Life drawing is enjoying a bit of a moment. Lockdown brought us internet phenomenon Portrait Artist of the Week and lots of small art groups and studios have widened their audience by running regular online sessions. The BBC did Life Drawing Live! And Channel 4 of course had Drawers Off! And it returns on Monday 30 May and surprise, I am one of the artists!
I entered after being shown the advert by Viv at Cheltenham School of Fine Art, thinking it would be worth a punt. You may not know, but I was on Mastermind back in 2017 and that was so much fun I thought I’d have another go. Nothing ventured….
Anyway, a few auditions later and there we were, admiring the set design, hugging the rather fabulous supplies provided and trying to appear calm in the face of cameras, floor marks and Jenny EclaIr, the host. Actually, the whole experience was a joy. Great care was taken to make us comfortable, my Parkinson’s was never treated as a problem, everybody was just great. Ms Eclair, always high in my estimations, went up a good few notches due to her snappy humour, friendly banter and complete approachability. At this point I have to admit I was plotting how to steal her very cool jacket for most of the filming. Sadly, I was not successful.
Anyway, five models, five poses, five speedy pieces. We had to choose our favourites each time. The wine went through to a final gallery. Then we chose a final favourite from these winners. I cant divulge the final result. But then you’ll find out next week when you watch it!
The other artists was ace. We got on really well (I trust that the editing will reflect that!) and it was a blast.
Have a go if somebody suggests you trying for something similar. You get your body weight in Haribo, meet a very interesting bunch of people and get to paint to your heart’s content. What’s not to like? Enjoy the programme 🙂
Sophie Wardle 