leaking in from another
studio. The atmosphere had a meditative quality, and Siiri kneeled to
a praying
pose. Halfway into the drawing, someone stepped into the room, took
a peek, turned around and left without saying a word. The
problem was that he didn't see or hear any of the artists. We were hidden
by walls and a partition. He only saw Siiri ...
in the buff, praying on her knees, with soft classical music hanging
in the background. Poor guy probably thought she was performing a
cultish ceremony and ran away.
(1)
(2)
(3)
[slideshow]
Nicole is one of the regular members of the drawing session (one of
the artists). She is involved with other Art communities in San Jose
through WORKS.
As I understand, this was her 2nd time ever modeling. I think that she
looks a little like
Lt. Ezri Dax of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Aye, Aye, Captain. Here are my results.
Updated 7.22.00: You may be surprised to know that a number of website hits each month
come from the search query 'Ezri + nude'. heheh.
(1)
(2)
[slideshow]
| 4-18-99. Drawing Marathon |
My weekly sessions are only two hours long.
Minus warm-up time and mistaeks, I only end up with 2 or 3
good drawings. A drawing marathon is 6 hours. There are
plenty of poses, and also great oppurtunity to improve and
experiment. Drawings at the beginning of the day are different
from those at the end. Confidence level rises, pencil strokes are
more clean.
The marathon was held in
Palo Alto Art Center.
They split the sessions up many ways. Different models
for morning and afternoon, multiple models for each session... Room is
split in two, long pose group, vs. short pose group. my
only complaint is that the room is packed with perhaps too many artists.
But most of them are real good, so during the breaks, I can look
at other people's works and size them up.:).
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
[slideshow]
Chuck leads an interesting life. One of his first jobs is that
of a motorcycle test pilot for Honda. Luckily for him, none of the
wheels ever got too wobbly during a test run. After that, he worked
with Carl Sagan and NASA on an planet landing module. (He has a Physics
degree). He did that for 10 years, then he traveled around as a
musician. During the modeling session, he'd play music as
we drew. Currently, he lives in a little cottage behind someone's
home and grades Physics papers at night. Uh-huh. Ok, well, here
are the pics. I really like the instruments. It adds a lot of life
to his poses.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
5-5-99
Catalina. With the Hub-bub over Star Wars these days, Catalina
ran into George Lucas at his workplace/home/ranch. She and a friend
who works for ILM was waiting for a table during lunch, and Mr. Lucas
had to pass through her to get to his seat. After she stepped out of
his way, he walked by and winked at her. Anyway, she reports, "He was much
shorter than I expected. I was wearing heals, but he only came to my
shoulders!" Catalina couldn't wipe away her grin after telling that
story. She stands around 5'6" without heals. Her birthday is
tomorrow (May 6th).
(1)
(2)
[slideshow]
It's hard to imagine when you look at these drawings that Mariane
is in her mid 40's. But here she is. These drawings are accurate to the
pore too. Currently, she's seeing a
31 year old Masseur. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, but I could
swear that she was flirting with me when I drew her. hmm.. ok, kidding.
When I changed to the 11x17 format a couple of weeks ago, I felt
that my lines were too thin. This week, I used fountain
pens with bottled ink which makes things just a bit harder.
I am pretty happy with the results though. It helped
going to 30 min. for these drawings.
(1)
(2)
[slideshow]
Siiri. Some models are real
good at making small talk when needed, but they don't get too attached
to the result of the artists. Siiri is different. She'd walk
around the room and view our results. Sometimes, she'd even ask for a copy,
which (I think) is a giant compliment to the artist. Of course, she
never asked *me* for any drawings. Then again, would you want any of
these?
(1) (30 minutes)
(2)
[slideshow]
Tim reminded me of the Diane Keaton movie
Looking for Mr. Goodbar.
By day, he's a 6th grade elementary school teacher in San Francisco.
