The Sensual Aspects of Life Modeling
What follows is a very sensual, if not sexual, experience I had while modeling nude for a drawing group, and after that a discussion of the sensual aspects of nude art modeling in general. While it may sound boring to some, I'll make sure to include plenty of juicy tidbits, since that's what we're all here for anyways.
Most people who are involved with life drawing--that is, drawing human form in the nude--try to deny or gloss over the sensual, if not subtly sexual aspect to it. Although life models strive to maintain a 'wall of separation' between posing nude for artists, and 'sex work'--and there IS a big difference--you can't fully avoid coming to terms with the reality that we are all human beings with sexual appetites, and anyone, whether model or artist, if they're being truly honest with themselves, would have to acknowledge feeling at least some underlying sexual tension when there's a nude person of the opposite sex standing or sitting a few feet away in front of them for a couple of hours.
More on this later. First, a true experience from one of my earlier nude art modeling assignments. Hopefully it will illustrate my later points, all the while entertaining any voyeuristic tendencies you may have. It's told in the same current tense with which I wrote it all down, even though it happened over 12 years ago.
A very sensual nude modeling gig
Last night, I posed nude once more for the Life Drawing Group at Wild Goose Creative. Although not the first time I've modeled nude for this group, it was definitely the most 'sensual', as you'll see. It was another memorable evening of spending a several hours totally nude in front of a group of fully clothed people.
As told before, Wild Goose Creative was the site of my first time posing nude as a life model. It's located north of Ohio State University campus in the University District, and as such it has a certain 'edginess' to it that I find intriguing and so enjoy modeling there. The studio is a first floor commercial space that's long and narrow, with a brick wall up one side and a glass storefront that opens directly onto the street. For life drawing sessions, the coordinator puts up a large panel just inside the door to block view of the posing platform from the street. However, you can still see out to the street from where some of the artists are sitting.
This was my fourth time modeling nude here. The previous time I brought a small digital camera and asked the coordinator to take some photos of my poses, ostensibly so I could try my hand at drawing some of them at home. I also like to photograph some of the artist's drawings of me if they are good representations, and they're OK with it. This time he offered to bring his digital SLR camera and get some photos of me during the session, since it was much better in low light situations. I asked if he wouldn't mind also shooting a few of me in some poses afterwards to get some better quality shots without being a distraction to the artists during the session, and he agreed.
After helping set up the tables and getting the heater going (it was January), I went in the back to take off my clothes. I realized I had left my robe behind and had only a button-front shirt with a long hem to wear at breaks. Oh well, no big deal since I was going to be completely naked in front of them all evening anyways. The artists of this group don't seem the type that are too put off by a life model not covering up between drawing sessions.
With the shirt pulled over my shoulders and one or two buttons fastened, I walked out to see for the first time what size group we had here tonight. When I had gone back to change, only two had shown up so far: a youngish guy and a very svelte-looking young woman named Sveta. She was probably about 22 with dark hair and eyes and a distinct Eastern European or Ukrainian look about her. I heard her name as the coordinator was introducing himself and me as they came in.
Unveiling
As I walked to the platform the coordinator indicated we were ready to go, so I undid the buttons and let the thin shirt slide slowly off my shoulders and gradually down my body to reveal my nude form to the group for the first time. Tonight, there would be 11 artists--seven male and four female, plus the coordinator. Everyone here is probably no older than 30, and most probably mid-twenties.
No matter how many times I model, I always savor and enjoy the actual moment I remove my clothes in front of the group for the first time. I can feel the smooth material slide down my shoulders and hips and am at the same time conscious of not only the cool breeze across my skin, but also all the eyes in the room trained on my form. Those first moments are when they're really checking you out:
"What do we have for us here tonight?", they're thinking. "He seems a bit older, but not from the looks of his body... athletic... muscular... shaved head... looks like he shaves his legs--and the rest down there, too... not much hair on him at all... hmmm."
As I imagine all these thoughts going through their heads, or something similar, it always gives me a low grade sexual charge in that moment. Yes, they're artists interested in drawing light and form--but they're also human beings, and, in that brief moment of first unveiling it's their human thoughts that will tend to come first. Only a bit later, after we're getting to the first pose will their artistic thoughts start to take over.
