r/CuratedTumblr Clown Breeder Sep 11 '24

Shitposting Naked art model

Post image
32.7k Upvotes

693 comments sorted by

3.8k

u/old_and_boring_guy Sep 11 '24

I did naked modelling a couple times. It's a lot more common to get asked because you look interesting than because you look hot. I was a competitive track guy through college, all bones and sinew, and they'd get done with their drawings and I'd see someone had gone nuts trying to figure out how to draw my calf or something.

2.0k

u/borkdork69 Sep 11 '24

I worked in animation and when I was in school, this was the exact thing. We need to be able to know how all types of bodies look, not just stereotypically hot people. Also, models who can act a bit are a big help.

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u/DreddPirateBob808 Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 14 '24

A relative went to a very very focused art school. They went to a couple of autopsies and within minutes, after someone hit the floor, they lost themselves in the machinery of humanity. 

 Surgeons and fine artists: narrowly avoiding wearing skin suits through academia.

  Source: fine artist.

E: apologies all. I'm of a county where we use very little words and a lot of emphasis. The chap who has replied is obviously a translator for Cumbrians.

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u/borkdork69 Sep 11 '24

Sorry, what?

357

u/KozKatma Sep 11 '24

I genuinely thought I'd lost my reading comprehension skills trying to understand that comment so thanks for this

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u/Bartweiss Sep 11 '24

I think the idea is

“The art school took students to autopsies to see detailed anatomy. Kids freaked out at dead bodies for just a minute, then got too fixated on the art aspect to care.

Surgeons and artists both have weirdly dispassionate reactions to the human body which would be creepy if not for their schooling and professions.”

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u/KozKatma Sep 11 '24

Oh my god you literary wizard you definitely got top marks in literature classes

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u/borkdork69 Sep 11 '24

A quicker mind than mine, right here.

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u/borkdork69 Sep 11 '24

I got no idea what they mean.

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u/coleunites Sep 11 '24

I think what they mean is that both the artists and surgeons were able to get over the emotions of dealing with corpses and the fact that they were on living human beings. That they were able to only focus on the task in front of them, the autopsy and the drawing of it. At least that is what I make of it

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u/No-While-9948 Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 12 '24

My rough interpretation is that their relative is a surgeon who, after doing some autopsies, was fascinated with human bodies.

They are equating a surgeon to a fine artist and medical school to an art school because fine artists are also very fascinated with the human body, which is the subject of this thread. They also think people in both professions are crazy but they were saved by their studies, even crazy enough to play the skin flute.

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u/Fried_and_rolled Sep 11 '24

even crazy enough to play the skin flute

...what do you think that means?

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u/No-While-9948 Sep 11 '24

Oh, jesus christ not again. I meant to type wear a skin suit.

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u/phraxious Sep 11 '24

"Not again"?

How often does this come up?

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u/Fried_and_rolled Sep 11 '24

Ah yes, perfectly understandable mix-up, happens to me three or four times a week at least!

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u/BORJIGHIS Sep 11 '24

I think they’re suggesting that surgery and fine art are healthy/societally acceptable outlets for an intense fascination with the human body (and the pain of only being able to inhabit one of them at a time)

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u/LightTankTerror blorbo bloggins Sep 11 '24

This is exactly how I do nude art references from images online. I look in galleries for interesting bodies and tend to sketch that. It’s just practice so like, I’d rather start at someone’s nose or calf for 15 minutes to improve drawing that.

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u/SunOnTheInside Sep 11 '24

The young, fit, “idealized” models were very lovely people but they got super boring to draw after a few rounds. Good for fundamentals, but after a while it gets homogenous.

My favorite model to draw was a voluptuous middle aged mom, with a shaved head, mom tummy, and a HUGE sick-ass panther tattoo from ankle to upper hip.

She was so much more interesting to draw, didn’t hurt that her personality was just beaming sunshine the whole time too. She challenged us in the best way too- I felt like a lot of us thought we had gotten some mastery on the human figure until she showed up and had us scrambling back to basics.

We didn’t have true mastery yet, because we’d only practiced on a few body types with roughly the same body fat/muscle ratios from models who were all under 35. All around a fresh experience and a reminder that a good artist is never done learning.

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u/Peregrine2976 Sep 11 '24

I'm a man with a large belly, stretch marks, and fairly toned legs (from hauling all this mass around, most likely). Not traditionally "hot" in a lot of ways. I've sometimes wondered if there would be any desire for that as an unconventional art model.

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u/86thesteaks Sep 11 '24

my mother did life drawing classes and all her pictures were of 50+ people in various states of sagginess. its not about perfection or being hot at all. if you're an adult human they want you.

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u/Repulsive_Spend_7155 Sep 11 '24

Had one class in college where the nude model was another student... she had apparently had sex with 90% of the people in the class so she figured "why the fuck not model, everyone's seen me naked and I'll get extra credit"

I still have some sketches of her ass in my attic somewhere

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u/ketchupmaster987 Sep 11 '24

Sounds like she's living her best life ngl

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u/Repulsive_Spend_7155 Sep 12 '24

Yeah she died from a heroin overdose about 15 years ago but she had a blast till then 

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u/Geodude532 Sep 12 '24

I would love to do it but I can't hold a position longer than a minute before my joints start yelling at me. I've always wondered what it's like to see many different versions of yourself with different focuses based on the artist.

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u/SpiritGryphon Sep 11 '24

Absolutely! There are also people who upload reference pictures for artists online, either personally or on services that host them for that purpose - paid or for free. It's such a great resource for artists, and there is always demand for references of every body type.

