Points of View
The woman in front of me was naked except for a pair of black thong underwear. I studied the way the light fell on her face, her neck, her small breasts, and tried to reproduce it on the sketchpad propped up on my lap.
It was back in college, and I had signed up for a nude drawing class for alternative class program day. Not surprisingly, mostly boys had signed up. I joined not because I wanted to see a naked lady (big deal, I see one in my bathroom every day), but because I wanted to draw one. I’d never drawn a nude model before.
Drawing from life is a lot of fun, mainly because of the challenge and spontaneity. You have to work quickly, before your subject ups and leaves. In the case of a model, she may not up and leave, but you wouldn’t make her sit for hours either. In our session, the model posed in two positions, for about 40 minutes each, first slouched on a beanbag cushion, then sitting on a chair. The doors and windows were kept closed in the airconditioned classroom, while we sketched away.
When we were done, we checked out each other’s drawings and showed our works to the model, now clad in a robe. She was pleased to see them. It was much fun comparing drawings, and admiring the exceptional ones. Most of all it was great to see how a single subject, in this case a nude model, could look from the point of view of many different people. Some used pencil, watercolor pencils, or ink pens. Some made her look different, glamorous and larger than life, while others tried to go realistic, like I did.
Detail from a drawing I did for a nude sketching session. Watercolor pencils on paper.
What would it be like from the model’s point of view? Would I be willing to try it from her perspective, and pose, nude to boot? Sure I would. But not for a group of curious college boys. I’d do it for an artist whose work I respect and admire, a group of artists even, so I could see their takes on my portrait. I wonder, would I still look like myself? Would they change me, make me something better than I really am? Would they draw the large circular white scar on my lower leg, burnt by a motorcycle exhaust pipe? Probably not. But I wouldn’t mind. As long as they show me their finished work; myself through someone else’s eyes. It’s bound to be a lot more interesting than the naked lady I see in the mirror every day.