By night,... well, let's just say that his full body tan was a bit telling.
(1)
(2)
(3)
[slideshow]
Funny, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that some models aren't
ashamed to ask for copies of artwork. Lara takes another approach.
On her last pose, she announced, "If any of you are willing to part
with ANY of your drawings, I'd be happy to take them." Since doing
this, she has filled a wall with drawings of her in many different
poses, from different angles, drawing styles, colors, etc... Groovy.
(1)
(2)
(3)
[slideshow]
Erin is a model / designer. She steps into the sessions with
numerous clothing props, a radiant personality, and some interesting
tales. Sometimes her stories hint at her brushes with
the glamour world, such as dressing up for soirees and having her
picture taken... then just for the symmetry, she talks about what
she does when at home... such as the plant story
(see 3.10.99) and her schemes to
obtain costumes by hiding
them within the store until they get put on the discount rack. Would
you like your martini shaken or stirred, Ms. Bond?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
[slideshow]
Chelsea has an amazing tattoo on her right torso of a seven
headed serpent. I didn't ask her about the tattoo... instead, I just
went to the internet to dig up
this article.
Here's a teaser:
"...a great fiery dragon having seven heads and ten horns. This
great dragon is identified for us ... as the archaic serpent, the one called
Devil and Satan."
Can we say... SATAN?!?!?!?! To be fair,
I'm not sure if this is the dragon that she's alluding to (but *nudge nudge...
wink wink* she did have a lot of piercings and tattoos... oh, and she also had
dreadlocks. ...you know the type. ;). ).
Stay tuned. Elizabeth previously did an amazing painting of Chelsea
which also shows the tattoo. I'll link to it when she puts it back on
the internet.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
I stepped away from
today's session with only limited info about our model Karin. I did catch
a couple of things though. She also acts in
plays... and she's... she's web savvy! This means that I should
probably play nice this time.:)... after all, she knows my address.
my web address, that is. ha ha ha. Incidentally, it's possible that
she's the first of the models to visit this site. Hi Karen!
(1)
(2)
(3)
[slideshow]
Sterling. Who names their kid 'Sterling'? In actuality,
he pulls it off quite well, with his
Norwegian heritage, his statue-esque figure, and his quiet
dignity. ...I wasn't going to mention the reference to guns.
Anyway... he had great poses, which may partially come from his
own illustrator background... a fellow pen and inker, I might add.
(Yes, we pen & inkers know who's boss. We don't need a pansy
eraser! ;). ) He's currently going to San Jose State to study
illustration.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
[slideshow]
I'm pumped. I feel like Michaelangelo when drawing Tracy. She
makes me want to flex my muscles and literally carve some
shadows into my paper. On top of being an inspiring draw, she was
also a
consummate professional. We really put her to work by requesting
pose after pose after pose. Ok, so maybe it was just me who
asked for so many poses, but I stepped away with 19 drawings in
the 2 hour session. If you live in the Bay Area, keep
your eyes peeled for her band, Pele Juju. (www.pelejuju.com
coming soon). She's their drummer.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
[slideshow]
Sometimes these drawing sessions is a little like a Soccer game.
We never know exactly when that whistle is going to blow.
Inevitably, when the timer goes off, everyone quickly pulls their
head up for one last glimpse at the model... before the pose
breaks... We all try to get that last important
detail so we can finish up the drawing. I have drawn models who
would break from the pose the moment that the alarm goes off. I
just want to stretch out my hand and yell, "WAIT!!!!" But it's
too late. Even if they are sympathetic to my cause and are nice
enough to repose, its not the same. Let's not forget that the
model is possibly hurting too. It's not easy staying perfectly
still for extended periods of time. Dan is so nice to us though.
He slowly pulls out of his poses... offering us multiple final
glances.
(1)
(2)
[slideshow]
... As a general rule, our drawing group does very well with Erin.
Some of the other artists' drawings from this session belong in galleries.