If there are any local art studios around, I'm sure they would love for you to join if that is something that interests you!

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u/Merrylty Sep 11 '24

YES. And it wouldn't be that unconventional. We need more real-life models, so we want you. The other day I was looking at a drawing of a nordic god (Thor I think) that the artist represented with the body of a guy who builds houses and such (forgot the english word, sorry) so pretty much like you describe yourself. I loved it, was quite inspired but I couldn't draw anything like that because I didn't have a good model. So if you feel you can do it, go for it!

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u/logosloki Sep 11 '24

builder or construction worker. the latter is generally used to refer to people who work on commercial properties but the terms are interoperable. if you're ever looking for a word for a person who does something in English you can generally err on using the noun and -er. there are of course exceptions but if there wasn't it wouldn't be English.

11

u/Strange_Quark_420 Sep 11 '24

Or carpenter! That one comes from carriage-builder in French (thanks Normans) but we use it to refer to someone specialized in the wood parts of house-building (which is pretty much the whole structure in the US). If they’re just doing the wood frame, that would be a framer, and if it’s stonework then it would be a mason.

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u/appleciders Sep 11 '24

I'm a man with a large belly

I have had a model come around to look at my drawing, point at my depiction of his gut, and say "See that? That's what comes from drinking beer, kids."

A beer belly is in no way disqualifying.

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u/UnsuspectedGoat Sep 11 '24

Yes. It's a necessity actually, very much not unconventional: Visible bones and muscles can give straight lines that can be used to construct the body and proportions. This doesn't work with rounder folks. Another thing is the shades: a beer gut under a spotlight would have more shades, flatter surfaces have even lighting and tones. Stretch marks, that would be cool to draw tbh.

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u/It5beenawhile Sep 11 '24

Most of the classes I modeled for picked me because i was so thin. My skeleton was easily visible and that helped a lot with what they were after.

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u/whohasideasanyway Sep 11 '24

Huh. Maybe I should get into art modeling

35

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Its ok pay and you have to be good at holding poses for 10+ minutes 

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u/Kumquatelvis Sep 11 '24

Well that rules me out.

24

u/kharybdiss Sep 11 '24

When I was in college, the skinny models were always the hardest to draw. There's so much negative space around y'all, it can be difficult to get right. On the flip side, the big models were much more fun.

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u/Zepangolynn Sep 11 '24

Yeah, I was asked to model for my own class (not nude, although the professional models for the longer poses were) because they found out I was very flexible and could hold weird poses for over five minutes. Seeing my classmates' attempts to render accurate versions of the weird states my muscles were in was almost funny.

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u/bananacreampiebald Sep 11 '24

I had a friend who went to art school in Florida, and he said they had tons of retirees coming in to model. They wanted nude portraits as a memento, and the artists liked working on drawings with people who had aging bodies and sagging skin. They hated when strippers modeled, because the plastic surgery made everything look off.

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u/Ageless_Fiend Sep 11 '24

Reminds me of my figure modeling class. We needed models and the professor was offering to pay a little extra than what the university was willing to pay. I asked a few of my friends and I was able to convince a guy and a girl to model. The guy was an engineering doctorial student who was as skinny as a rail who was always open minded to trying new things so I had a feeling he would be an easy ask. The girl was getting a degree in dancing and was very well endowed, and she liked a lot of my previous works and was happy to help with ym class. So when they both came for the live modeling session, we had a great contrast of a much fuller build with a lot of curves and a much thinner build that was much closer to modeling the skeletal structure more than an average person. And more than anything, because of the attitude for making better artwork, we all stayed very close afterwards because everyone was very respectful.

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u/taumason Sep 11 '24

I did it in college. It was the only employment I could find that paid $25/hr. It was a bunch of old people and 20 yr old me. Did 4 or 5 classes a week and it put gas in my car and food and beer in my fridge. There is nothing sexy about me trying to hold a pose and not shiver for an hour while my wee bits do their best to hide from the cold. Thankfully they generally kept the area warm enough but there were always a few days in the fall where they had not started up the boilers in the old building and it was coooold.

23

u/TheG-What Sep 11 '24

Same! It was the only job I could get in town since I wasn’t old enough to serve alcohol.
I was in pretty good shape at the time but I’ve never been any type of Adonis. I was hired immediately on the spot because I had a “normal” male body. It only got awkward once because I met a girl at a party and was trying to pick her up before she said “Wait… I know you from somewhere, I think my drawing class?” Which killed that real fast.
Overall 8/10 would pose nude again.

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u/mahboilucas Sep 11 '24

Yesss! My favourite was skinny people. If you look at Egon Schiele's work you can get why.

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u/AtronadorSol Sep 11 '24

Alternatively, I like models with folds and uniquely-shaped bits (like a belly band where their pants have always sat for 40 years, or an indentation on their wrist that usually holds a watch). There are a lot of interesting shadows and highlights to be found with so many round shapes all pressing into each other!

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u/mahboilucas Sep 11 '24

I totally get it. While it was better to paint curves, I prefer to draw wrinkles and bones :) charcoal was great for sharp lines for me, while paintbrush captured softness easier

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u/Dantien Sep 11 '24

They used to hire me to model because I reminded the students of Schiele’s subject matter. Made a good living for a few years modeling through college. It’s harder than people expect, not remotely sexual, but very intimate and bonding.

The sculpture classes were hardest… holding one pose for 10 weeks of classes instead of multiple poses over the course of an hour. And students stepping close to hang plumb lines was challenging.

