Go Figure!

I mentioned in my last post that this post was going to give you the ins and outs of figure modeling. I was originally going to make this one long post that covered everything about figure modeling from A to Z. But on the advice of my good friend Mikkela (www.mikkela.com), I decided to make this a two-parter. The next post will walk you through the process of actually modeling: gesture poses, long poses, and other technical stuff.

This post will be about finalizing your first gig and what you should do prior to and after it. These things are easily overlooked, since (naturally) most people are more concerned about the actual mechanics of figure modeling, and not as concerned about issues that are more peripheral, but just as important.

The first thing you need to know is if someone sends you an email asking for you to do a “life drawing” or “figure drawing” session, it’s almost always going to be nude. If it’s an email query from someone I don’t know, I like to ask if it’s a nude class anyways (clothed gigs are rare, but not unheard of) and just say I want to make sure so I know to bring my robe. I also like to ask new people the following questions:

• Do I need to bring any props?

• Are cushions, pads, covers, chairs/stools and a podium provided? (I used to think they were de rigueur, but I’ve been to a few places where these weren’t provided.)

You also want to be sure to ask them how to go about contacting them before the session if need be. You might get lost. Someone might not be there to let you in when you were told someone would let you in. You may be running late. You need to make sure you have a way (preferably via phone) to contact people if something unexpected comes up.

And if you can’t make a booking, let the person who hired you know as soon as possible. While you don’t want to cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, sometimes things come up. Better to let them know you can’t make it instead of just not showing up (and I’ve heard from artists time and time again that a lot of models flake out and just decide not to show up). But I’ll warn you: I’ve known a couple of very friendly artists that happened to tell me that they had people cancel last-minute, and while they appreciated the lead time, they basically wrote that person off from future consideration. It may not be fair to you. But you have to understand some people have been burned to the point where any cancellation without sufficient time to procure another model means you’re not reliable to them. Granted, if you have a good working relationship with someone as a result of numerous sessions together, they’ll probably be a bit more understanding that sometimes people wake up with a sore throat or that something at work shit the bed and they can’t get off on time. But you do have to realize that some people are more understanding about this than others. There was one time where I was on the phone with a professor and I happened to mention that a date about a month off was probably good for me, but that I’d need to check in the morning just to make sure. And she asked me if she could just book me for another date that I was definitely free, because she really wanted commitments from people as she was calling them. And I was totally okay with that. The people you work for are the skippers of their ships, and you have to respect that.

Okay, once everything’s squared away and questions have been answered to your satisfaction, MARK THE TIME AND DATE DOWN IN A CALENDAR. Don’t assume you’ll remember. You’ll probably work sporadically at first, and in that case, it’s usually easy to remember one or two bookings. But starting last year, I was getting booked for multiple sessions and with multiple groups, so I started putting everything into Google Calendar. You want to write things down not only to remember your bookings, but for another, equally important reason I’ll discuss later.

On the day of the session, I like to arrive about 30 minutes prior to showtime (especially if it’s my first time at a particular location), though 20 minutes is generally considered standard practice. You really don’t want to rush in out of breath and sweaty two minutes before the session starts! And if you're modeling, chances are you're in a larger city, and you probably rely on public transportation. Unfortunately, as most of us know, public transportation isn't all that reliable. It may be a good idea to keep a spare $20 on you the day of your gig so you can hail a cab if need be. I've had to do it several times.

The first thing you need to do on arrival is to find the professor or the person who’s coordinating that day’s session and check in. After I introduce myself, I like to ask what they’re looking to accomplish that session. Sometimes they’ll just ask you to hold one pose for the entire duration of class (with breaks, of course), but usually the session will be a bit more structured. It’s always a good idea to find out what the organizer’s trying to accomplish for two reasons:

1. So you can start thinking about your poses ahead of time.

2. So you can base your poses around the skill level of the class.

In the first case, it’s always a good idea to have at least a few poses in the back of your mind before you get started, and these poses are definitely going to vary based upon the format of that session. Some people like a lot of action poses, others like to start with 30 second poses and then work up to longer ones, others do something different. It’s also good to know the skill level of the group (specifically as it pertains to art classes) so you can not only be thinking about poses you can hold for the duration they’re looking for, but also at the skill level that’s most appropriate.