Personally, I find her pretty difficult to draw. I get lost in all
the focal points... each part of her (the face, gesture, clothing,
even her shoes) warrants some extra detail.
Drawings by Max:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
[slideshow]
Hi-C's got some of the most unusual poses... I must say that
he has a talent for holding very uncomfortable positions for long durations.
His other poses are... Well, I did overhear someone describe under a whisper,
"...very sexual."
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
It turns out that I was wrong about Chelsea's tattoo. (see
6.16.99) To my (pleasant)
surprise, she's not into devil worshipping as I previously suggested.
Instead, she's an admirer of tribal tattoos, and the seven headed
dragon is just a seven headed dragon. ...hmmm... or maybe
that's just what she *wants* us to believe... trickery is
a high skill amongst those types. Hmmm... or *maybe*.. I'm
reading too much into that Blair Witch movie. One thing is
certain though. I'm going to try Charcoal next time Chelsea
comes.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
Our session relocated down the hall, and rumour has it that the new modeling
stand originally came from the Brass Rail - a local bikini bar. Upon hearing
this, Marianne stuck out her chest a little more on her next pose. :).
A discussion helps pass time for a model, but some of us can
never talk and draw at the same time. A trick used by Marianne and other
models is to look at the artists'
sketchpad. They view the progressing image, and this helps move time along.
I can just imagine her looking over at my drawing and thinking, "Man, you
need a new perscription for those glasses."
Sterling was also kind enough to let me scan in his drawings of Marianne.
Very nice stuff. As always, you can select the 'slide show' below or view
each image individually:
(1st)
(2st)
(3st)
(4st)
(5st)
(6st)
(7st)
Here's mine.
(1)
(2)
[slideshow]
[slideshow]
Siiri sports a little grin through nearly all of her poses. This
makes a person wonder what she's thinking while in pose. Is
she thinking, "gotta keep this smile"? or... "haha, funny thing
happened on my way to work this morning..."? It'd be funny if she
suddenly she burst into laughter in the middle of a pose for no
apparent reason. If it were me, I'd start out with a smile and
a minute later my face would revert to it's natural state, which
is a distorted look of malcontent. grrrr.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
Our model bailed on us last night, so we had the pleasure of taking
turns on the stand. This is an ironic turn of events since this week
one of the readers questioned the models' privacy. Basically, I had
to ask the "If I was the model, how would I feel about this website"
question. So it was interesting to have the roll reversal.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
Sonia is Elizabeth's neighbor. She dropped in on Elizabeth's
Open Studio Showing and now she's here modeling for us. It's
interesting how these connections are made. It's also great
having this diversity of drawing subjects. Sonia is from Brazil,
where she used to do theatre. She modeled for us in a customary
dancing dress.
(1)
(2)
(3)
[slideshow]
Strange session last night. My hands felt stiff, so
just before the session, I tried something new. I downed a few cups of
wine. I think that
it loosened my hands, but I kept picturing that
drug induced spiderweb
image in my mind because I couldn't keep my proportions together.
We also had some rockin' techno-classical music
(Mozart violins to an electronic -beat) in the background, so I was
definitely in my own happy little drawing world. Now let's see if I can still
remember the model's name... Mark?... right?
(1)
(2)
(3)
[slideshow]
Often I step away from the drawing sessions thinking that I just
did the same thing as the week before. Maybe I could call it my
"artistic technique," but at the back of my mind, I've been pushing
toward something new. Anyway,
here is a slideshow of all of my Catalina drawings
(including this week's). This is the third time that I've drawn
her. As I look through them, I noticed that I have, in fact,
changed a little. We'll see how this translates in the weeks to
come.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
[slideshow]
Tim the Teacher. I like Tim's philosophy in modeling... work hard
for the 3-6 minute warm-ups, then for the longer poses - zzzzzzzzzz.....:).