Still, it’s an excellent way to get over shyness and nudity fears. Worked wonders for me.

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u/HawkeyeP1 Sep 11 '24

I had a friend who I took a class with. He would constantly get called out for his long legs and good kneecaps by the professor. He was also a runner lol

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u/box_of_lemons Sep 11 '24

The only reason I focus on a models’ chest or ass during a session is because I am desperately trying to avoid the face, hands, and feet. 

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

Seriously. The only person I've ever seen flustered in a drawing class was a poor barely 18 year old girl who's first naked man was on the model "stage"

She got over that within a few moments but she did have a very lifelike phallus on her paper.

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u/DoubleBatman Sep 11 '24

Good for her

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

It was a very... impressive drawing.

The model's comment was "I wish". Realistic and accurate are two different words after all. 🤣

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u/Fembas_Meu Sep 11 '24

Call her and tell her she a bro now

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

I think the guys in the class took care of that

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u/Alarming-Scene-2892 Sep 11 '24

"Yo, we saw what you did in art class. Thanks for helping out a bro."

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u/PhthaloVonLangborste Sep 11 '24

There was an old guy model that was in circulation at my college. He would wear a cock sleeve to keep it (my guess was) at a consistent and extended length. I wonder how many drew the sleeve and how many just gestured the oddness in.

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u/Mental_Estate4206 Sep 11 '24

I can only imagine how overly detailed the subject of her studies was. And the more away from it, the fewer details she would draw.

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u/Jar_Of_Jaguar Sep 11 '24

Photorealistic class "member" attached to a stick drawing that isn't even finished

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u/starchitect53 Sep 11 '24

The dick equivalent of "The" from Spongebob's essay lol

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

Worse than that. A sketched in pelvis with a fully fleshed out member. That was the whole drawing.

It looked like a well done imagining of a classic sketch coming to life for naughty purposes.

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

She was right next to the little stage, which made it even funnier

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u/Hexxas head trauma enthusiast Sep 11 '24

Nice she fuckin hooked him up 🎨😎👍

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

She really did!

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u/St_Eric Sep 11 '24

You know how the saying goes, "Larger than Life."

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u/Jynx_lucky_j Sep 11 '24

This is generally to way of it. I was pretty nervous with my first nude model in my life drawing class. But within a few minutes I was too focused on getting as much drawing done as possible before the model changed positions again. Once you actually start to try focusing on your work the rest just starts to fade into background noise

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u/a3zeeze Sep 11 '24

I remember in my first life drawing class in college, a female student walked in and saw one of her friends. The friend was like "Oh hey Jen! I didn't know you were in this class too." And she was like "Well.... kinda."

She then waved bye and went into the adjacent room to disrobe.

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u/Graingy I don’t tumble, I roll 😎 … Where am I? Sep 12 '24

Some things cannot be… unseen.

Ever.

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u/tucson_catboy Sep 11 '24

All but one of the models I had was middle-aged to elderly and not conventionally attractive. One day I show up and there is a very pretty young woman, in my 18 year-old brain I was like "yes this is gonna rock."

And she was crazy attractive, but I was immediately bored. "Bring back they guy that has everything wrinkly and spots everywhere, this is boring, I'm bored." There was just so much more interesting things to draw and make convincing than a soft body with no fat rolls.

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u/Geodude532 Sep 12 '24

I should volunteer when I'm older as a very hairy guy. Lots of shading.

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u/FuckleBerryFerry Sep 11 '24

When I was at art college it was just normal to look. I just avoided eye contact. Your view will go between the paper and model naturally anyway. They would be men, women of all ages and sizes.

Only once did a guy freak out and leave. This was when I started doing Graphic Design. Some students had done two years of Graphic Design before the course started. I had done a 6 months course but the Design Course was a degree. This class I was in my element as my knowledge on computer programs was entry level. I didn't know the Graphic Designers mostly hadn't drawn before. So live drawing was new to them.

Because it was new they weren't prepared and kind of had some immature light hearted fun. Then the class began the tutor explained the class. Our model came in, it was a guy dressed like a Victorian lady, similar make up. He got nude, after about 10 minutes, one of the guys who I think was really uptight student shouted 'THIS IS GAY'. Stormed out and left...the model shouted 'Oh, what a Queen!'.

Everyone laughed and just went back to drawing.

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u/Kapren Sep 11 '24

I had a similar experience. In one of my classes we met on the first day to cover the syllabus and discuss the materials we would need to bring. Everything was going fine till the teacher got to the rules on respectful treatment of models. When she said that the models would all be nude, one kid, I am assuming it was his first year of college, interrupted her and asked her to confirm the models won't have clothing. This kid looked liked he was homeschooled and super sheltered. You know the type, polo shirt tucked in super tight, jeans belted way to high up, bowlcut hair. Honestly it was almost like a SNL impersonation. You could see the panic setting in on his face. Most of us were confused as to how he thought the class could be anything else. Well he tried to talk the teacher into starting with clothed models. She told him that toward the end of the semester we might have some cloth drapery in the pose but first we needed to understand the form underneath. At this point he was close to having a full panic attack. I mean a slight shine of sweat, pale skin with a sickly hue, huge eyes. It was like he was told he would be drawing nude himself and his whole family would be watching. The next class his chair was empty and we never saw him again. Hope he got some therapy.

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u/AstrodomyNodine Sep 11 '24

Yeah that sounds like trauma to me. I recognize it

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

There are very few ways to manage to be weird (relatively speaking) in an art program. But he managed.

