Chris Legaspi - Life Drawing for Artists: Understanding Figure Drawing Through Poses, Postures, and Lighting

The main benefit of drawing from life versus drawing from a photo, or even memory, is that the figure can be studied and observed in its natural state and in the round. This means that you can physically see the figure in all three dimensions. In a life drawing session, the poses are arranged with a time limit, which has many benefits for the art student.

The first benefit, and why it is so important, is that timed poses create a structure to the artists practice. Having structure in any serious practice has many advantages. Setting a time limit forces the artist to fully concentrate on the model and the task at hand. For example, if I know I have only three hours to draw from a live model, then I will focus on and appreciate each pose in the time I have with the model. If each pose is limited in time (e.g., a one-minute pose), then I will be even more focused. If I want to make a meaningful drawing, I know I have to put maximum thought and concentration into each and every mark.

The second benefit is repetition. To learn any skill, especially a new motor skill that involves muscle and neural patterns (such as drawing with a pencil), many repeated attempts are required. In a three-hour life drawing session with timed poses, especially short times such as one, two, or five minutes, the model can make more than one hundred unique poses. Each pose is a new and fresh opportunity to practice a drawing skill.

Because there are so many unique opportunities (sometimes one hundred or more poses) in a typical three-hour life drawing session, there is less pressure or expectation to finish a drawing, or to make a good drawing. This frees up the mind to either focus on a specific skill or experiment and take risks because no matter how the drawing turns out, eventually there will be a fresh new pose, and there will be many new opportunities to try and try again.

The third benefit, and what I enjoy most, is the time pressure. With unlimited time for a drawing or a pose (or any task), the mind can easily become distracted and lose focus. When the artist has limited time, and knows that the pose will soon change, there is pressure, or a sense of urgency to accomplish the task. This sense of urgency imposes more focus on the pose and on every mark the artist makes, which makes each drawing, and the practice session as a whole, much more productive.

The purpose of life drawing is to study the human figure and learn as much as possible about the figure and the drawing process. The main goal of timed life drawing is practice and repetition. Like the gym or exercise, it is in a life drawing session where we get our reps. The goal is not to make a finished drawing, a perfect drawing, or even a good drawing. In fact, the goal is to try to fail as many times as possible. This is especially true if you are new to life drawing, or if you are experienced and trying something new, experimenting, taking risks, or generally trying to improve.

In short, dont put any expectations or pressure on yourself when you are in front of a model. Instead, focus on the moment, focus on the task at hand. Focus on the materials you have, focus on the model, what the pose is giving you, and what you have to work with. Have your end goal in mind, but be fully present and absorbed in the process.

A two-hour figure drawing from life. Pastel on newsprint.

The Structure of a Life Drawing Session

Typical life drawing sessions in an academic (school or learning) model are two to three hours long. When I organize life drawings, I book a model for three hours and break up the time into various pose lengths.