Monday, March 5, 2007

VARIETY is the SPICE of LIFE

It's a little disturbing sometimes to see artists who only draw "ideal" physical specimens. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a healthy, muscular body as much as anyone. In fact, for an artist, drawing a well-muscled body can be a particular treat, as you get to practice and put to use all of your anatomical studies. However... I believe it's also important to incorporate all body-types into your artwork. In a certain sense, you are finding beauty in every subject you draw. And it can be particularly relevatory to find that beauty when you draw someone who perhaps is overweight, underweight, or in some other way not the "ideal". (What is "ideal" is highly subjective, so I'm not even comfortable using that term in this context). By that same token, be sure not to rule out drawing older subjects... some of the best models I've drawn have been senior citizens. Also, by all means, don't rule out someone who is in some way "disabled", as they have just as much right to be drawn and represented as anyone else. One of the great things about most figure drawing classes is that they tend to use models with a variety of body types. Celebrate the diversity of your subjects, find the beauty in each one...and thank each one graciously for sharing their energy with you!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Greg, any suggestions for how to get models of varying body types to pose? I feel the choice of models is at the whim of whatever teacher is teaching the drawing class I happen to be in.

Greg Fox said...

Charles, I would recommend having a discussion with your teacher about it. The teacher should be open to hearing your opinion. Also, maybe you can enlist some fellow students who agree with you for back-up. I had a similar situation in a drawing group that only wanted to use female models. When I voiced my opinion that they should use male models, too, the idea was discussed, (and ultimately rejected...at which point I left the group. The group, by the way, didn't last too long after that). I suppose my point is, not every drawing group or class is suited for everyone; sometimes it takes a little searching to find the group that's right for you. Or...you could form your own drawing group! (But that's the topic for another post!).

buff said...

Greg: I admire you and your art work very much. I have especially enjoyed the strip, Kyle's Bed and Breakfast. You not only draw the chiseled studs but also the sexy hairy guys as well. By doing so, you capture the rainbow which is the gay male.
Congratulations on 200 installments of Kyle B&B. I enjoy reading it and can't wait for the next 200. The bicentennial theme was really cute. Big hairy muscle hugs.

Anonymous said...

I have done modeling for figure drawing classes and figure drawing groups. I also drew in both of them. I also did a series of poses for an oil painting.

I think in a perfect world, every art major should have the experience of posing both clothed and nude. They would have a better understanding of the model and more empathy.

Our drawing group had three people who drew and took turns posing.

I am also head of a local nudist group, which is another good source for models.

Mr. Carroll Peterson