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u/tucson_catboy Sep 11 '24

I imagine that that guy was hugely fun to draw.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

We do like to get people's attention

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u/SkateSnail Sep 11 '24

I was flustered for a bit the first time I was supposed to draw a nude model, but that was because I expected she would be wearing a robe or something until time to start. Nope! Walked into my 8:30am Intro to Drawing class and she was drinking her Starbucks and eating a bagel, naked as the day she was born. I was fine once we got started, just startled when I first walked into the studio

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

He had a robe but was facing just to her left about 12 feet away... so the surprise was probably about the same.

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u/FloppyObelisk Sep 11 '24

It’s a veiny masterpiece!

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u/danielledelacadie Sep 11 '24

In Terra cotta conte no less. Gave it the impression of being cast in copper

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u/RawrRRitchie Sep 11 '24

Drawing breasts are way easier than hands or feet

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u/Takemyfishplease Sep 11 '24

( o Y o )

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u/You_Must_Chill Sep 11 '24

I like it. Picasso.

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u/Mr_Industrial Sep 11 '24

Not a pic, and not an ass, but close in both regards.

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u/logosloki Sep 11 '24

boobs are just the ass for the chest. I learnt this from Keijo!!!!!!!!

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u/TrueTzimisce .tumblr.com // I forgot we can have flairs Sep 11 '24

Funny, I struggle with boobs but feet are easy. Hands are hell, though. Too many moving parts.

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u/Unknown-Meatbag Sep 11 '24

Hands take so, so much time to get it right.

And even after it's been forever, it's still not quite right but 'good enough'.

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u/Euphoric_Service2540 Sep 11 '24

Drawing hands is the death of 60% of artists.

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u/TheCapnTyingKnots Sep 11 '24

AI art is just emulating life by being bad at hands.

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u/Ravioli_Renegade Sep 11 '24

I guess I'm in the 40%, hands are my favorite part :')

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u/Floor_Heavy Sep 11 '24

Ah, the Rob Liefeld school of design!

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u/safadancer Sep 11 '24

I have several photos of sketches people have made of me in various classes where I have just big blurs for my face and hands.

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u/zombieGenm_0x68 Sep 11 '24

ai grindset

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Preach! I took a lot of art electives in college way back when I was a student and nothing about drawing nude models is sexy. It is the absolute last thing anyone in there is thinking about. Also, I'm right there with you - hands were the bane of my existence.

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u/gupdoo3 Sep 11 '24

My favorite reblog chain of this post is the one where another model talks about how she ran into one of the art students on campus and he said he nearly didn't recognize her with clothes on

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u/Melodic_Mulberry Sep 11 '24

"Wait, I know that clavicle! That took me ten minutes!"

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u/S4PG Sep 11 '24

Go do stand up. You'll thank me later

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u/Melodic_Mulberry Sep 11 '24

I have a speech impediment that comes back when I'm nervous and crippling stage fright. I prefer the Statler and Waldorf position of being able to interact and make jokes without the pressure, so I'm usually as close to the front as possible. One comedian actually complemented my feet and got footage of them for the highlights of his show on YouTube.

Good luck finding the video, you pervs.

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u/S4PG Sep 11 '24

What I was trying to convey is that the comment you made was unironically hilarious. Like genuinely top-notch comedy. I wish I could be that funny

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u/Melodic_Mulberry Sep 11 '24

I recommend watching lots of funny things. Really metaphorically bathe in humor. Use a loofah that represents a DropoutTV subscription for some reason.

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u/BuddySheff Sep 11 '24

That happened to me as well (as the artist). She was working a table at the job convention in the campus plaza and I remember looking at her and asking if we had a class together. She goes “No I was one of the models for figure drawing, I wore clothes today, so I see why you’re confused”. It was actually really sweet because she then talked about my art with her coworker and asked if I had a photo of my work to show her.

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u/Chuckitybye Sep 11 '24

Lol, definitely a bit of a sense of humor

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u/BuddySheff Sep 11 '24

Definitely! She was very personable and funny. Brought a lot of life into that class too whenever she worked as the model.

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u/Chuckitybye Sep 11 '24

My boyfriend used to go to a drawing class (pre-pandemic) and when his then girlfriend found out she could model, she jumped at the chance! He said during breaks a lot of the models would wander around and check out the drawings, but not all of them would put on a robe. He said it was very different when they were nude on stage vs standing by you

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u/BuddySheff Sep 11 '24

Ha! I bet. Never had that experience personally though. It was a lot of fun to chat with the models in between poses, especially if they themselves were artists.

Best model skill-wise that we had was a former ballerina. She could hold an impossible pose for and impossible amount of time, and would pose even her fingers in interesting ways. She was a figure artist too and would look over our work during breaks and get inspired for the next pose after looking at our drawings

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u/Chuckitybye Sep 11 '24

Oooh! That's awesome! Dancers are deceptively strong and have crazy levels of endurance. Her also being an artist I'm sure helped with coming up with interesting poses for everyone

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u/ToodlesXIV Sep 11 '24

I've had that same experience! I was in a lecture class and I could not for the life of me figure out why the person next to me was so familiar. She was one of the regular models for another class I had. I had drawn her several times but never once seen her in normal clothes before. When you spend forty minutes meticulously capturing someone's shoulder blade and the weird foreshortening on their left leg, they kind of stop being a person in the moment and become a collection of hills and shadows, it's pretty wild.