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
[slideshow]
Lara. We've been in a new workspace for a couple of months now.
The warehouse building is still the same, but our new room is a professional
digital print shop by day. We get to walk around
and ogle over the cool printouts between sketches. The floor area is at
least double, maybe even triple the size of the old studio. Everyone has
extra elbow room... but ...
The sessions lately have been very quiet.
I wonder if it has to do with this larger workspace. People feel as
though they are raising their voice in order to talk. Well, who knows?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
During the little hiatus over the last couple of weeks, I
practiced using charcoals by copying photos. This is my first
session since the change, and I'm fairly happy with the results.
Model is Karin.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
Winter is creeping in on us, and nobody knows better than the
model. Lorna, our very spirited model, was pretty happy to point out the
way her looong arm hairs stick up when she gets the chills. heheh... well,
I guess you just had to be there.:). Lorna was quite talkative. In fact,
I'm surprised that she managed to stay still for these poses.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
[slideshow]
I'm having trouble writing about all of the stories that Dan told during
today's session because they lack a punchline. Still, his stories are
very interesting, as he draws upon his own experiences.
Last night, we touched on topics that ranged from Landscaping
a waterfall, to How to remove a giant cactus from your hip, to
Charles Manson's artwork, to Life and times of a court sketcher
(he modeled for one). So you can see our dilema, listen
to Dan, or listen to Santana?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
[slideshow]
Nice to be back with the drawing pad again. Actually, I was at the session
the week before. Unfortunately, my hands were frozen after two months of
inactivity. Drawing is not like riding a bicycle.
Max Brower, a member of the drawing group, contributed to this week's
post. More on Max later. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of him over
here in the Wednesday Night Portrait.
Drawings by Max:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Last weekend, I went through my apartment to clean and fix all of the
light fixtures. Naturally, as I stood in a fairly frozen (and dramatically
posed and lighted) state, I wondered if I had what it takes to be a model.
I mean, to stay still like the models do. 2 minutes later, I began to
wonder if I could rig up a device to fix my lights while laying on my
back.:).
Sterling finished last night's session with a 40 minute
standing pose. uh-huh... Can we say "show off"? ...kidding.
In all honesty, I don't know how he does it. Just thinking about this
makes me want to buy a portable tv set to help him pass time.
Drawings by Group:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Chuck is a pretty nice guy. During breaks, he makes his rounds and
talks with each of the artists. Yes, I know that I draw the guy nude,
but I still want to put my hand over my eyes when conversing with him...
sort of like shading out the sun. If I don't, I find that I stare at
either his flourescent red hair, or (since he doesn't robe during breaks)
I'm saying, 'helllllooooo down there.' So I end up staring off into space
when he comes by. Can you imagine? This red-haired freak probably thinks
that *I'm* weird because of my fidgety, roaming-eyed, wall-talking behavior.
Nice guy though ..heheh.
Drawings by Group:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Here are some drawings done in a previous session with
Chuck.
Drawings by Max:
(1)
(2)
(3)
It's been a while since we last drew Siiri. It seems that each
time she comes to model, she notices a dramatic change within our
group. Our drawing area was rearranged, and there's a number
of new artists. Its always nice to have these dynamics. It
keeps things fresh for the artists. However, Siiri confided that these
changes combined with the long time away gave her a little stage fright.
About 5 seconds later, she stripped and got back on the stand.:).
Drawings by Group:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
I arranged the pics of one of the poses in a slideshow so the
drawings revolve around the model. It gives a spatial image of how we
sit in a semi-circle surrounding the model. Keep in mind these aren't
images from everyone in the group, so there are some gaps.
...Still, it's pretty neat.
Take a look!
Previous Siiri Pics:
4.7.99
5.19.99
8.18.99
After one of the poses broke, I turned to one of the artists, Sandra,
and mentioned that she made a very nice drawing. "Thanks," she said
modestly, "It's got some nice parts.... (so to speak)".:).
