Life Drawing

I went to my first life drawing class after work today. Well, not exactly a class, but there was a model and a few folk drawing her. It was a bit strange - I hadn't realised the woman was the model at first, and wondered who she was - this was in school - and then I realised that it was Thursday and there is life drawing on a Thursday. (She was dressed at that point!) It was a bit strange at first as she disrobed, because having a naked woman sitting in a classroom is not an everyday occurrence (just a weekly art one!), so I started be sketching the outline of her back and the shape of her legs, and by that time everyone was so intently drawing that I had become used to her nakedness too and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable half an hour or so. I was quite pleased with my finished work, apart from the fact that I had sketched it with the paper on the table at a slight angle to me, and when I lifted it up to look at it, the face in particular was completely different! I will need to remember that for next time! It was like an optical illusion - it looks sort of normal from a certain perspective, but from viewing on a wall perspective it's sort of elongated. (Also, the face is not particularly good anyway, since I'm not a great faces person.) The woman was very striking. She had quite spiky hair, and deeply hooded eyes, thickly covered in blue eyeshadow and black kohl. Her mouth, purposively painted, was set in a calm yet pouting distinctive way. Her eyebrows were black and arched. She wore a purple beaded necklace.

It had been a good day all round. My Year 9s produced some artwork and two of my Year 10 boys, who are on report and often don't turn up at all, took part in some excellent, thoughtful discussion about poverty and wealth. Does money always make you happy? Is it always a bad thing? Can you be happy if you are poor?