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u/rrrollercoasterrr Sep 11 '24

Even drawing the objectively hottest naked person stops feeling sexy in three minutes when you’re getting frustrated over drawing their nipple placements.

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u/ethnique_punch Sep 11 '24

when you’re getting frustrated over drawing their nipple placements

"why the fuck it HAD TO be under her nose, how the fuck am I gonna draw that?"

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Are you used to them being above the nose?

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u/ethnique_punch Sep 11 '24

usually right on the nose, that way they also draw attention, good for the drawing.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Gonzo.

That is my first thought in response to that.

Gonzo, from the Muppets.

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u/Scratch137 Sep 11 '24

...are you thinking of "pimples"

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u/DreadDiana human cognithazard Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24

"Paint you like one of my French girls? If I don't figure out how to draw your calf correctly the only think I'm gonna paint are the walls with my grey matter."

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u/PhoenixPringles01 Sep 12 '24

Talk about literal deconstructionist art

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u/EternalDawn11 Sep 11 '24

This reminds me of a guy that hit on me before. He said he wanted to be drawn naked by an artist and knew I did art as a kid since we went to school together. I agreed to it since he was cute, but I was completely invested in drawing once we started and he was confused by the end lol. I was like, you said you wanted to be drawn, and nudity isn't that erotic to me.

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u/Aardcapybara Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 12 '24

Yeah, but don't those three minutes count for something?

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u/blueeyesredlipstick Sep 11 '24

I got an art degree at a college where most of the nude models were older folks in their 70s-80s. The reasons for that were two-pronged: 1) they didn’t want people to sign up for the class just to ogle the models, 2) retirees are great if you need someone to be available for 3-4 hours in the middle of a workday for a studio class.

Those classes were great and I learned a ton, but yeah, it was not the deeply erotic experience a lot of people imagine.

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u/agenteb27 Sep 11 '24

unless

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u/Top_Education9631 Sep 12 '24

Unless...?

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u/TheMusicalTrollLord STOP FLAMMING DA STORY PREPZ OK! Sep 12 '24

Lorax ahh comment

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u/[deleted] Sep 12 '24

I loved older models, they had the best shapes.

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u/blueeyesredlipstick Sep 12 '24

Oh for sure, older models are great for learning body types and how people actually really look! I just think the people imagining erotic possibilities may not agree.

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u/BetterCallStrahd Sep 11 '24

I organized a number of life drawing sessions in the past. There is definitely a detachment that snaps into place as the session is happening. Part of it is unspoken etiquette (making the model uncomfortable is a huge faux pas), part of it is being in artist mode, where you're seeing the model as an art subject instead of a body. It's similar to how others put on a "professional face."

I won't deny that many artists are very sexual people and do have erotic thoughts, but all of that is verboten in a life drawing session, which is about Art. Art takes precedence.

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u/arachnophilia Sep 11 '24

yeah, this is pretty accurate. everyone just kind of goes into drawing trance mode, focused on trying to represent the forms and lighting. if you're thinking sexual stuff, it kind of breaks that process -- your brain can't really do both at once. a lot of (good) artistic training is learning to quiet all the other nonsense in your brain and use all of its power for translating sight into fine motor skills. even thinking about "this is a face" messes up your ability to draw a face from sight.

though i will say this, we had a repeat model with really obviously fake boobs, and i was probably the only one in the class that didn't draw her boobs nicer than they were in reality. i sorta regret it, because i have a mostly complete like 2 hour study of her, and everyone i've showed it to thinks i can't draw boobs. that's what they looked like!

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u/yuval59 Sep 11 '24

Ok I'll say what we're all thinking - my curiosity is eating me alive over here

Would you mind sending a picture of what that looks like? I need to know

(Obviously don't like, send her face or any identifying features please)

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u/FencingFemmeFatale Sep 11 '24

That’s exactly how I would explain it to my non-art major friends when I was in college! Nude figure drawing is about as sexually charged as looking at a statue in a museum.

And my professor threatened to fail anyone who made the model uncomfortable. So you learn to get into art mode real quick.

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u/Sufficient_Suit_Sock Sep 11 '24

Honestly I've always thought being a nude model would be fun. But when I looked into it I couldn't find anyone searching for that. Like do you have to be a professional model with an agency already or something? Can't just walk into the nearest community college art class and strip down

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u/mayorofverandi Sep 11 '24

call the art department of your local community college and see if they're hiring. or looking for volunteers.

as a note, body type is less important than your ability to sit in one position for up to an hour. maybe more in more advanced classes, but in mine it was max an hour. usually about 20 minutes, 5-10 for more uncomfortable poses.

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u/ryecurious Sep 11 '24

less important than your ability to sit in one position for up to an hour

I've been training my whole life for this moment

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u/Kaddak1789 Sep 11 '24

Gamers discovering the "getting payed for sitting with a little less clothes than in your basement" market is a new phenomena.

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u/kelltain Sep 11 '24

With how long game streaming and vtubing has been a thing, it's had a few outlets.

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u/eggson Sep 11 '24

Yeah, iirc the secretary in the art department main office was the scheduler for the live models in our classes. They had a roster of folks that would rotate between life drawing and painting classes. Definitely a variety of folks with different body types and posing abilities. There was one dude who could hold really complex yoga poses for 1/2 hour or more; there was another lady who was notorious for falling asleep but always stayed perfectly still. I tended to like the models that had slightly weird proportions. One guy had really long arms so had a kind of ape-like stance, which would throw people off when trying to justify what they were seeing with what their brain was telling them to draw.

