Beth

Last night at the life drawing session at The Sussex County Arts Club our model was the fabulous Beth who , unfortunately, won't be modelling for us for another year as she's off to study circus skills in Paris. Apparently, clowns are very big at the moment even small ones.

Catherine

Last night's life drawing class at SCAC in Brighton was pretty full and the gathered horde of scibblers (including the return of last week's newbie Anton Binder) attempted to capture Catherine's
curves and curls on paper or iPad.
Here are my best attempts.

Magnificent Michaela!

Last night after a two month break, I attended the SCAC life drawing session where our model was Michaela. I hadn't drawn her for a few years but she's always been one of Brighton's best models do I was delighted to draw her again. She's been away for a couple of months working on a project in Ibiza, an island I've never visited despite spending a lot of time in Majorca. One day!

Jenny on the Blog

What a treat to once again draw the wonderful French model Jenny at the Sussex County Arts Club last night. She has the most toned physique I've ever seen due to her hobby of rock climbing. Also in attendance were some of the usual suspects- Rich Newman, Geo Parkin, Xavier and Alexa Garside. We were joned later in the pub by Mark Harrison for a good old moan about art!

Ellie

After a gap of about a month I returned last night to my favourite life drawing session at the Sussex County Arts Club in Brighton hosted by Bill Donohoe who always plays some groovy toons whilst the assembled scribblers scribble away. Last night our model was excellent first timer Ellie who enjoyed the experience and is keen to return.

Life- that's the name of the game!

Last night I attended the always excellent life drawing session at SCAC hosted by mister reliable- Bill Donohoe. It was a busy session with lots of regulars including Rich Newman and fellow cartoonist Geo Parkin. Unfortunately, I can't remember the model's name but she was excellent.

Here are some of my scribblings.

Double Trouble!

I managed to fit in two drawing sessions this week in between packing to move house. The first was part of the Brighton festival and was a Drawing Circus hosted by Jake Spicer incorporating three hours of live music and a host of excellent models in a variety of circus themed costumes. Jack's event are always superbly organised and inspiring as was this one. It took place in the Bosco Theatre beside the Spiegeltent on the Old Stein and the steeply tiered seats gave an excellent view of the varying tableaus as they changed and evolved. I had to leave early, unfortunately, so I missed the fabulous Naomi gyrating on a hoop. Great fun!
The following evening I went to my usual life drawing class hosted by Bill Donohoe at the Sussex County Arts Club where our model was the beautiful and statuesque Kate. She liked my drawings so I gave her one! I'll rephrase that- I donated one to her! That's better!

Zoe

After several months away from the life drawing scene in Brighton I returned to the regular Tueday night session hosted by Bill Donohoe at SCAC in Brighton. OUr model was the excellent Zoe who brought along her extremely well behaved dog. It was a packed class as usual with the usual gaggle of scribblers including Rich Newman, Hamza Arcan, Jeremy Radvan and fellow cartoonist Geo Parkin as well as some newbies. My good friend Alexa came along too after a very long break. It was great to get back into the life drawing saddle. Here are my better efforts.

At the Double

I had two life drawing sessions on the bounce this week. First was at SCAC with artist and model lovely, lissom Laura Ryan then a private session at my bachelor penthouse flat where Alexa Garside and I drew the fabulous Naomi Wood. After a fairly long gap in Mallorca where the life drawing sessions are very thin on the ground it was great to get back in the saddle in arty farty Brighton where we are spoilt rotten for drawing. Her are my best scribblings from the two sessions.

Laura- the face in the misty light.

Last night I went along to SCAC for my second life drawing session in 5 days. Our model was the lovely, lissom Laura who shares a birthday with me but not in the same year (alas!). I used the session as an excuse to go mad with my new set of watercolours as recommended to me by Jan Irvine. They're fab and made by Ko-i-Noor. Laura liked one of my drawings so I gave it to her. It was a quiet class probably due to the shit weather but very enjoyable nonetheless. The usual suspects repaired to Witherspoon's afterwards to put the world to rights. Here are my best efforts.

Portrait of the artist as a young nude man

I'm back in Brighton briefly and was asked by Amy Squirrel from Draw if she could interview me about my career as an artist for the Draw blog. She was hosting a life drawing session on Thursday night so I braved the wind and rain of mid-summer England and went. There were only a few attendees, probably due to the lousy weather but one of them was Jan Irving whom I've known for a while and always admired her amazing skill at capturing the figure in motion- that's tough! Our model was Ollie who I hadn't drawn before but he was very good. The theme was colour in art so he was posing with a paint brush and palette. Here are my best efforts from a very enjoyable session.

