Volunteering for Soho Life Drawing
Over the course of a month this pas summer, I was lucky enough to be available to volunteer at Soho Life Drawing in London, helping set up and guide an evening session of life drawing at the Quaker Meeting House in Soho.
I had attended this evening class many times before and knew how the set up worked, so when the host Ann needed someone to help the other volunteer in her absence I asked to step in.
I learned a lot from helping host these events over the course of a month!
Firstly, it was more of a workout than I expected, as so many chairs had to be moved and then put back in a certain way afterwards.
Then I realised how benevolent the event was. The host had created it because life drawing models weren’t getting paid enough, and she was convinced she could host events that paid those models well. Because of this, the classes don’t earn money but more or less break even.
The life models were also lovely to chat to, and I started to recognise who were regulars and who were new to modelling with Soho Life Drawing. I also got to recognise customers who visited week by week or semi-regularly. It was lovely to be part of a small community like this!
Finally, what I learnt most is that the first hour of guided drawing made me feel quite unconfident at first. Who was I to give tips to these others who are pumping out gorgeous drawings!? But then, I realised a good crutch for me was to stand behind the desk where people came in to pay - from there I felt like I had more authority on the matter, and in that way I was able to actually be of more help to those who wanted guidance!
I would feel more confident in calling out how I might approach a certain pose, whether it deserved a gestural line first or whether a consideration of composition was something that would help.
Most of all for the guided part of the evening, it was about getting those drawing to loosen up their wrists and draw, draw, draw! Producing something amazing wasn’t key, it was about producing work, and each time they drew they would be able to spot what they could do better next time. It was also meditative, and a lovely quiet atmosphere in a beautiful timber room.
I learnt so much from helping host these events and I still to this day believe that regular life drawing studies are important for any artist to get better - even if you don’t draw people in your own art! By simply sitting and strengthening those hand-eye coordination muscles, getting your fingers and wrists to learn muscle memory of how a torso or leg usually is shaped, is one of the best practices I’ve ever implemented into my own artistic career!
To anyone who wants to get better at art in general and doesn’t know how to start - start with life drawing. Nude people ar better than clothed because clothes are generally quite difficult, and the body is already difficult enough to get ahold of! Let yourself get good at drawing the base first before you start drawing things draping and hanging off of the body.
Below are some of my favourite drawings / paintings done during the course of hosting Soho Life Drawing:
