Strip off, open up!
We had our first life modelling workshop here at my home in Glasgow just a few weeks back and what a joy it was to host and meet this amazing group. I don’t know if its the difference in us all post COVID, or if it was the sunshine, but all the people in attendance were so very lovely and above all else, so very OPEN. Our life modelling workshop doesn’t require you to share anything about your personal life, although we always welcome a brief introduction at the start. We normally ask everyone their name, their life modelling experience (if any) and what brought them to the workshop. This time, well, it was just magical. I loved hearing everyone’s stories, some very close to home for me, and others just so interesting to learn about. Everyone’s openness brought a new dimension to the workshop, and I felt that when we started on the physical work, we were already united as a group! So thank you all, for being so open and honest with us.
Once we’re all introduced ourselves, we go on to do a quick warm up (all clothed at this stage!) We then grabbed a quick beer/juice/strawberry too as it was one of those insanely boiling days we had in Glasgow in June 2023 (reached around 30 degrees - unheard of). We play music and move around the house, then myself or my assistant life model teacher will announce “1 MINUTE POSE” and we STOP the music… We then circle the room, like hyenas (not really), observing the poses our new models have chosen to hold. We move on to up the timings to 2 minutes, and set new challenges along the way. It’s all great fun really and the perfect warm up for then changing in to robes a few hours later. Half the room will grab a sketchpad and pencil, the other half all get in to position ready to pose nude, usually for the first time, for their stand-in artists!
This group were really enthusiastic and I’m so glad that so many of them have now registered and are booked in to model at ATYN in Glasgow or Edinburgh. They will be posing as a group on July 3rd at Sloans in Glasgow too - a wee ice-breaker, to ease them in to life modelling. Join us there if you fancy! And register your interest in the next modelling workshop (scroll to the bottom) if you fancy giving the workshop a shot…
Joanna