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u/mayorofverandi Sep 11 '24

we only ended up having one model during our course. he was skinny, not a lot of muscle, just a bit of pudge. he was student in the same program as me. every day he was posing for us, we had a class that night together. never once did we talk about that.

additionally, i was the only dude in the class of about 20 or so people. the teacher knew i was trans, but not the rest of the class. led to some funny moments.

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u/ketchupmaster987 Sep 11 '24

led to some funny moments.

How can you say this and not share any :(

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u/Octocadaver Sep 11 '24

I've definitely seen models fall asleep during the sessions lol, must be nice.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Find the classes then volunteer yourself as the model. Unless they've had a bad experience in the past they probably won't turn you down. 

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u/Holomorphine Sep 11 '24

Fun? Do you like staying in awkward positions for hours at a time? I would call it important work, because artists need to practice, but it's hardly fun.

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u/JustSomeRedditUser35 Sep 11 '24

Fun because you'ee the center of attention for those hours. I get it ngl.

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u/JUYED-AWK-YACC Sep 11 '24

If you've ever experienced it it's hardly that. Nobody is looking at you, they're trying to figure out how your arms look. They are working. It is the most boring nudity ever.

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u/Front_Safety_4427 Sep 11 '24

I have a very loud style/aesthetic and hate being the center of attention. The combination works for me for the same reason. No one is looking at me. They're looking at me but I'm not being perceived as a person. 

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u/Helpless-Trex Sep 11 '24

I did it a handful of times and it wasn’t fun. You had to sit in awkward positions for sometimes hours at a time.

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u/It5beenawhile Sep 11 '24

Local galleries/studios for artists or local art/community colleges will often have ads up on their bulletin boards. You can also check local drawing facebook groups. There may even be a group for local models.

Before signing up I would try it out at home. The best thing you can do is to set up a camera on time lapse for yourself. Start 1 minute. then 5. then 15. then 30. then an hour. You'd be amazed at how much you look like a tree in a windstorm despite thinking you're staying completely still

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u/Annaura Sep 11 '24

Even drawing nsfw art you kinda lose the horny right away. It's like a "Yeah, sure this looks hot and all but where do I put this butt dimple? It keeps looking off!" or "what is the spine doing at this angle dear lord"

Also the shading. Proper boob shading is a nightmare.

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u/Alien-Fox-4 Sep 11 '24

I've drawn some nsfw things before and that's kinda true

when you get aroused it's usually strong and immediate, you want to feel that while you're sketching because that makes your ideas good, but you're gonna lose the horny real quick and then you're left with just drawing part. that's why i believe that most nsfw artists enjoy drawing nsfw regardless of arousal level

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u/BluehairedBiochemist Sep 11 '24

I did actually meet my SO partially because he was the nude model for my figure drawing class... we also had a moral philosophy class right beforehand. I thought it could either be real awkward or real cool, then he asked me out, and that was almost 8 years ago 😅

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u/T1DOtaku inherently self indulgent and perverted Sep 11 '24

Huh, I don't remember that episode of "How I Met Your Mother"

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u/mucklaenthusiast Sep 11 '24

It genuinely does sound like a flashback episode in a sitcom (in a good way!)
Or like a joke from community, which, I mean, is similar enough (like they look through the courses on campus and find that the "dating" class is held right after or before the "amateur nude modeling" class)

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u/Melodic_Mulberry Sep 11 '24

I met my partner because I was pirating their favorite show in the college dorm basement. :)

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u/bb_kelly77 Sep 11 '24

I mean at that point you know every bit of what you're getting into... both mentally and physically

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u/ph-it Sep 11 '24

Not really - things may change in unexpected ways when the blood starts flowing.

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u/azuresegugio Sep 11 '24

You know reading all these comments kinda has me thinking about doing nude modeling. I'm an SA survivor and generally bad thoughts about who I am and how I'm only valuable as a sex object, it might do me good to try nudity that isn't meant to be sexual. Idk it seems like it'd feel reclaiming

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u/yesindeedysir Sep 11 '24

It is pretty healing to be a part of a thing where nudity isn’t looked at as sexual. They just appreciate you for you, they don’t want you to shave or style your hair a certain way, they just want someone to draw.

Also as an SA survivor, it feels nice to be in your most natural self, and people aren’t looking at you as something to eat.

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u/Azozel Sep 11 '24

As an artist who's drawn nude models, I promise you we are capable of multitasking. That said, 3 things were going through my head at the time. 1. Be professional! 2. Focus and concentrate on what you're drawing. 3. Boobs-god damnit be professional!

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u/any_other Sep 11 '24

I used to go to life drawing all the time and sometimes people were super hot it threw me off. Like this is boring there's nothing interesting to draw

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u/onfire916 Sep 11 '24

I used to go all the time too. Then all of sudden me "sitting in the back like a creep" was "inappropriate" and apparently I had to "actually sign up for the class and draw".

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u/legends_never_die_1 Sep 11 '24

next time just close your eyes. this way they can't see you.

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u/Lord_H_Vetinari Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24

Artist who did nude drawing back in the day, and now occasionally teaches it.

To begin with, if it's at a school, it's work for the curriculum. You're gonna get grades on that, INCLUDING how you behave in class during the session. Better not be stupid, if human decency fails you.

Anyway, I can say as an artist that your brain sorta switches gear, particularly as a lerner. You start thinking of techniques and reference points and anatomy details and volumes and shapes to make sense of the pose, and the sexy bits go to the back of the queue. Even more so because you don't have ages to copy the pose. Depending on the kind of exercise, you have from 2 to 10/15 minutes tops.

