Nudes: week 1

I have been wanting to take a figure study class for a long time. I haven't in about 7 years. My first year in college, I went to a very conservative liberal arts school, and the models were not allowed to be nude. They wore bathing suits. Before that, my very first figure study class, I was about 16 years old and pretty darn innocent to the male form, outside of text books. I signed up for a class at University at Buffalo and showed up to a room half filled with college students, half older adults. I was going to impress! I remember taking out my charcoal and oversized drawing pad, setting up my easel, looking up as the class began. An oddball character in his 80s was situated on the platform, basking in the halogen lights, ripped off his robe to reveal himself, struck a pose... and left me nervous, probably with my jaw hanging. We'll just say he was known around campus as "horse".

Plaza offers a great variety of classes, and that's where I'm taking figure study. My forté was drawing large scale, so I decided to paint small scale. I suppose my goals are to get a better feel for the human form, it's lovely curvatures, shades, proportions, expressions. It's a been frustrating because I haven't tried drawing the body in so long, but I know that I'll make progress week to week. My style should (hopefully) develop more into the images I have in my head.

Here is my first painting from the first class. I aim to paint a pose every 30-45 minutes.



Today I googled "what on earth should I do with my life". One link pulled up a self help book, another said to go out to lunch with the love of my life.