Getting Started
This evening we start with a series of 30-second gesture drawings. I am able to get into some more dynamic poses for these, and I make use of my walking stick as a prop to balance myself. Then, I perch on a cube and pull both knees up. Next, I put a knee up on the futon and stretch my hands and arms up the wall with my backside towards the group. I lay face down on the futon with my pelvis arched up slightly and one leg drawn up along the side. I sit with a leg crossed over my knee while reading a book--a study of studying in the nude (ha).
As we go through this series of quick 30-second poses it feels almost like I'm doing a nude photo shoot in front of a group of onlookers, except, they are the 'cameras'. A very sensual feeling is at play here, but it's not caused me an erection since the frequent changes in pose and the need to think ahead to the next one keeps me from focusing too much on the erotic edge to all of this.
During the warm-up gestures and 5-minute poses, a few latecomers trickled in, including two guys who are most likely a gay couple and a good-looking young woman with long dark hair and very attractive Hispanic features. She took a seat directly in my line of sight as I reclined on the futon and her eyes looked me over as she prepared to start drawing. I could feel a slight stirring in my loins. Fortunately, no visible growth occurred right then--that would've been a bit obvious to the rest of the group, if I started getting a hard-on as soon as this pretty Latina came in and sat down in front of me. She wore tight jeans but kept her jacket on, so fortunately there was not too much in the way of provocative clothing on which to focus that would complicate matters as I lay there naked surreptitiously eyeing her as she surveyed my nudity.
Nonetheless, I couldn't help wondering what she looked like nude.
Chatting with a nude 'object'
When we finally took our first break, I decided to remain nude rather than cover up. Since I was going to remain on the platform, I didn't think anyone would object and they didn't seem to mind. I'm aware that some (not all) people are uncomfortable when a model walks around nude in the studio during breaks, so I don't do it unless I get the sense they're OK with it. This time, I just sat there on the futon and stretched my leg muscles. I struck up a brief conversation when I asked the group if there were any type of poses they would like to see during the next set and we had some brief discussion about it. I found this to be a bit strange, and arousing--sitting there naked on a platform in front of a room full of clothed people and having a chat with them.
I guess this is because, somewhat out of necessity, the nude model is viewed as an object to be drawn, not as a person who has taken of all their clothes for you. Taking one's clothes off for someone else is generally perceived in a sexual context, and overt sexuality in the art studio is generally avoided.
Yet, here I was, a completely nude man, sitting there a few feet from several young women, having a casual conversation with them about poses. That's not what objects do--but people do, just not while naked, and with strangers.
Very different, indeed...
As we moved into the next set, I took up a pose on a high chair with one leg crossed at the knee over the other as I looked at an open book and slightly reclined against the seat back. My penis and balls were slightly squeezed by the position of my legs, and I became quite conscious of the feeling of my dick lying alongside my thigh. I could feel it starting to swell slightly. I was facing the general direction of the Latina newcomer, and I could see her looking intently at my body as she sketched and looked back and forth from my nude body to her drawing. Again, the incongruity of this pose struck me--sitting nude while reading a book--which added to the sensuality/eroticism of the scene. Since the pose itself tended to direct my penis upward and outward already, and my arms holding the book partially obscured the view of my groin area, the slight growth I was experiencing was probably not yet noticeable to the artists. However, when I stood up for the break, they could probably tell that it was bigger and hanging lower than when I had first started.
At this next break, I again remained nude while sitting on the platform and just watched the artists go about their business, chat, or look at one another's work. Late-comer lady's friend was making many comments about her drawing. I decided to pull my shirt on and walk out to look at it, too. I asked if she minded me taking a photo of her work, and she did not. I went to get my camera while holding my unbuttoned shirt closed in front of me.
As I took photos, the shirt fell open, allowing her and anyone else to see my body up close--no matter, though. During the break I also spoke to some of the others and photographed some of their work, too. They seemed to be flattered by the fact I wanted to take pictures of their work. Finally, I removed my shirt again and turned to head back toward the platform for the next set.
An Arousing Situation
For the next (25 minute) pose I partially reclined on the futon, with the knee closest to the wall pulled up and the other, closest to the group, extended straight along the cushion. My upper body was propped by my right arm and my torso turned slightly out towards the group, with my left arm resting on my left knee. This pose put me facing Sveta, the dark-eyed young woman who arrived early. As she worked on her drawing and leaned forward, her low-cut blouse revealed cleavage of a medium sized pair of shapely breasts. Uh ohh...
