Whether you've drawn from the model before, or this is your first time, everyone is welcome!
This group is for both experienced artists and amateurs to have an opportunity to draw from the nude model in a non-competitive environment. If you have never drawn from the model before and would like to join us, you are very welcome! People of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to join the group.
I started a figure drawing group in August of 2009 at The Natsoulas gallery here in Davis. It was successful at first, but attendance began to drop off after I closed the Meetup site. The gallery owner was going to promote the sessions but time and resources did not allow him to do this. Now, after moving the group to The Pence Gallery and reinitiating the Meetup site our attendance has been overwhelming.
Our current venue is the Pence Gallery at www.pencegallery.org, and our sessions are held the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month unless otherwise noted from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Our models are experienced and diverse and we have one of the largest model pools in the area.
Easels are recommended, but we do provide some tables and chairs. Some people also bring tabletop easels, but at minimum, a drawing board is advised. Most people work about 18x24 but you may work any size you like. Bring whatever dry media you wish to use: graphite, pastels, charcoal markers and anything else that falls in this category are welcome. Everyone is responsible for bringing their own materials. To spare their carpets, the Pence would prefer that no wet media (oil, acrylic, watercolor) be used. They have been generous enough to let us meet in their gallery, so we would like to pay them the courtesy of leaving the space as we found it.
The cost is $12 per person. If the group is cancelled, your money will be refunded. If we have reached the maximum number of people we can accommodate, prepaid attendees will be given preference. If you have prepaid and cannot make the group and give me at at least 24 hours notice (preferably more), we will refund your money. If you don't wish to pay online, you may also pay in cash or check at each session, but we prefer that you pay by Paypal. For more information about the Pence visit www.pencegallery.org. SPACE IS LIMITED!
Donations
If you'd like to give a donation, you can do so online on our "about" page under the "pages" tab, or click here.
About Being Willing to Fail
When I first started coming to the groups I felt a lot of pressure to perform. I hadn't drawn from the model in a number of years, I was rusty and I didn't want to embarrass myself. But as I've gone to more and more of these groups I've realized that there are a lot of really talented people who come to them and that no matter how good anyone is, everyone has a bad night. So since I gave myself permission to draw bad drawings, I've been drawing better drawings. I've also been discovering that there are a lot of really great artists who come to the group, some of them professionals who have been making art for many many years. Some are really good at seeing contour, some at seeing light, some at anatomy. I find that if I walk around the room and really pay attention I'm going to learn something from someone different every night. There have even been times when there has been someone who has never drawn from the model before who has a good night and does a really great drawing that really amazes me. So I've found that the best attitude to have coming to the group is that nobody is the star of the show. Everyone has something to teach everyone else. That might sound trite, but in this instance it truly applies. There are so many talented people who come to the sessions you can't come expecting to impress them all. Trying too hard to impress or perform isn't going to improve your experience. All I can personally do is try to do the best work I can and have a good time. And be willing to fail.
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