How to find Online Life Drawing

A guide to Online Life Drawing during lockdown helping you keep sane, and sharpen your drawing skills.

You would have to go way back to the nineties to find when I first started after-school life drawing sessions. By drawing the human body, life drawing is one of the best disciplines to improve observational drawing skills. Because let’s face it, (botanists aside) nobody is likely to notice if a branch on a tree isn’t quite right. Make an arm too long, or draw wonky fingers and everybody notices.

Classes have varied over the years. Sometimes casual sketching sessions, tutored classes with someone on hand to guide you through the process and offer tips. Some have music, some have exercises designed to improve hand-eye coordination. Most welcome all levels of experiences. Life drawing sessions can be pretty much everywhere. When I moved out of London, I thought I might struggle until discovering Drawing Projects UK with some excellent classes.

That was life, pre-pandemic. Of course, now we’re living in an almost virtual world, I’ve found myself joining the booming online life drawing scene, and I like it.

A new era for online life drawing.

We’re all getting used to doing things differently for a while. Experiences that we probably took for granted before have taken on a new meaning in these days of social distancing and isolation, and companies have been forced to re-invent themselves or transform their approach to generating an income.

Group life-drawing classes In-Real-Life have obviously been affected, but taken online they’re thriving – easily accessible to a bigger and more diverse crowd. Attending online life drawing classes can provide that same sense of community as a live class, with a show & tell at break time or afterwards. Equally, the screen can provide anonymity for any bad drawing days or times that you might just want to duck out horrified by your own stickmen attempts.

You can see some of my older sketches by clicking here, or you can follow more regular posts on Instagram and my stories. And whilst online life drawing may not be a new idea, there are a whole load of exciting options which have started up or expanded during these lockdown days. Here’s a few I’ve tried, but let me know if there are others you can recommend. Give it a go, you might like it.

Life Drawing Live – Royal Academy.

In 2018 The Royal Academy broadcast the world’s first live-streamed, mass participatory life drawing class, led by renowned artist Jonathan Yeo. Over 700 drawings from participants around the world have been shared since, and you can still take the class, obviously no longer live, but recorded just as it happened on the night.
The Royal Academy 
@royalacademyarts

Drawing Cabaret Couture with Janet Mayer & Matthew Lawrence.

This class is aimed at fashion illustrators. Janet is a professional dancer & model, whilst Matthew is a fine artist, tutor & set-designer. Drawing Cabaret Couture holds high fashion and performative cabaret-themed life drawing classes and immersive art events around London.

Of course, during the lockdown, they’ve taken the experience online with a worldwide audience. Pay-as-you-go or chose from a variety of subscriptions via Patreon. For those who unable to make the live sessions or want to take more time or detail, video recaps and hi-resolution stills are available to Patreon subscribers.

If you want to create regular fashion-inspired life drawing the subscription options are well worth the money. Janet and Matthew put an enormous amount of effort into their work. The sets are incredible and the poses expressive (usually based on an art theme or a fashion designer). Musical soundtracks help get you in the mood and shared via Spotify.

Quick-fire poses and longer holds see you through the session, then there’s the chance to work into more detail from the photos the creative duo send out to Patreon members. One-to-one tutored sessions are also available.

https://www.drawingcabaretcouture.com
@drawingcabaretcouture

Strike a Pose with Ami Benton.

Fashion Illustrators rejoice! High-fashion life drawing from Ami Benton, professional dancer and model for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Alice Temperley and Stella McCartney. Ami is a dream fashion illustration muse – gloriously long limbs, strong, expressive poses and androgynous style.

Her online sessions will revive your sketches with the dynamic glamour of fashion modelling – just how it should be done. Expect quick-fire poses from 3 to 10 minutes, musical accompaniment and infectiously fun energy. These sessions will leave you buzzing.

http://amibenton.com
@amibenton_

London Drawing online life drawing classes

For more of a traditional drawing session, London Drawing live stream their classic nude life drawing sessions every Saturday morning and Tuesday evening, London time. They regularly have up to 100 people joining a session from around the world. At hand to guide you through the session are founder Anne Noble-Partridge & tutor Josie Deighton. I find these classes very relaxing with sharing of work during the break and after the session.

https://londondrawing.com/online-creative-sessions/
@londondrawing

Frank Gambino

Frank is a resident tutor at London Drawing and a figurative artist with incredible life-drawing skills. I met Frank in Walthamstow back 2013 when he ran a weekly life class in a local art gallery. He typically sources models who were dancers, because of their incredible core strength which helps them hold interesting poses for ages. 

Link below was Frank’s latest course with London Drawing. Keep an eye out for future sessions, as his classes do nothing but improve your life drawing skillset.

Head, Hands & Feet – Online Masterclass with Artist Frank Gambino
@frankgambinoart

There are only so many classes you can do with time and funds. It is worth noting that most classes offer concessions for students or if you are struggling. Always reach out to the organisers as they will help if they can. Here is a list of other classes that have caught my eye that I am yet to try:

Artifelle

Like me, Etta Shon creates illustrations on the iPad. I discovered her work during London Fashion Week 2018, presenting at the Regent Street Apple Store. Because of my fashion drawing experience, Etta’s collaboration with drawing Veterans such as Gregory Weir-Quiton makes a tempting choice.

https://artifelle.com
@artifelle

Drop Dead Gorgeous Drawing

The life drawing community feels pretty intimate when you start going to a few. Same faces show up on the zoom gallery view, and you hear of other sessions worth checking out.
Woody Hegedus is a live sketch artist and fashion illustrator. He runs this session that I have seen so many of my illustration buddies use. You can find the next sessions on via his Instagram account.
@dropdeadgorgeous_drawing
@woodyhegedus

Draw Brighton

Running since 2009, Draw has had to rely solely on Patreon as a revenue stream for its community since Covid-19. Afternoon and evening sessions
https://www.draw-brighton.co.uk
@draw_brighton

Reconfigure Life Drawing

Topaz Pauls based in Edinburgh, Wednesdays 7 pm-9 pm GMT
https://www.reconfigurelifedrawing.com
@reconfigure_lifedrawing

Draw Nell by Nellie Blue

Nellie is an actress, model and filmmaker in New York City. She runs her own figure, portrait and fashion sessions over Zoom. You can find Nellie on Instagram @nellie_blue and #DrawNell. To get on her mailing list write her on Instagram or email her at all iamnellieblue@gmail.com.

There is always YouTube…

Where do I start? Just try typing “life drawing” into the search bar for a wealth of choices. I always found the New Masters Academy videos are good for warmups even though some are still photos. The ever-present stopwatch adds that little bit of tension that life drawing needs.
@newmastersacademy
New Masters Academy on YouTube

I hope you found this quick guide useful. Do give me a shout if you have found any classes you think I should try out. I’ll try and add new links to this page as and when I find new sessions.