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But what’s it like?

Some things have a definite answer. Particularly when it comes to time…… how long does it take to soft boil an egg? How long will it take to drive to Edinburgh? When’s tea? How long will it take you to get ready? (well.. ok, that’s EASY for a man to answer, but not a woman, certainly, its a bit more…er….. fluid!!).

So, when my new muse asks me how I will draw her, I can’t answer fully. Because I don’t know how long it will take.  Its not that I don’t have the experience, because I have. Loads of it. Years of figure and life drawing. So, maybe that’s why I know that I don’t know (if you know what I mean!).

It depends on the model, it depends on the pose, it depends on what I’m trying to capture, it depends on how inspirational I’m feeling, and how inspirational the model is feeling. If they’ve had a shit day, the kids are playing up, they’ve got a full bladder, and want to get home to watch “Strictly come dancing”, then they’re not going to be serene and calm. And for me to draw well, I need a model who can sit happily for a while, whilst we listen to some rock or dance music, and whilst I draw them. So, I’ll try my best to find a pose that is comfortable. And that the room is warm. And that they’re not going to get pins and needles or cramp within five minutes of me starting. We all want a nice working environment to work in, to achieve the best we can of the circumstances. So, if the model has got some music that they really like, and they’re feeling sensual and sexy, and are willing to sit for a bit whilst I draw them, then that’s ideal. If we can arrange it. And that’s presuming that the model can sit still. I’ve drawn some people who can sit still endlessly in a slightly difficult pose, with a bad back, on a cold day, on a hard surface. But I’ve also drawn people who can’t. They can only sit for five minutes before they start asking me “Have you almost finished?” or they get light headed and keel over because their legs have locked. But, that is an extreme reaction and usually the reason for that is medical. So, I need to be aware of what people can do, before I start to draw them. And I know I’m fast at drawing. If I had to do a set of five minute sketches, I could do that (with the right tools –  for instance, it’d have to be with a lump of chalk rather than a fine pointed pencil to get the quick soft essence rather than the sharp specifics of the details of the face and body). Sometimes working fast like that can create some surprisingly lovely but simple pictures.  
Anything is possible really. But conjecture is one thing. Actually doing it, will prove the point far better. So long as the model is happy, I can work around the situation. I’ve done it enough times, to know……

And I want it to be a happy experience for her – one that she enjoys and finds pleasureable.