What I mean by that is this: In a beginner class, they’re not going to want you to hold all sorts of dramatic poses. In fact, I’ve often been told for some beginning classes to basically stand with my arms at my sides, like I was waiting for a bus. They don’t want crazy poses that beginning students simply won’t be able to draw. But if you’re working for a more intermediate or advanced class, you’re going to have to push the envelope and give more action-oriented poses. They already know how to draw someone standing up by now. They’d like to see someone getting ready to jump out of a three-point stance or pretending to throw a ball across a room. You don’t want to intimidate beginner students, and you don’t want to bore skilled ones. And don’t be afraid to ask the professor if there are any poses he/she would like to see. I’ve noticed that a lot of times when I ask, that they’ll think to themselves and say something like “you know, I think they really need to get used to working with negative space/foreshortening/etc.” I’ll tell you what these terms mean in my next post, but I think most professors appreciate your willingness to tailor your poses to their needs. This can be done either at the beginning of class, or between breaks (particularly when the class moves away from warm up poses into longer ones).

Next, I like to find out where the changing room is (which is usually the bathroom). You don’t need to get undressed and into your robe right away. In fact, I usually wait until 10 minutes before the start time to do that. That’s a personal preference on my part. I don’t want to be hanging out twiddling my thumbs while wearing a robe. But if you want to get changed as soon as you check in, that’s your call. I just don’t think anyone really needs/wants to be seeing me in a robe any earlier than they need to be.

Don’t wear anything fancy to a figure drawing/painting session. It’s all coming off anyways, and if you’re cramming your work clothes into a duffel bag, plan on having to dry clean the wrinkles out later. Machine washable is the way to go. Not to mention that you’d be amazed how many places artists can manage to get charcoal and paint on! When I model, I plan on wearing khakis and an older dress shirt to work that day. If something gets paint on it, no big deal!

You may want to have a book or magazine with you to occupy yourself between breaks. While most drawing groups are pretty punctual about starting and ending breaks, I’ve found most 10-minute breaks (10 minutes is usually the standard break length) in art classes tend to be a lot longer for a variety of reasons (stragglers getting back to class, housekeeping/admin work the professor needs to go over, peer review/critique, professor instruction to the class, etc.). But it’s good to have something to keep you focused on between poses.

Finally, you want to address any payment issues at the end of the session, not the beginning. It’s really bad form to ask for money before you’ve even gotten into your first pose! You wouldn’t start a new job and immediately ask your boss for your paycheck, would you? If you’re posing for an art class, they’ll usually be paying you by check, and they generally cut checks bi-weekly. But you still want to check with the professor to see if there’s anything you need to do, like fill out a time card or email the model coordinator with the date and time of class so they can clear things with payroll. Don’t automatically assume the professor’s responsible for that, because, conversely, he or she may assume that you are the one responsible! If it’s a drawing group, you’ll most likely be paid in cash at the end of class. In the two years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never had a problem with someone skipping out on a payment.

However, you can’t always assume people are going to remember everything. I know at the one art school I work with most frequently, a lot of professors also work at another school, and have art groups and side gigs going. It’s unfair to assume they’re going to magically remember things, because they often have a lot going on at once. You’ll remember that I told you earlier to mark down your gigs in a calendar. The added benefit to this (aside from ensuring you won’t miss gigs) is that if there’s ever a payroll dispute (or they accidentally forget to cut you a check—these things happen!), you have a record of how long you worked, when you worked, and who you worked for. Don’t rely on a foggy memory from a month ago. Be organized.

Lastly, thank the professor or whoever booked you. If you really liked working for these people, let them know! Tell them you enjoyed yourself and that you hoped they felt the same way, and that if they’d like to use you again, to call. Sometimes I’ll follow up with a quick email thank-you the next day. Just to tell them I had a good time and that I hope they’ll keep me in mind for future sessions. This also lets them know you enjoyed working with them and helps them remember to keep you in mind for future sessions.