Have you ever sat as a model for an artist or an art class?

No. But my mom used to take art classes and apparently used my visage as a model (which I did NOT pose for) for a small nude oil painting that everyone who saw it asked if it was me. After the second time I was asked that I became so grossed out. I was 16 or 17 and horribly mortified.

Yes, my brother did a clay bust of me for high school art. He also included me in a mural in the senior staircase at our high school, they are collecting monies to redo it. It was painted in 1968,

Too shy.

No, and after seeing my friend’s artwork I question whether it’s necessary at all. You can find her art at Anne Via Designs on Facebook. Her most recent are famous people, but scroll through her photos and you’ll see lifelike, or maybe I should say photo like paintings of children, flowers, water, animals. She’s incredible if you like realistic art. She usually works off of several photos, not just one.

I think at least some artists use the female model gig for less than honarable reasons.

However, I do think knowing the people in a portrait, and having seen them in action can make a big difference in the art, but often that is shown in a more abstract way. Just my opinion.

I once made my sister sit still so I could draw her face. She was about 5 or 6 years old, and I was 8 maybe? I’d have to find the piece of work and check if I put the year on it. I know I was 9 or younger, because we lived in NY at the time. She didn’t want to sit as long as I wanted her to. I kept telling her to sit still. Lol. I’m pretty sure I did it with crayon. I know I had it in a portfolio two moves ago, I assume I still have it in a box.

Waaaaaaay back in the day I modeled for art and Photography Lighting classes in college. Photography Lighting was specifically about dealing with silhouettes and contrasts, so it was mostly backlit against windows. It was New England in the winter, it was cold.
The life drawing classes were held in large studio rooms, also cold. That’s really what I remember, being cold all the time.

I wouldn’t do it now, I don’t want to be cold.

If we include photography, I have done that. My boyfriend’s brother was getting into photography and I posed for him. Also a girlfriend in college, and one guy I went to high school with.

The exboyfriend’s brother did get photos published, but he also used it to have sex with women.

BTW…I told my Mom that people thought it was me and how mortified and embarrassed I was. She just shrugged. I guess she didn’t care.

Photography. When I worked at Boeing Computer Services I was approached by a guy who did photography and he just begged me to let him use me as a model. I said “No.”

I have not. Modeled for friends’ photography projects, yes, but never sat in the middle of an art room nude so people could sculpt me. As Peter Griffin said when he was in one of these classes, “am I…am I supposed to sculpt the penis?”

I would be willing to sit for an artist some day (preferably not nude). But I’m patient and my likeness deserves to be preserved as art.

Drawing or painting from a live model is very different from working from a photograph. Not only does a photograph hold perfectly still, but it already has three dimensions flattened into two. When you’re looking at a solid object and trying to represent it on a flat surface, you have to solve a lot of problems at once, and it isn’t easy for most of us.

In portrait class we’re only drawing or painting the head and shoulders, by the way. All our models are clothed.

I’ve been interested in some of the comments that our models have made as we progressed and wondered if anyone here had had the experience. The important part of my question was what you have learned from doing it.

Well, we were referring to photographic art. Several of us have posed for photographs.

Really, I only learned that it was uncomfortable and cold to sit still for so long. In retrospect, I do remember thinking that the level of concentration of the artists in the room rendered the experience deeply impersonal and clinical, even for the times I posed nude. After a bit, it seemed like everybody was breathing in sync with each other, the atmosphere was almost hypnotic.

@Jeruba I had assumed your question was about posing in a studio art class, not for photographs which I assume most of us have done. Was that the correct assumption? I have taken drawing classes with live models but never posed for one. It takes some skill to strike and hold the positions – not everyone can do it.

I modeled for Montgomery Ward when I was 14. We were mannequins. We had to strike a pose standing, and hold it, moving, for 15 minutes at a time. It’s not easy. It was a lot of fun.

@janbb, yes, thanks—“artist or art class” was meant to imply portraiture, art work depicting a human face and form. I posed for part of a class once when the model was late, and I learned a few things. I was wondering what it was like for others.

I don’t count something as “experience” unless some learning occurs.

What, exactly, do you expect people to “learn” from that? I got paid a pittance, I showed up and did the work, not a big deal. There was nothing transcendental about it, it was just a physically uncomfortable job of work for an hour here and there. I found out later that they paid the student models less than the professionals, which is probably why they hired us.

I also thought you meant for an art class not photography. That’s why I had a second post. For art class I wouldn’t assume any bad intentions, it’s when It’s a lone artist my antennae go up.

What did you learn @Jeruba when you did it?

That’s what I assumed she meant, but you added photography here @JLeslie. It’s OK.
When my kids were little we were at Cowtown. I was sitting down and after a moment I realized this complete stranger was videotaping me! I paused, then turned toward him with a full on smile.

^^@canid added it.

Indeed so, I commissioned a bust of myself in bronze, posed for the artist with the housestaff in attendance so as to perfect that noble, entitled look I was looking for.
It’s proudly mounted on a marble plinth in the entrance hall & is buffed daily on my insistence.

My bad @JLeslie. Thanks.