Drawings by Al:
(1)
(2)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
I touched on this before, that some
models wear a smile during
a pose. I always wondered if this was intentional. It is quite
pleasant, but (unless if you're Austin Powers) it is also strangely
unnatural. (I, for one, am never smiling when naked.) Anyway, during
one of her poses, I could see that Lara's smile was turning into a silent
giggle. Since laughter is contagious, I was biting my lip trying to hold
back my own hysteria.:) I'm certain that I wasn't the only one in the room
with a smile, either. Luckily, we weren't drinking wine... (or smoking
out.) Things could've seriously gotten out of hand.
Drawings by Group:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
Previous Lara Pics:
6.2.99
10.13.99
While in pose, Trace spends a bit time to think about her the next
posture. This makes her transitions extremely smooth and fast.
Even before we flip to a new sheet of paper, she's ready in the next
position. She's always armed with new and interesting ideas too.
Once, she was asked, "Do you ever do normal poses?":). Visit
Trace's band at
www.pelejuju.com
Drawings by Group:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
Once you've clicked through these drawings, check out the
slideshow to
see the images in sequence.
Drawings by Al:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Arndis:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
Previous Trace Pics:
2.24.99
4.18.99
7.7.99
These are drawings of Sterling done a couple of weeks ago. Things are
getting done piecemeal since I tire earlier from Allergy season. I lose
the hours that are devoted to activities such as running this site, hence
my unreliability. Sterling is a rock though. Always around when needed.
In fact, this session he bailed us out when the model didn't show. It's
great having a model who joins the group on occassion. Also, the organizers
can never say enough good things about steady models.
Drawings by Carol:
(1)
(2)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
Previous Sterling Pics:
6.30.99
1.26.00
There's an interesting balance between short vs. long poses. Battles ensue
between the artists as some prefer the long 20-30 minute poses
which allow us to finish drawings (if we're fast). On the other hand,
Models can stretch out into more dynamic and artistic positions for the
short poses. In this latter case, drawings are seldom finished, and
admittedly, I constantly wish for "more time, more Time, more TIME..."....
Its as though if I thought hard enough, my mind could bend the laws of
time and space. There is a remedy, however. Every now and then, the model
forgets to start the timer, or in Catalina's case this session, her
timer was set incorrectly. After an eternity in her dramatically stretched
out pose, she finally lifted her head and said, "This is a long six minutes."
:) Einstein would be proud.
Drawings by Carol:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
Previous Catalina Pics:
3.24.99
5.5.99
9.29.99
I drank a lot of wine at last week's session, so the memory is
fading. I vaguely recall references to yoga poses and people (NOT ME!)
screaming to see HiC's privates. I guess that I wasn't the only one
drinking... I just hold the liquor a little better.:).
Drawings by Carol:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Arndis:
(1)
(2)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Previous Hi-C Pics:
7.28.99
It's a little known fact that I do all of my typing with my left hand. Does
this make the website seem more 'creative'?:). Actually, for this session
I took advantage of Sterling's reappearance and tried something new. I
drew with my left hand. Some do this as an exercise to loosen their drawing
style... my drawings definitely seem looser.
Here is some information
about the left brain / right brain differences. Interesting stuff, and
remember, it is a myth that left handers are more creative. To be truly
creative, both sides of your brain must work together.
Drawings by Arndis:
(1)
Drawings by Carol:
(1)
(2)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8 right handed)
Previous Sterling Pics:
6.30.99
1.26.00
4.5.00
Some models have strong resemblances to subjects in Master
paintings. For instance, Trace's muscle definition remind
us of Michaelangelo... Erin's facial profile suggests Klimt.
As you can see, there aren't any Picasso's. Our model this week, Lora, had
Bottecelli coarsing through her. Almost if by divine
intervention, the models tend to go into poses similar to
their counterparts. See for example:
The Creation of Adam and
Trace
heh. Methinks its a bad idea to put my drawing next to Michaelangelo's from now on.
