Drawing With Fred
While most people spent their 4th of July having barbecues and watching fireworks, I spent mine at Fred Hatt’s studio posing for my very dear friend. And what fun it was! Felt good to actually be modeling during this abysmally slow summer, and it was wonderful to collaborate with an artist I’ve known throughout my career. When Fred and I get together, about 75% of the time is spent chatting and talking as the close friends we are. But we did manage to get some work done 
Here’s what we created in the other 25%:
When the model’s away, the artist will play! Once the figure is established, Fred will continue to work on a drawing on his own time, adding in background, color, etc. Fred emailed two versions of this piece, the “before” and “after”. Here’s the same drawing that he progressed further the next day:
ColdSilverMoon said,
July 8, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Wonderful work by Fred, as always. Thanks for sharing, Claudia, and thank you Fred for more great work…
artmodel said,
July 9, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Thank you ColdSilverMoon!
Brooke said,
July 8, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Oh, this is absolutely gorgeous Claudia! Fred and you seem like a wonderful combination!
artmodel said,
July 9, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Brooke, you’re so sweet, thanks! Yes, Fred and I work marvelously as artist/model collaborators. I’m glad you were able to observe that in this drawing.
Claudia
D said,
July 8, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Beautiful drawing of a beautiful pose.
artmodel said,
July 9, 2009 at 12:10 pm
D, thanks so much!
fredh1 said,
July 8, 2009 at 8:40 pm
A few notes about this:
1. The size of the drawing is 48″ x 60″, or 122 x 152 cm. I work on the floor, directly from life, with no preliminary sketches. It’s basically a quick sketch on a large scale.
2. The initial sketch had some major proportion distortions that I then worked on correcting. On the top version you can see the remnants of a too-long arm and a too-broad chest.
3. Claudia has a great intuitive sense of poses. She seems to be conscious of how the light in the studio, the viewing angle, and the style and skills of the particular artist will interact with what she does. Claudia is absolutely the best.
artmodel said,
July 9, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Fred,
You noticed those proportions, especially the arm, within seconds. I think you have the fastest eye on the planet! The adjustments came out well. The arm looks great, and it’s key to bringing the whole pose together.
As to note #3, thank you
An intuitive model with an equally intuitive ARTIST is a powerful pairing.
Claudia
swatch said,
July 11, 2009 at 2:14 am
48 by 60 is big – I love the energy in the colour of Fred’s work. Thanks Claudia for sharing the sketch and the story.
artmodel said,
July 11, 2009 at 8:53 pm
You are very welcome, Swatch. I wish you could see Fred’s work in person. Yes it’s big, and the energy – Fred’s trademark – when viewed in real life, is palpable in a way that can’t be achieved via computer screen.
Claudia