There is no denying the majority of life drawing models tend to be women between 20 and 30 years old.
This may be down to their body confidence being greater at that age; they may have fewer commitments, children, partners, or any number of other factors which I would hesitate to go into.
I don’t think it is a ‘market forces’ thing though, as I can’t say there are a corresponding number of older males on the other side of the easel (despite being one myself). In my experience, it is at least fifty-fifty, male-to-female artists in most groups, and often, there are more women than men.
Believe it or not, it is of little note to me who I draw. As far as I am concerned, every body is of interest in different ways. The technical problems are the same regardless of the model’s sex or age. Lighting, viewpoint and pose are more of an issue, whoever I am drawing.
Having said that, it is notable that there are far fewer older females in the life drawing pool, and I think that is a shame.
Why? Because older females (and males for that matter: another article awaits!) are actually more interesting to draw. The toll that experience, time and gravity take on our bodies is a testament to a life that has been lived. The poses, in general, may be less ambitious but there is an ease in the way they fall into practiced place that is a joy to draw.
I find the poise and confidence of an older model to be somewhat calming, and this often translates into a slightly looser style of drawing where I do not feel under pressure to reproduce the flawless complexion or toned musculature of a younger model.
(I generalise, of course. I have drawn many fifty-plus women who have both flawless complexions and toned bodies, but you get my drift).
Nevertheless, I always feel in good hands with an experienced model and react accordingly. Here are just a few examples…
Haughty
An ironic title, as this model is about as far from haughty as one could ever get, but in this drawing, the raised chin and set mouth seem to suggest otherwise.
I have been drawing her for many years, and she has always been a challenging and inspirational model. Her poses are usually ambitious, and so it was a treat to have her in a relaxed, seated pose for a change.
The central position on the paper gives a strong composition on a diagonal from bottom right to top left, and her gaze to the top right serves to counterpoint this.
I am pleased with the line variance here: thicker and heavier in the fore limb, and light and sharp for the far breast. This gives a depth to the drawing that is further emphasised by the comparative lightness of paint ‘further back’ compared to the foreground right elbow.
Greying hair is quite difficult to paint, but I am happy with this washed-out Terre Vert and Payne’s Grey combo. Sometimes I also add Cerulean Blue to greyer hair.
The hair colour bleeds down into the shadow at the back of the neck, and visually throws the front shoulder forward.
Fuerteventura
This drawing has an added poignancy for me, as it comes from the last live session I attended at the Swansea Print Workshop before Covid closed everything down.
Thankfully, it is one of my stronger drawings, titled thus because the model was telling us of her favourite naturist beach on the island of Fuerteventura as she posed.
I had not drawn this lady before, and I’m ashamed to say I can’t now remember her name, but I found her to be an interesting, elegant model, and it is sad that her nascent modelling career was cut short by the global circumstances that were shortly to be upon us.
The spotlight is often the artist’s friend in a drawing, as it simplifies the form with exaggerated contrast of light and shade. I think it is used to good effect here, with the deeper shadow, as under the breast for instance, fading off into the hip as the light washes out.
The unusual palette of Quinacridone Gold, Perylene Purple and Permanent Magenta is offset by a background of Cobalt Turquoise, a strong contrast to the orange hues.
It is still a rarity for me to scumble in a background, but I think it works well here against the large amount of highlight on the left of the figure especially.
Diana from below
A ten-minute prep sketch from well into the post-Covid period, where everything had been turned on its head when it came to life drawing.
We had, by the time this was drawn, become accustomed, even blasé, about the unusual camera angles we were presented with in online sessions.
This was made via Candid Arts Trust’s excellent set-up where you can choose from four different camera angles, including a sky-cam and this below-stage viewpoint.
This is the only time I have drawn Diana, and I know absolutely nothing about her: the model’s anonymity is one of the drawbacks of this kind of session.
Sometimes you know from the first pencil mark if you are on form, and that was the case here, where I had six decent drawings from the two-hour session.
This, in my opinion, is the best of them. I particularly like the strength of the line and the energy in the painting. I was clearly not holding anything back, and often when that is the case, the drawing can easily go awry.
In fact, in the great majority of cases, it does!
I managed to control this one, however, and it has resulted in a dramatic painting that I am quite proud of.
The slim palette includes Gold Green, Potter’s Pink, Scarlet and Terre Vert. It is outlined in Indigo, something I was fond of doing for a couple of years, especially with the shorter poses.
- The drawings featured are for sale and you can see more of Simon’s life drawings and portraiture at simongoss.com