Drawings by Arndis:
(1)
Drawings by Carol:
(1)
Drawings by Deborah:
(1)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
'Weekly Postings' ... my foot. This post took around 15-20
hours to post. *whew* You're probably wondering why... Firstly, there's
something wrong with my computer. Secondly, many of these images need
to be scanned in parts - sometimes 6 or 8 parts, then composed in photoshop.
Then I use my discerning eye to tweak the colors because my scanner
washes out the colors a bit. Lastly, I reduce the number of colors so that
the image can compress to a smaller filesize.
So... for the time being, I'm going to
hold off on other member's drawings until I can think of another solution.
I hope that you readers enjoyed the extra pictures while they were
available.
Drawings by Al:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Carol:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Deanna:
(1)
Drawings by Deborah:
(1)
Drawings by Sandra:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
From what I understand, Florence doesn't model as often anymore on account
that she has to find a babysitter. Given what models are paid, this is
hardly worth it. But its interesting that she actually modeled through her
stages of pregnancy, and even past birth.
This was drawn from a session hosted by
John Pugh
on Tuesdays.
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Somehow Sterling finds his way on my site every couple of weeks. Funny
thing is, I don't think that he's ever visited my site. ...or so he says.:).
It's always a little curious when our models come in with full body tans.
It's like somewhere in the model's handbook, tan lines aren't allowed.
Sterling revealed part of his secret during this session. Apparently nature
boy was a nude participant in the
Bay to Breakers 10K run. If you're not from the SF Bay Area, Bay to
Breakers is a annual run whose route extends from Downtown San Francisco to
the coast. A large part of its notoriety comes from the fact that you can
do the run in the buff. I just went to their site and discovered
this image. Let's see... nudist playing the sax... is it possible? Can
it be
Chuck?
Drawings by Tony:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Previous Pics:
6.30.99
1.26.00
4.5.00
5.3.00
While I'm drawing, I am conscious of my website... anything that is
said during the session is game for this week's entry. (that's why I try
never to talk, what a disaster to quote myself. )... ultimately I try not to
steer the conversation in order to get material. Usually, its on my drive
home from the session that I come up with something hillarious to write
about. (I'm easily amused.) After this session with Siiri, though, I
must've been thinking about dinner, hence I'm drawing a blank. Get it?..
"Drawing a Blank?" heheh. Hope that you enjoy the pics.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Previous Siiri Pics:
4.7.99
5.19.99
8.18.99
2.16.00
While in mid pose, model Lisa said, "I'm seeing ghosts
of roller-rink skaters." (is she also
parodying the Sixth Sense?)
Years back, the building that homes our studio was an indoor
skating-rink. You can sort of see the remnants by the markings
on the wood floor. Its nicely scratched up and worn down.
Now, the space is partitioned into artist studios with a
digital print shop. As I
mentioned before, we actually draw in the print shop. The
front portion of the building is an excellent used bookstore.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
I get the feeling that the Print shop (our studio host) hasn't been too happy
with us lately. ...perhaps locking us out of their room is a hint?:). So we
moved our group to Deanna's studio for this week. This is where I started
drawing with this group... and at first, I welcomed the opportunity to return
to my roots. Like a man revisiting to his childhood home -and finding that
its smaller than he imagined. We were all scrunched up and drew with
elbows at our sides. Funny that I didn't remember the fusion of ambient
music- Jazz, Rock, and Classical all competing for our ears... not to
mention the smell of tobacco creeping in from the neighboring studio. You
can never go home again. Our model this week was Karin. Sorry Karin!
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
Previous Pics:
6.23.99
11.3.99
This week's session took place at the
Expresso Garden & Cafe... home of the famous
John Pugh mural.
