Holding Still

Ever wonder what it's like to start posing nude? Here's a great article by a terrific model in Montanna...

http://artmodelbrookelynne.blogspot.com/2010/03/holding-still.html

Not in New York? (Class listings all over the place)

You know figurative artists are obsessive about honing their skills, and artists in New York are lucky in that there are so many places they can go. What if you're not in New York/ What if you're new and can't find a place to go?

Here's a great site that lists figure drawing sessions all over the nation!

http://www.artmodelbook.com/figure-drawing-directory.htm

A commercial for the Summer Sketch group?

Yeah! Well, kinda. Meetup has recently added the ability to mount a video on the homepage, and I had to give it a try. Have a look and tell me what you think of it. Art by the sketch group members (Jim Fleming, Bunham Yu, and Whitney Turkanis), voice over, such as it is, by yours truly.

Crazy For Good Art?

Michelangelo's David, regarded as the world's most beautiful statue, can trigger mental imbalances in overly sensitive and cultivated onlookers, says a top psychiatrist in Florence.

Dr Graziella Magherini reported the preliminary findings of a year-long study at a symposium at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, where the naked marble man attracts 1.2 million visitors a year.

She says David can have a particular emotional impact on a certain kind of visitor.

"I've called it the David Syndrome. It causes mind-bending symptoms and affects mostly those travelling on their own or in couples," says Magherini, who is president of Italy's Art and Psychology Association...

Read the whole article here: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1512809.htm

Thanks to Art New Blog (http://www.artnewsblog.com/) and Pearl Paint for this!

New Advice for Models

I've been getting a lot of contact from people looking for work as art models. It's getting so frequent that I thought I'd put the info up here for ease of access.

If you're "cold calling", which is to say, sending out an email to someone you haven't spoken to before, present yourself in a professional manner. Modeling is a kind of performance, and performers send a note of introduction that includes their skills, contact information, and a photo. A model is no less a performer. Offering complete information up front projects an air of confidence and experience. Be aware that a photo has 1000 times the impact of an email alone. Even if the recipient isn't hiring immediately, a picture is more likely to stick in the mind and result in a future job. It doesn't have to be a nude or modelling pic, just a nice, simple photo that clearly depicts your face and shoulders is fine. If you have some really unusual image that might help you stand out consider including that if you think it's appropriate, just be careful of the audience you're sending to. An art school might have more conservative tastes than an independent arts group.
Don't forget your contact information!!

The idea is that you're offering something (your unique skills) not asking for something (work). This resonates better on a subconscious level, and makes you seem more valuable.

Be persistent, not insistent!
Do follow up every couple of weeks, even if they don't hire you immediately. A gently reminder that you're available might keep you in mind when something does open up. Don't call too often, though--it comes across as needy and gets irritating, and will work against you.

Specifically for male models: It is unquestionable harder for you guys! Don't take it personally. Experienced artists are comfortable with models of any gender, but less experienced artists may be uncomfortable with male models. You might expect inexperienced guys in a class to be a little put off, but inexperienced girls can also feel intimidated. Don't take it personally, it's not you. Many women who pose have dancing experience, and pose well. It's much less common to find a male model who can pose well, and that's a highly desired talent, much more so than a good physique (the artist can always draw in extra muscles if he really wants to). If you have some unique physical training, do mention it up front, and maybe include a picture of yourself in action doing it.

Also check out my earlier post--some advice for a new model: http://nyfiguredrawing.blogspot.com/2009/02/tips-for-art-models.html

I have a list of all the walk-in classes that I know of in the NYC area (as of about a year ago). It's called Classes about Town, feel free to download it and use it for leads. There are also new classes springing up on Meet up.com all the time.
You can download the list here: http://www.meetup.com/FigureSketching-NYC/files/

Regarding my Summer Sketch Group: I only have 2-3 sessions per month, and I usually hire models I've worked with before, so I don't have too many openings, but I do keep contact info on file, since occasional openings DO come up.

Best of luck,
Jeff

The faults lie not in ourselves, but in our stars...

Well, the bartender explained that with Mercury retrograde, something like this was bound to happen...
I arrived at our usual location to discover a small-cask beer festival in full swing. The stage where the model usually poses was crowded with casks, and the room crowded with beer aficionados.

"Use the dining room!" the bartender suggested, "We don't start serving dinner till six." With some of you coming all the way from Connecticut and farthest Jersey, I didn't want to cancel the session, so dining room it was, even though it's open on two sides and people have to travel through it to get to the bathroom & the kitchen.

The model was new to NYC, and so, apparently, was the cab driver who brought her, since he thought 43 East 7th ought to be on 43rd street and Seventh ave. So we got started rather late. Nevertheless we soldiered on, the model opting to work nude (I left it to her discretion) despite the open environment, and despite the occasional beer-dazzled ogler leering through the doorway, she posed brilliantly, with poses both graceful and romantic, and despite the celestial wackiness, I think we all went home with drawings that were sure to appease the angry spirits.

Please don't be dissapointed if future sessions aren't anywhere near as complicated..

Dali-Disney

Got this amazing link from a friend a la Facebook.

"In 1946 legendary surrealist Salvador Dali formed an unlikely friendship with Walt Disney, and they spent some time collaborating on a short film called Destino..."

Go to:
http://www.monstersandrockets.com/2009/07/dali-and-disneys-destino-completed-sort.html