Last week I wrote about attempting to sketch a live event of a panel. One of the things I mentioned was the unknown time a camera would focus on a panelist.
Last night I joined in with people from around Australia (and the world) for a more controlled event, SBS ( an Australian tv channel) Life Drawing Live. It went for two hours. I was not sure what to expect, but it was really very good. It was interesting enough for those who have never picked up a pencil, or have some or a lot of life drawing experience.
Life drawing is drawing a nude model, who poses for a set amount of time. In this session the poses started at two minutes and the last one was fourteen minutes, Usually a life drawing class will also start with short poses, building up to a one hour (or more) pose.
Two minute pose. My first sketch in many years. 
Three minute pose . Focusing on measuring relative distances.
How did it work? I had the tv on SBS and was watching the show. It was hosted by Rove, with five actors/comedians/chefs standing in the room as participants. Each stood in front of an easel, with a large sheet of paper and charcoal. Some had a bit of experience years ago, some with none. There were two well renowned Australian artists instructors who gave short guidance on a specific concept (negative space, foreshortening), before each session, and after the session, the instructors commented on each participants work.
I also had my laptop on and had followed the link on the website to the model posing in the one position for the stated amount of time. Rove and the instructors would talk through the session, so it was listening and sketching at the same time, When the time ended, the pose image would close down, and I would watch the commentary on tv.
In between poses, we were invited to take a photo of our sketch and upload it to social media. Some got shown on the show.
It was wonderful that the show also included short presentations about the history of life drawing, who did it, why, etc. It gave a lot of insight into culture and history. There were also interviews with the models. I highly recommend watching the on SBS on Demand repeat just to hear all of this.
I sketched in a A4 sketchbook with a black pencil. I have done life drawing for many years, although only once since my move to Melbourne. In Sydney, I participated in monthly life drawing classes that went all day. I was a volunteer at the NSW Art Gallery and assisted the classes by setting up the easels, equipment, and room for the model and instructor. The skills I learned in those lessons were the building blocks of my sketching.
I was a bit rusty last night but I could feel that I knew what I wanted to do, although I could not get it down on paper. See some of them on my Flickr site here It reminded me how much I really enjoy life drawing. I ended the night exhausted, but really awake.I look forward to getting back to life drawing in the future. I have signed up for a real-life in person life drawing class in two weeks’ time. At the moment I am only leaving my apartment if I need to. I usually go into areas that are controlled. This will be ok at the class, but I will need to travel there by public transport and I am not comfortable with that. And Melbourne changes day by day and who knows what it will be like in two weeks.
SBS Lifedrawing live from their website
What a show!
- Thank you to everyone who participated during the live broadcast on 4 July
- Pose Cam is no longer available
- Life Drawing Live is now available for catch-up streaming at SBS On Demand
- Watch Life Drawing Live (UK), presented by artist Josie d’Arby, on Saturday 11 and 18 July at 8.30pm on SBS
I can see your drawings loosening as you went along! Looks like it was very good. Since the pandemic, I’ve done life drawing on a live video stream a few times, but I got frustrated that the lighting was often uneven or the image difficult to see clearly. I so miss “real” life drawing, which I used to do regularly before the pandemic.
HI Tina Yes, by the last one I was loosening up. It was all coming back to me. This was very well done and presented . I was very wary as one of the promotions I saw was all about the nudity. But it was just like a life drawing session. I am looking forward to doing more, whether online or person. There is a big difference when you are there
I know you loved Life Drawing in the past and was hoping you would do this. To me they are just like the ones you used to do and enjoyed.