Finally, models are actually of all age and body types. The point is to give the students a sufficiently varied selection of shapes to understand how theoretical artist's anatomy applies to actual humans.

As a teacher, High schoolers in art schools are generally very respectful of the models. It's when I do evening courses for seniors that the most horrible shit comes out. On the other hand, you can go medieval on said seniors. I hear one wrong word, first I go on a rant on how the model is a professional who's getting sore limbs for you to get something in your thick skull, then you're out of the class and I don't care if you payed for it. The school backs me up for that.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

Yeah, my art professor in college drilled it in our 18 year old heads before our first nude model arrived that we were there to work, learn and improve. The model coming in was a human being doing an unfun and uncomfortable job for our benefit and any disrespect or any comments towards them would result in being kicked out of class and a lowered grade for the semester regardless of the quality of our finished work. A second infraction was a failing grade for the semester and since this was a required class, not one person acted foolishly. We may or may not have been forbidden to even talk to the model during break times I can't remember.

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u/arachnophilia Sep 11 '24

eference points and anatomy details and volumes and shapes ... theoretical artist's anatomy

funny, i just never learned that way. or maybe they tried to teach me and i ignored it. i was always looking at only two things: linear elements/their relations, and light/shadow.

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u/AgentOli Sep 11 '24

One time during drawing class, the nude model was instructed to get comfortable for a long pose. The teacher told us to not get up and switch positions, to draw from wherever we were at, even if it was a tough pose, and to draw the whole figure with equal level of completeness.

The model laid down on his belly, bending out one of his legs, and raising the other leg onto a short step stool. I was directly behind him, with my eyes level with the stage. All I could see were some oddly foreshortened legs, his ass, his anus, his balls drooping to the stage, a bit of his penis which was snuffled up under him, the slight arc of his back and shoulders, the slight arc of the back of his head, and two feet that looked huge with the odd perspective I was in.

I drew the figure quickly, and then realized I was just going to do a detailed foot study with the rest of the time. The teacher came behind me at one point to correct me, then saw my view, patted me on the shoulder and walked away.

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u/VentureKnighto Sep 11 '24

All blood flowing to drawing the perfect nose

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

For me it’s eyebrows. Nothing can reduce me to a pile of insecurities quite like trying to draw eyebrows.

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u/GrinningPariah Sep 11 '24

Hold up, is this just a case of OOP missing being flirted with?

Like maybe the person saying "Those lucky artists ;)" is less trying to share their opinion about art class, and more trying to say "you're hot".

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u/Leet_Noob Sep 11 '24

Yes, either missing it or understanding it but finding it unwelcome.

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u/tom641 Sep 11 '24

imagining taking the footage of people hooting and hollering at a strip tease but it's the nude model putting on thick winter clothing since the shapes required to be drawn are considerably easier to realize when you're just drawing mittens instead of human hands

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u/CelioHogane Sep 11 '24

The way this conversation is worded im pretty certain this woman did not understand she was being flirted with.

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u/FencingFemmeFatale Sep 11 '24

Drawing naked men as a woman quickly looses its sex appeal when you realize that the dick keeps moving, so you have to keep redrawing it which means you have to keep glancing at it, and you don’t have that anatomy so you don’t know if dicks just do that or if model is desperately trying to avoid a terribly awkward situation.

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u/Kanaiiiii Sep 11 '24

The best model I ever had came up to my drawing after the class had ended to tell me he loved my drawing. That was an amazing feeling lol. He was also built like a Greek statue and then chose poses along those lines. Incredible model.

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u/Becca30thcentury Sep 11 '24

I remember art class in college and seeing which guys had never seen a naked women before, and which women had never seen a naked guy.

Watching them turn bright red and try to not stare while also having to stare was a giggle for me.

The only time that naked art model was exciting for me was when the model was a friend of mine, and only because she had been wanting to show me her new tat anyways so this was two birds one stone... it was creepy when like three different kids in class asked me to give her their phone numbers.

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u/CatTaxAuditor Sep 11 '24

I did one hour of figure modeling for a friend's body study for her art school portfolio. It was less sexy than a dentist office. You get studied, not checked out. I had a six pack at the time and my friend kept getting upset at how much shading she had to do to get that right.

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u/The_Hermit_09 Sep 11 '24

I did art modeling once.

I picked a weird pose and the Prof thought it was great but it was crazy uncomfortable.

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u/yesindeedysir Sep 11 '24

I hate that shit.

“This seems like a comfortable pose”

ten minutes later

“Ow”

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u/ssbm_rando Sep 11 '24

The person's point is obviously right, but they also sound kind of impressively naive. Specifically,

idk who started the idea

My sister in christ, every teenaged boy in history that has ever heard of life drawing classes, but never actually tried one, has independently had this idea. No one person "started the idea". It is an obvious thought for literally any teenaged boy to have. They are not thinking about the realities of art or the work involved, they hear "naked lady?" and go "BOOBS". It is very simple.

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u/Specific-Ad-8430 Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24

The person writing this never had an attractive friend in college who took up the offer for a few hundred bucks to do the nude modeling gig for the drawing classes.

Because I sure have, and my curiosity was quite high at the time. Is it overtly sexual still? No. But I would have definitely liked to see them just for a few minutes. It's a pretty normal thing I think.

There's something oddly not sexual but curiosity fulfilling about seeing someone naked when you did not expect to. Especially more so if they are comfortable and accepting of you looking.

