What to know for my first life drawing session?

I got a spot in a local Life Drawing session.  I think it's a trial to make sure I'm a good fit.

All I know is that it will be 2 hours, a clothed model, no instruction, and to bring my own sketching kit.  That's all the info I have.

Anyone ever been to a life drawing session before? What's it like?

And if you have done this, what kind of drawing materials did you like best?

Is there a set tradition of how long the poses are?   In class we had a live model and they did 20 second, 1 min, 2 min and a 20 min pose.   But I didn't get the most out of it as I didn't really know what to expect and being time blind, the first and last pose felt about the same length of time.  

And will the other people be annoyed or frustrated to have a person who can't draw well in the session?  I'm just going to stand to one side and quietly draw, but I'm not good.  Not yet.  That's the whole point of this, to get better.

Nervous.  Kind of thinking of backing out but also, I really want to get good at drawing.  maybe someone can help me through these conflicting emotions so I can go with confidence.

I did a couple decades ago. The main ask of the people there was to not go running around the room or making loud sighs and groans, that kind of thing. As long as the other people in the room don't remember you as "that annoying guy" you're fine.

Pose times were announced up front. It made it easier to decide if you wanted to do blocking or flow lines, or if you wanted to focus a facial expression, or how that elbow looks, that sort of thing. I enjoyed seeing afterward what the other people picked to focus on with the time pressure.

Good to know.  Thank you.

Glad someone will mentions the times.  

My biggest worry is I tend to 'dance at the easel' which is stepping back, come back, make a few marks, step back two or three steps.  I am having trouble with my eyes so it helps to look at several focal lengths, but I imagine it bugs people so I try to get a spot at the back when I take a class.  

I went to town and picked up some conte crayons that I'm going to practice with.  These are so much smaller than I expected, but look lovely.  Got to practice so I don't have to learn my medium while learning about life drawing.


Not sure what size paper to bring.  I have the sketchbooks, but I kind of want to use an easel and big pad.  Any suggestions?

Ask whoever's running it about the easel? Most of the ones I went to were held journals or pads, with a couple people toward the back or one side with easels or pop up tables and a chair. Sometimes space is just too tight, or there's rules about media to protect the flooring.

Paper size... I generally went with whatever journal I had with a hard enough back or that fit the board I had.

r ranson wrote:I got a spot in a local Life Drawing session.  I think it's a trial to make sure I'm a good fit.

All I know is that it will be 2 hours, a clothed model, no instruction, and to bring my own sketching kit.  That's all the info I have.

Anyone ever been to a life drawing session before? What's it like?

And if you have done this, what kind of drawing materials did you like best?

Is there a set tradition of how long the poses are?   In class we had a live model and they did 20 second, 1 min, 2 min and a 20 min pose.   But I didn't get the most out of it as I didn't really know what to expect and being time blind, the first and last pose felt about the same length of time.  

And will the other people be annoyed or frustrated to have a person who can't draw well in the session?  I'm just going to stand to one side and quietly draw, but I'm not good.  Not yet.  That's the whole point of this, to get better.

Nervous.  Kind of thinking of backing out but also, I really want to get good at drawing.  maybe someone can help me through these conflicting emotions so I can go with confidence.

It's normal to feel nervous, especially when you're just starting out. Life drawing sessions can be a bit intimidating at first, but honestly, most people are there just to improve their own skills, too. You don’t need to worry about others judging you – everyone’s there to learn and grow.

Ask whoever's running it about...  

I tried a few light questions and they got um... how to say kindly?  Forgotten?  It feels like the moment they felt I was newer to drawing, I was less interesting to talk to.  But I got on the wait list and in the middle of the month, I get to go to a trial session.  

It's also very interesting that it's a close knit group.  Like there's something extra-ordinary about a life drawing group.  Some quality that I hope I have, but don't quite understand yet.  


