The United Nations have asked me to note a program that I have been working on as Conceptualist (behind the scenes).
For artists currently in lockdown or restrictions, access to personal instruction or live models, is obviously seriously restricted.
Yet the basis of all fine art is basic drawing.
Then there are all those people picking up charcoal, pencils and paper (or other media) for the first time because they have nothing else to do and are bored.
So many of those people want to be able to draw and firmly believe they cannot but would love to come to the end of restrictions having proved to themselves they were incorrect about that and it's been a misconception!
My fine artist grandfather always said to start by drawing an apple; he claimed you cannot say you can draw until you have mastered being able to draw an apple.
Look at the tones, consider the positive and negative spaces, regard the multitude and variety of shapes, practice foreshortening: You will not find a more complex or challenging subject! A lifetime exercise but I digress.
To access SBS's "Life Drawing Live" show from Saturday night, head over to:
This is a properly conducted and organized life drawing session. Those wanting to check it out for an immature giggle session (we all have a human body), need to grab a piece of charcoal and paper then learn to genuinely see what they are considering. Respect themselves, the models and other participants involved.
I was asked this morning whether or not my immediate family took part in the drawing session. Yes, they did; Including my 9 year old daughter. She drew an arm, a face, a leg and a foot.
My husband (a Shakespearean actor) participated on Saturday night as the program went live to air and also recorded it plus took screen shots for later reference.
The next day his brother and sister watched the recorded session along with our daughter: They were interested in participating without full nudity being involved. So my husband went through before re-screening the program, noting when full nudity was displayed and skipping those parts of the show while still being able to participate in the exercises and activities explained.
Today they are practicing their new skills on photos they have collected from the Internet. (My daughter is going to try drawing some hydrangeas).
The next question I was asked this morning was did I recommend life drawing for school children and students? Yes, absolutely I do!
However (I explained, based on my experience as an Art teacher), they can draw a hand, an arm, a leg, a foot, a head; anything they can see exposed on any beach during summer.
The biggest challenges in "life drawing" are hands, feet and faces! Long before there is any need for any full nudity to be regarded as even remotely necessary, there is so much about the human body to be drawn and learned from.
To be honest, as an art teacher, I would not introduce full nudity to anybody other than tertiary or adult students, simply because it is only such a minimal part of what comprises the art of drawing and life drawing in particular. You have to get past the giggle factor because you are going to be too busy concentrating on tones and all the other factors involved. If you want the giggle factor, check out movies on other channels and leave the grown-ups to concentrate on their artwork (frankly).
It is work to progress into, not a place to start. But if that is what has piqued your interest in drawing, you will soon find yourselves being drawn into the more challenging aspects of life drawing such as eyes, noses, ears and mouths; as opposed to other parts of life drawing more easily represented by shapes such as oblongs, rectangles, circles or triangles!
Not everyone feels comfortable confronting nude models or subjects but that has nothing to do with whether they can draw or not! It can be very freeing to challenge your preconceived notions of how you perceive reality but there are other ways of prompting you out of your comfort zone if these type of exercises do not promote your interest or challenge you. I have worked with many people who simply find full nudity boring and want to skip on to other exercises. i.e. composition of still life subjects.
When you speak to students of all ages, their frustration is with not being able to draw whatever it is they want to draw. i.e. fur or hair on their pets. Or faces, feet and hands in portraits.
In other words, these matters are honestly not an issue. But in terms of COVID-19 restrictions, people in lockdown cannot readily access subjects affected by social distancing: Life or live drawing is a whole other matter under these circumstances! And that is one of the many challenges TV and other Media can actively seek to supply or assist in these challenging times.
Enjoy the journey into the exploration of drawing and fine art you have all embarked on!
Now go out and buy yourselves some apples. 0:)
Ellen 0:)
Ellen F. Walker