Naomi

On Tuesday night I attended the SCAC life drawing session hosted by Bill Donohoe. It was a really packed class and our model was everyone's favourite redhead Naomi. She's a fabulous girl and an amazing model and as a special treat she joined the boys for a bevvy after class. I'm off to Majorca again tomorrow where there's only one rather dull life drawing class and no models as good as Naomi so I'm glad I got to draw the Goddess twice in a month! Here are my best attempts!

Princess Frankie

Last night I attended Bill's Tuesday night life drawing session at SCAC in Brighton for the first time in ages. Our model was the fabulous Frankie with her unbelievably long hair done up in two buns as a tribute (possibly but probably not) to Princess Leia in the new Star Wars film. Anyway, it was a very enjoyable session and afterwards some of the usual suspects (me, Geo Parkin, Mark Harrison and Bill Donohoe) plus newcomer Gillian (I didn't get her surname) repaired to the local jam packed Witherspoons for some cheap quaffing and blather. Then on the stroke of midnight we sang happy birthday to Bill who had just turned 60 and is now officially an old git! Happy birthday Bill! Much jollification!

Escaping the Outline!

Like my fellow cartoonist and all round good egg- Geo Parkin, I have recently become enamoured with the joys of watercolour. It's such a happy medium! Prone to the surprising happy accident. I love it. Normally I would draw the subject in outline and use the watercolour to freely colour it up but last night I decided to get out of my comfort zone and paint the model ( the excellent KIARA) without any guidelines. Just watercolour paint straight onto the paper. Below are  the mixed results of this nerve racking but enjoyable experiment before I scurried back to my comfort zone like a scalded cat and took up the outline again.
Well you've got to challenge yourself occasionally incha?

Clementine

Last night at SCAC's Tuesday night life drawing session our model was the beautiful French girl Clementine.
This is the second time I've drawn her in a week as she was one of the two models in the Egon Schiele inspired session for the Brighton Illustators Group.
I was working larger than I normally do and being very splashy with the watercolours hoping for the happy accident that watercolours can give you.
Afterwards a few of us repaired to the local hostilery for copious quaffage and the discussion of wide and varied topics as usual. Much fun!
Here are the best attempts.

Doing a Double

Over the last two nights I've attended The Sussex County Arts Club for two life drawing sessions.
The first one was Bill Donohoe's excellent Tuesday night session where the assembled scribblers tried to capture the fabulous curves and huge eyes of Michaela whilst groovin' on down to some chilled vibes, man.
Then last night Jo Moore on behalf of the Brighton Illustrators Group hosted a session inspired by the work of Egon Schiele with models Laura Kate O'Rourke and Clementine (I'm sorry Clem but I don't know your surname) for 3 long poses in suitable Schiele-esque clobber and finally in a nude tableau.
It was a great and inspiring session and here are my best efforts from both nights.

Naomi yet again!

I went along to Jeremy Radvan's very informative anatomy class at SCAC last night where Jezza told us all about the muscles from the pelvis to the knee. Now I know what the sartorial muscle is for! Our model to illustrate the relevant parts of the body was the exquisitely lovely Naomi. Here are my efforts.

Naomi!!!

As there is a different model every week at SCAC (we are sooo spoiled in Brighton for life drawing!)
sometimes you get a very pleasant surprise. Such was the case last night when Naomi, who has been modelling for a while in Brighton, did her first session at Bill Donohoe's class.
Not only does she have a perfect figure and a lovely face AND a shock of magnificent red hair BUT she's a fantastic model who can hold a difficult pose as though she's made of marble. All the regulars were impressed and Jeremy Radvan immediately booked her for one of his classes.
She's like a cross between a Mucha maiden and a femme fatale. I'd love to work on a project with her. We'll see! Anyway, enough blather from me. Here are my best attempts at capturing her loveliness.

The Drawing Circus

After spending Christmas and New Year in Palma I was looking forward to some life drawing back in Brighton and last night was another of Jake Spicer's monthly events called The Drawing Circus. We had three models dressed in harlequin and clown costumes and it was packed with enthusiastic scribblers including my good mates Mark Xavier Harrison and Geo Parkin. Also there was the extremely talented graphic novelist Hannah Berry and Jan Irvine among many others. Our superb models were Laura Kate O'Rourke, Michaela Meadows and Felix. It was a great session after which Geo, Mark and I decamped to the Conquerer to plan our conquest of the world.
Look out world! Here some some old gits!

Laura the Fabulous Finn

Last night at The Sussex County Arts Club we were treated to a session modelled by Laura the Fabulous Finn who threw some wonderful poses while we all grooved to Bill's excellent (always)
compilation of banging tunes. I hadn't drawn Laura for a while and had forgotten how good she is to draw.