Drawing class starts a few days before and I know my teacher goes to life sessions and might be a member of this one, so I'll see if I can ask him after class for some more specifics.  

Most of the invitation-only air of these things is just to be sure people behave themselves. No one wants awkward comments about the models' bodies, or people bumping them while they're drawing. If there's no entry fee, bring a little cash, there might be a tip bowl for the models.

My preference is for a 2B pencil. . . maybe charcoal;   a good result also possible with a biro, though that takes a bit of practice with how to tilt the point for the required effect.   Total fail for me when faced with colour
We were taught to look at the dark parts rather than the light, and to try to skip doing outlines, rather to suggest with the shading of subject and background. This might be problematic with such short poses - that's more of a quick suggestion of the "object" with a quick outline - like the impressionists did with their preparatory sketches. I would suggest a practice at home before plunging into the class. Someone can be persuaded to sit for a couple of minutes while you practice! The main thing is to relax (Ha, easier said than done) and enjoy the experience.

After playing with Conté sticks for the first time last night, I suspect this might be the set up for me.

I'm so happy I got these clay based sticks as they are the perfect place between charcoal and graphite.  The colour range is exactly what I like best.  The little match box is so cute and the whole kit fits in my pocket except for the book and easel.

I'll be bringing a big bag and my regular drawing tools.  The easel can hide in there in case it's forbidden.

My model for today is the wizzard that Nicole felted.  He is very helpful and mostly stays where I put him.  I accept that the joints probably aren't bent right, but that's my fault, not his.

Going to practice more with conté sticks and make sure.  I don't want to struggle with my tools during the life session.

K Kaba wrote:Most of the invitation-only air of these things is just to be sure people behave themselves. No one wants awkward comments about the models' bodies, or people bumping them while they're drawing. If there's no entry fee, bring a little cash, there might be a tip bowl for the models.

That's a big part of my worry.

I'm not good at picking up on social queues in the moment.  And every situation has different nuances.   It's less stressful if I can know before hand what the expectations are. That way, I can focus on drawing.

The entrance fee is another stressor as it's a sliding scale based on how many show up.  I'm assuming someone will tell me what that days price is.  Or would it be acceptable to just overpay from the suggested price?  It would mean not having to bring change.  Our smallest paper money is $5 so if I round up to the next five, would that be acceptable?

I'm glad people are interested in this kind of things. A friend of mine used to make a living as a life model for a while.
You'd have to learn to work in a group, people being able to see your work in progress (even if they're not interested, the thought is stressful for some people).
It's nice if people are able to discuss their works together with the teacher after the lesson.
Respect the model and their boundaries. The model should have some private space especially if they're undressing/changing, but even if they're not.
Teacher should have some time for each participant to talk about their work.

Good to know about giving the model space.

This life drawing group has no instruction or teacher.  It's just a group of artists who wanted practical drawing exercise.

That said, my drawing teacher might be a participant,  so I have to be careful to find that balance of respecting his skills while not having him feel like he's working.

Having people see how bad I am at drawing strangely isn't a big worry.  I'm pleased with how much progress I made in under a year and know that I'm less than 2% of the level many of the other participants will be.  What I dislike is when others see me as competition,  so I'm happy with the huge gap.

Wizzard shows how far I've come from drawing a bee with a circle and the letters "be" in it not so long ago.  But it also shows how much I can still improve.

But then there is the worry: would people get anoyed that they let some n00b in to clutter up the place?

The only drawing I did with a human model was waaaaaay back in high school. We sketched with charcoal, but I have no idea if that's the best material. I'm glad people are chiming in who have done live drawing sessions outside of high school!

I just want to say that I love you drawing of your Wizzard, and that he's proving so useful for you! It makes me so happy to see how much you like him! Your sketch of him is quite good! I don't think anyone is going to be thinking, "What's this rank amateur doing here?" So many artists have such different styles. Your proportions look good and your shading is good. I'm not a professional, by any means, but nothing in your drawing says to me, "This person can't draw."

