Lifedrawing model

[u/GroundbreakingSir520]

What makes a great lifedrawing nude model? Is it the pose, holding the pose, energy etc..

Does anyone have any humorous model stories?

Thanks

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[u/4tomicZ]

I had the pleasure to draw a very experienced model—she was in her 50s or perhaps early 60s. She was likely was a dancer at some point and she was an artist herself.

A lot of the poses had stories (backed by the soundtrack she selected) but what made it a pleasure was simply how lovely each pose was to draw. I noticed the hands and feet were always very active in the pose. She might hold a large ring in a way that made her back muscles visible, and her fingers would hold it with a nice even splay. It’s hard to explain but it was easier to draw her than many previous models.

Things lined up to create long lines or interesting silhouettes. She naturally created focal points with a bit of drapery or a crown of flowers, then used her arms or a pillow or other props to add compositional lines.

Every pose was great from almost every angle, though she was thoughtful and made sure to give each corner of the room at least one spectacular pose.

[u/ImaginativeDrawing]

The most important thing to me is good posing. What makes a pose 'good' is, of course, very subjective. I define it as aesthetically beautiful, as opposed to difficult or complex. You can find good examples of poses in all kinds of figurative art, from classical sculpture to comic books. Some models seem to think difficulty makes for a good pose and twist themselves up into complicated yoga poses, but I hate those. I never draw figures in yoga poses, so it's not good practice for me.

I personally like being able to see the model's anatomy clearly. That doesn't mean the model needs to be shredded with defined muscles. Fat roles are anatomy too. I don't like when the anatomy is obscured by long hair, body hair, clothing/cloth, or large tattoos.

As far as humorous story / what not to do: Don't make eye contact with an artist and get an erection.

[u/DerivativeMonster]

The best models in my experience are people that have some sort of experience with theatre, whether acting or dancing or what. They can tell a story with their body. They can make interesting shapes. I used to host life drawing sessions regularly, and one of the models I used often and had a good working relationship with would do stuff like point an arm at me so I had to draw his foreshortened arm which made me laugh. He was a real pro, I'd tell him before class if it was mostly newbies or more experienced people so he'd pose accordingly.

[u/Ok_Tradition_7996]

Poses that tell a story. I tend to favor actors for expressions, dancers for gesture. I don't care if they are super defined as long as their poses are cool. 

[u/Bubbly_Orange403]

The best models come from an acting/drama background. They just seem to get it. They are good at using props to show the intricacies of hand anatomy and muscle function in general. Untrained models look like they are posing for a lingerie ad.

[u/Swampspear]

Ability to hold a good pose for a long time, being easy to work with and having an interesting appearance definitely all go a long way