‘Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls’

I always knew that it would happen in my art career; I just never knew how early it would happen. 

I walked into my Drawing 1 class and everything looked normal. The easels were scattered around the room, and there was a platform in the middle of the room. I chose a spot and started on the sketch prompt of the day. An older man, whom I did not know, enters: He is wearing a black robe, walks to the front of the room, and takes a seat in a chair.

I looked around the room at my peers, made eye contact with a few, and knew what today’s lesson was going to be. I could also see some nervousness. I myself was very nervous. I had never done anything like this before. 

Today’s lesson was about figure drawing with the help of a nude model. Just a casual Monday morning for an art student. 

My initial thoughts that day were “What?” and “I thought that this was just something that they do in movies.” When I told my family and friends, they laughed; my parents even questioned what I was doing. However, figure drawing is a very crucial part of art. Even though I did not expect it, I understand the importance of understanding the human body. 

At first, I felt a bit rude staring at the models’ bodies, even though it was their job to stand there nude. It was very new to me. I had drawn people before, but not live and in front of me. Once I got past the awkward part, it was easier to draw the curves and twists of their bodies.

One thing that really surprised me was that there is a way that students can do modeling as a job. I am proud of their courage. They are doing something that I would never have been able to do. 

I think I’ll just stick with drawing.