Once again, though, I'm not a professional and I've never been to one of these sessions, so all I can really do is give you my best wishes and hope it goes fabulously for you!

Everybody is a beginner at the start of their new thing :)
I've both drawn/painted and sat as a model.
Try not to worry too much about how to behave or what the others might think or find about what you're doing.
For things like the entry fee and such, ask your next neighbor ("I'm new here..."), maybe on both sides ;)

I'd suggest you just go and do your thing, and after the first session walk around and see what others have done, for inspiration, delight, insight, surprise.
That's what we did, and what others did when I sat as a model.

Have fun, enjoy!

I've been both model and participant, the first waaay back in the mists as a teenager at an arts high school in Toronto (taking that robe off the first time was the hardest thing I'd done to that point and maybe since) and then I took classes at OCA (later OCAD). Much later, classes at Sheridan College and then when we moved to Cape Breton, I started modelling for a collective in Sydney, when a friend here invited me to alternate weeks with her. We have very different body types and approaches to poses, so it was a welcome change for the artists in the group. On my non-sitting weeks, I'd draw.

In my experience on both sides of the easel, generally in a class that length there are a dozen or so 30 - 60 second gestures for warm-up purposes, then some slightly longer (5 min) poses and then 1-3 longer poses. Often this is discussed among participants and models will also sometimes invite suggestions. I imagine payment will also be made clear.

You're doing well with the conte! I like working with it for life drawing, charcoal too. We used paint in a couple of classes I did, which was fun, but I think you're right to stick with the conte, at least to begin. Most classes/studios have easels, my favourite was the very first class I modelled for; they had donkeys which you could sit on or upend and stand at - like to find a design for that and make one! If you're not sure and want to use an easel, bring yours (I would). I prefer not to use good paper for these sessions and usually stick to cartridge pads, 18x24. Fun to experiment with white, newsprint, toned tan and gray.

I wouldn't worry about being seen as "competition," whatever your ability, which looks quite promising. I'm not a pro and may never get there, but have spent plenty of time with "real" artists. It's not a competetive sport and most, who are also real, live human beings, are encouraging of each other and especially of beginners. At least ones who don't already "know" everything... And you strike me very much as someone not in that category. A little humility goes a long way in life, eh?

Take some deep breaths before you go in, think of 17 year-old me taking that robe off for the first time and have fun! Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Laura Rutherford wrote:I wouldn't worry about being seen as "competition," whatever your ability, which looks quite promising. I'm not a pro and may never get there, but have spent plenty of time with "real" artists. It's not a competetive sport and most, who are also real, live human beings, are encouraging of each other and especially of beginners. At least ones who don't already "know" everything...

That's how it should be, but the art world can get deadly competitive and/or abusive too. People get in there for all the wrong reasons sometimes. Just watch for the red flags!

It was a strange expierence.

They were in a new space and nearly doubled their members, so they were as off footed as the new people.  

I was interested to see the different mediums people used.  Graphite was most common, a bit of graphite, and a few watercolourists and ink workers (both pen and with a brush for applying the ink)

I for sure need more practice.  I also need to find a material I'm more comfortable using.  I thought conte crayons because they have the texture I like and don't need sharpening.  but I can't yet make a light mark with them like I can with the charcoal pencils I like so much.  But the pencils need constant sharpening and I would need to take about 20 to make it through 2 hours  of sketching.  

I don't know.  

Raven, you could also go freestyle and mix your mediums; conté crayons and pencil or any other mix you feel comfortable with.

Don't worry too much about comparing what you are doing vs. what others are doing. But looking around is interesting for inspiration and perhaps finding art friends. Just don't compare, there are always people who are better (= more experienced) and people who are more a beginner.
Every group is also different, I hope you've landed a good one.
Explore, play, have fun!

wishing also your art path ALL the best,
Nina

What's the etiquette on sharing drawings outside the drawing session?  (clothed model)