It's my first session back since last summer, and despite the:
- *minor* leak that flooded half of the cafe,
- the subsequent panic to contain the flood before it gets out of hand,
- the smell of Chlorox from God knows where, and
- the deafening roar of the Wet-Dry Vac sucking everything up...
I think that this session went ... pretty good... all things
considered. Luckily management had us there to protect the cheesecake and
wine should anything bad was to happen... like Apocolypse.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
Previous Lisa Pics:
7.5.00
When a session goes as planned sometimes I have to pull words out of
my arse for this site. Disaster writes its own story though. This week
we got locked out from our studio again. While hanging out in the
stuffy hallway, (nostrils flared, jaws clinched, and fingernails dug into
the walls) our model, Trace,
led us to a session outdoors. Given:
- a nice breeze which had the model adding a new layer of clothing after
each pose,
- a beautiful sunset which constantly shifted the lighting of the subject,
- the romantic dusk that kept us from seeing our own work in progress, and
- the mosquitos... lovely, lovely mosquitos,
I think that we did... alright. Actually, I am thankful, since it
was not a wasted night and I'm always happy to see Trace. Incidentally,
Pelejuju disbanded, and she's exploring
other forms of percussion music - mediterranean, slavic, timpany, gong show...
ok, I think that I made some of those up.
Please stay tuned. Next week, our session relocates to Beirut.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Previous Trace Pics:
2.24.99
7.7.99
8.25.99
3.29.00
We're always happy to learn about the models and what their
lives are like outside of our studio walls. We got an
extra treat this time when model Tim brought his ...
girlfriend (?) to draw with us. So we drill her for all
of Tim's secrets. Not that he has any ... he
actually offered to play Truth or Dare with us. "Ok Tim, you're
already standing in front of us buck nekkid... What are
we going to dare you to do?"
Don't answer that!
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
Previous Tim Pics:
5.26.99
10.6.99
Despite my occassional bitchin' and whining (see last 10
entries), I tend to stay pretty positive in life as well
as on my website. I just think of all of the things that
*can* go wrong and count myself lucky. Of course, like any
red blooded person I also pray for a quick and sudden death
when the situation calls for it. Anyway, on rare occassions,
one finds perfection amidst the turmoil. These days, in our economically
depressed state, our session with model Liat was just that...
perfect - in all ways except my drawings.:). One just wanted
to sit and soak in the beauty.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Have to say that one definitive quality of figure models is their unabashed
respect for the 'natural form' - aka 'au naturel', 'the buff', 'the raw',
'without a stitch on', 'birthday suit', 'bare-assed', 'stark-nakedness', or
the 'full monty'. Our model Paul went around and showed off a picture
collection of his figure drawing poses. These aren't pictures of the
traditional, reclined poses that you see in Manet paintings. These are
the short, "let me show you how limber I can be", and "I wonder if there's
a way to pose with that ceiling fan" postures. Of course, Paul was also an
interesting guy with plenty of stories to tell during the session, but I
found this one to be the most 'decent' for the internet.:).
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Say what you will about my drawings and my talent. Perhaps a few words that
come to your minds are, "brilliant", "Genius", "PHAT"... Need I go on?:).
Admittedly, one missing element from my work is color. When you go through
the drawings for this week, note that I didn't capture Lora's most
discerning characteristic - her fiery Red hair.
Incidentally, I *know* what you are all thinking as you go through my
drawings. You're thinking, "gee, I can't wait until he updates again!!!"...
Aren't you?
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Previous Lora Pics:
5.17.00
Chuck. Hot session. Studio temp was probably hovering in the 90-95 degree
range. Grateful for Chuck for being so enthusiastic, otherwise it would've
been just another hot session. Temperature-wise, the model was in the most
appropriate attire - didn't start sweating until he started playing sax.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Previous Chuck Pics:
4.21.99
02.03.00
Leah. Palo Alto Art Center. 3 hour session. 20 miles away. $4. Nice
environment.
Drawings:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
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