Featured Artist
SUSANNE TAYLOR AND LIFE DRAWING ONLINE
Observation drawing from the figure, both portrait and from the nude, has long been a feature of my art practice, so I was happy when I discovered that Brentwood Art Society features a life drawing class as a regular part of their weekly programme. Now, because of Covid, I have had to find other options to continue working from the figure. Here are a few online art activities and tutorials I have tried.
I have attended two different life drawing classes on Zoom. To access these you need to download the Zoom app to your PC or iPad. https://zoom.us
The first session I attended was with Candid ArtsTrust, which is based in London. https://www.candidartslondon.com/shop/zoom-life-drawing - classes/2 The fee is £10 per session. If you buy two or more sessions and use the voucher code ZLD20, the fee is halved. Payment is by credit or debit card and the portal is secure and easily navigated. The models are excellent and there are three camera angles to choose from. The sessions are tutor led.
The second Zoom class I attended was The Renaissance Workshop run by Jonathan Long https:/the renaissanceworkshop.com Payment is by PayPal, so you will need a PayPal account. The fee is £6.99. Occasionally there are free sessions on offer Some sessions are from life, others involve copying drawings by Renaissance artists.
I have also taken the opportunity, along with thousands of others, to attempt the Sky Arts Portrait of the Week on Sundays from 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm. This is free to watch. Enter via Sky TV on FaceBook.
The Billericay Art Collective is an online group that also offers life drawing and portrait sessions. You have to state you are' interested' or 'going' on Facebook after finding them. They offer a photo of a portrait or life model every Tuesday from 7.30 pm that you download or take a screen grab from. You then post your drawings on Facebook and three artists from the collective make positive comments. Others doing the task may also comment on your post.
When joining these group sessions you join a community of lovely artists, who are now regularly meeting and communicating online. I have found them to be interesting and wholly supportive
