Would you love to try life drawing?

Whether you’ve been doing it for years, or never tried it in your life, life drawing classes and workshops can be greatly enjoyable and satisfying. Whether you are feeling terrified or confident, a good tutor will endeavour to make sure you feel nurtured, supported, and challenged at the right level for you.

I don’t currently run life drawing classes, although I have done in the past; but there are many life drawing groups dotted around the country.

7 Great Reasons You Should Try Life Drawing:

1. It helps you be ‘in the moment’.

We hear a lot about mindfulness these days, and the benefits of attending to the here-and-now, the present moment. These sessions can give you an experience of this, as your attention focuses in on the triad of you, the model, and your drawing materials.

2. It helps you forget everything else for a while.

When you’re drawing, you can get immersed in the experience. This is an experience of the ‘flow’ state of mind, which psychologists say is so important for optimal mental health.

3. It helps you expand your sense of yourself.

Suddenly you’re more than you thought; you’re a creative person, not just the identity you get from your work-life or family role. It can feel so liberating to remember that there are more layers and depths to you!

4. It’s a great way to improve your drawing skills.

Whether you use drawing in your work, or just want to improve your skills for the sheer pleasure and satisfaction of it, there’s no better way to develop and hone your craft than through drawing the live model. Artists through the centuries have turned to this as the best way to develop their drawing abilities.

5. It’s fun, and different!

Honestly. Give it a try! It’s most likely not like anything else you do in the week. Liven yourself up (maybe that’s why they call it ‘life drawing’!)

6. It exercises your brain.

When you draw, you are using very different parts of your brain. I often work with university students and academic staff, who tell me how refreshing it feels to use their brain in an entirely different way from usual.

7. It may help you if you struggle with body image issues.

If your model is a ‘normal’ person (as most artists’  models are) then you’ll be looking at all sorts of ‘imperfections’. To some extent at least, there will probably be some lumps, bulges, wrinkles, droopy bits, non-perfect proportions, etc. And the joy of this is that as you draw him or her, you can find yourself really appreciating the wonder and beauty of the human body, in all its imperfection. Which in turn, can help you see yourself as acceptable and even beautiful, in your own unique way.

7 great reasons to try #lifedrawing today. Share on X

You may also like to read my article, “The 4 Biggest Life Drawing Fears, and Tips to Overcome Them”.

Praise from previous art workshop participants

“Your class was fantastic! I really, really enjoyed it. I was dubious at first that I wasn’t going to learn painting techniques, but as the class progressed I developed so much more freedom than I’ve ever had before.”

“A wonderful space—ease, peace, exploration, presence. I am so grateful to have been a part of this. This kind of work is so so needed. Thank you!”

“I enjoyed your workshop so much. Even more than I had expected. It was great to be re-introduced to painting, and your suggestions as we were immersed in each task were amazingly helpful, really unlocking the closed-up bits of my way of working. Would love to do this again. So thank you!”

“Meticulously planned. Sensitively executed. Fun. Releasing. Therapeutic. Please can we have these at least monthly?”

“I didn’t know what to expect, so what I found was unexpected… a strange balance of calm and excitement; a limited amount of all the time in the world; a peek at my inner peace through the eyes of my demon. Now home, to paint!”

'A wonderful space—ease, peace, exploration, presence. I am so grateful to have been a part of this' Share on X