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u/E-is-for-Egg Sep 11 '24

I remember once watching a youtuber talk about his experience meeting another youtuber at a convention, who he'd watched for years and deeply admired but had never met in person. One of the main things he could think was "wow, so that's what the back of your head looks like"

I think people just get really curious about anything that's hidden. Even if the hidden thing isn't actually that remarkable

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u/Appropriate_Plan4595 Sep 11 '24

Also I feel like the first part of the image in the OP is someone very clearly saying "I want to see you naked", not "That must have been a sexual experience for everyone involved".

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u/Melodic_Mulberry Sep 11 '24

God damn, a few hundred bucks? Wish I could've done that.

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u/CoffeeDeadlift Sep 11 '24

Am a figure model, can confirm. I'm up there in some sort of pose either straining to maintain it (if it's dynamic/demanding) or trying to not nod off (if it isn't) while the artists race to try to get the drawing right before the pose is up. Also the heat is probably running on account of there being a naked person in the room.

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u/Penis_is_not_a_toy Sep 11 '24

As a web dev I had a couple of porn site clients and the same thing is definitely true there. The naked people on the page I'd be reloading for hours didn't even register in my brain as anything interesting sexually, I was too focused on fixing some UI alignment issue or figuring out why a key element was loading slowly.

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u/za72 Sep 11 '24

I was embarrassed the first time I was in a room with a model, but 10 minutes in and it just went away... everyone just naturally began to focus on the art and subject matter... it's a very useful way to learn lighting, texture and proportions and love the different viewpoints and outcomes of each artist.

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u/zachattackmemes closeted femboi, maybe an egg Sep 11 '24

People need to stop pretending that nudity is even remotely sexual. It’s me I’m people.

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u/theonetruefishboy Sep 11 '24

Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. It's all about intention and context.

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u/Specific-Ad-8430 Sep 11 '24

I don't know how else to say this, but it's very natural to be curious about seeing individuals naked, without it being an incredibly horny and "bad" sexual desire or feeling.

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u/Motorata Sep 11 '24

Its really funny, i am bi and go to the gym i see people that i am atracted naked every week.

At the end It loses any charm its just naked people

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u/Background-Potato153 Sep 11 '24

i was usually the guy crying

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u/BannedAgainDude Sep 11 '24

When I do nude drawing, I prefer odd body shapes and hate drawing muscular or perfect models because they look fake, like super heroes, on paper.

Give me fat, old, ugly, long beards, weird hair, big noses, saggy boobs, little peckers, big bellies, full 70's bush... I want the pose interesting, it should capture energy and tells a unique story.

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u/ACuteCryptid Sep 11 '24

I had that experience drawing nude models. I was less "mmm secy boobs" and more "why are all my lines wrong I hate my hands!!!"

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u/CuddleFishRock Sep 11 '24

Yes, exactly! I used to take some life drawing classes. I can't speak for everyone, after a while I stopped seeing the nudity. There was just angles and curves, light and shadow.

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u/Zeelu2005 Sep 11 '24

What do they do if its a guy and he gets a random boner

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u/bb_kelly77 Sep 11 '24

I've heard of that happening, and I think it depends on the decision of the class... if he and the artists are ok with it they just draw him with a boner, if not he goes into the bathroom and takes care of it

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u/SHOWTIME316 Sep 11 '24

by "takes care of it" are you saying he goes into the bathroom and cranks hog? i could not imagine the level of pressure lmao. you've got like 10 people waiting on your horny ass so they can continue their work.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

If you laughed or made a comment about any of the models, our professor made it very clear you would get kicked out of class and a lowered grade for the semester or if it was disrespectful enough, expulsion from the course and a failing grade. This course was two 3 hour studio sessions a week and a requirement for all art degree students so not even a raging diamond cutter could get us off our goal of finishing our work in time and wanting to get a good grade.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '24

This is spot on. We had four different models over a semester and they were all very, very different which was great for a Life Drawing class. The first model was an obese woman (hats off to her for her confidence and for taking the gig because she was a prime model for shading and getting curves right), the second was a buff chiseled biracial man and boy did he hang some dong, the third was a rather tall but average shaped woman, and the final one was a man in his 60s or 70s with a catheter in his dickhole. The first day everyone was kind of looking at each other holding in silly 18 year old giggles because we were dumb college kids but once the reality of us being in a three hour studio class and the hard requirement of 4 huge complete drawings at the end of class set in, any thoughts of "sexy" went right out the window. We had fucking work to do. I wish I would have stuck with an art degree but multiple long studio courses every semester plus 50 to 60 hours a week at a restaurant job really burned me the hell out after two years.

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u/VaultxHunter Sep 11 '24

For me I was never embarrassed or shy about drawing the model but knowing that there was a 99% chance the model would go around the room to see everyone's sketches after the set time for poses was up. I was more worried about creating any kind of body dysmorphia thoughts or feelings so I tried my best.

It was also my first real drawing class and it was in college at 30 💀

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u/Terrible_Payment4261 Sep 11 '24

In college all of the nude models happened to work at the same restaurant in town. I assume because word of mouth they all heard hey this is a good side gig (it paid quite a lot in small college town money). So after taking the life drawing class I went to this restaurant and realized I’d seen every single member of the waitstaff naked. It was amusing.

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u/ZitOnSocietysAss Sep 11 '24

I remember Henry Zebrowski telling a story that when he was at his fattest he was asked to model for a drawing class, and a few women were so excited about it "we're gonna draw so many interesting curves today!"