Challenging Pose

This week I've been painting from the model in the studio.

We started a new pose, which I could tell from the outset was going to be challenging for the model. So, we discussed this at the start - and made plans to ensure that she would be comfortable. It is easy to forget that weight placement (for example, having one leg resting on the other) can quickly cause discomfort, pins-and-needles, cramps and aches.

The pose was a really good one, which inspired me. But we had to face the reality of more regular breaks to ensure we avoided the above maladies.

My model is very professional, and keen to work to the limit of her abilities. I wouldn't quite go along with Euan Uglow's rather extreme categorisation of life models in this article from the Telegraph.

It may be the case that we decide to work on two poses during the same session. The more challenging one in the morning - and a different one in the afternoon.

I've made a promising start, and am looking forward to our next session. The top photograph here shows the painting at the end of the first session.

Following my last post, my order for new paint arrived, and in the second photograph above you can see my freshly-opened large tube of cadmium yellow.