Yes, Bruce is very, very good! I was so happy and excited to post his drawing.

I’m aware of Palette and Chisel, by the way, through YOU! I’ve admired your work on the Barebrush site for quite some time. You may have seen me on there a few times as the subject of drawings by Jean Marcellino, Jon Rettich and several others.

Every city and town should have a life drawing studio like Spring and Palette. They’re special places, aren’t they? Reasonable in cost, simple in structure, and the highlight of many peoples’ days, including models.

So glad you found Museworthy, Chris! Thanks very much for posting comments. It’s great to have you here.

Claudia

So glad you stopped by. And thanks for your nice words. While I hope you enjoy your future visits to Museworthy, I think your blog will be of greater service to me than mine to you. My yoga practice has waned terribly in the past few weeks, and I will turn to you to get me back into shape and invigorate my fitness regimen. Need it for my work, for obvious reasons.

Thanks for commenting!

Claudia

I will check in to see what you have to say from time to time!

Take care!
FD

Great to hear from you, friend! I’m glad you enjoyed this post.

Without question, life drawing is fundamental beyond words, for artists of all types, just like you said. I know many sculptors that attend life drawing, along with painters, graphic designers (many of those), even photographers and mixed media/collage artists. There is enormous value in the act and practice of life drawing. Although I am not an artist myself, I hear from artists constantly that it is an invaluable tool which sharpens all other artistic skills. Not one person has ever expressed the attitude that life drawing was in any way a waste of time. And man is it challenging.

You mentioned about getting, or not getting, one’s desired spot in the drawing studio. It’s a problem sometimes. Everything is on a first-come first-served basis. I’ve seen artists arrive a good 30 minutes early just to grab their spot! And there are artists who PREFER those tricky angles, with the severe foreshortening and all that. And then light becomes an issue too.

Certainly, for complete freedom in model choice, setup, and pose, an artist’s best option is to hire his/her own model and work privately, which is an expense that’s not always practical. But in those choices you mentioned in your comments, there is no shame in feeding one’s family! In my humble opinion, it is the much better choice. Art will always find a way, even under less than ideal circumstances.

Thanks for your terrific comments, Robert. And thanks also for saying that I’m a great model! You are too kind.

Claudia

I find that classes have both good points and problems. It is wonderful to see and discuss other people’s work, everyone benefits from that. It is good to have the discipline imposed on one as far as pose is concerned by having to accept a difficult or less interesting spot.

Especially for the sculptor it is wonderful if you can move around the model in adequate space both in the horizontal and vertical plane.

I like the pencil, charcoal, pastel mediums as an aide memoir and training to observe accurately. Pencil especially is a quick way to reinforce an idea or expression. It is like practising one’s tennis serve. Not all sculptors draw with a pencil. Some cut it out altogether and sketch in clay, or in wire so drawing in three dimensional space.
The only downside to life classes is when you want or have to do a specific pose that no one else wants. For a commission that demands a precise pose or body type the artist has to find their own model. Herein lies the problem of artists’ freedom, to feed the family or do their own thing and be dammed.

It is interesting however, where there is a will there is a way; so I love the story of Barbara Hepworth : She remembers, that while the studios of her male contemporaries were almost austere, her own was a jumble of children, rocks, sculpture, trees, importunate flowers and washing.

What a great model you are!