How To Be A Great Life Model

I often joke that I like to shock my Nonna (bless her cynical soul) by telling her I take my clothes off for money, but the truth of it is life modelling is totally non-sexy work.

As of writing this in February 2020, I’ve been life modelling for approaching 7 years. In that time, I’ve modelled for countless sketch clubs, oil paintings, portraiture, sculpture, tattoo artists, even movement pieces and as part of a duo.

I know what I’m doing, and many (many) of my friends have come to me over the years asking for tips and advice on how to be a life model. After typing it out onto Facebook chat for the umpteenth time, I decided it was time to save my fingers the repetitive typing and immortalise it in a Medium post.

How To Be A Great Life Model Part 1: Preparation

Know your body.

Know what you can hold and for how long. You don’t have to be athletic or strong or skinny to be a life model, but it does help to have some awareness of what your body can do and for how long.

Take some time in your room, set a timer and try out holding a few things for different lengths of time. I strongly advise actually doing this because getting into a pose and realising you can’t hold it is both painful and unprofessional.

A standard 2-hour sketch-club or class (in Sydney, Australia) will start with 1 minute poses, then move to 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s, 15s, 20, and maybe a 30-minute pose, so be prepared for all of those.

For poses of over an hour (unlikely except for portrait, oil painting, or sculpture), you can expect them to place some kind of marker (tape or chalk) around you so you can get up and stretch then return to the exact same spot.

Have a (backup) plan.

When I first started out, I was terrified that the timer would ring and I would have no idea what to do next. If you’re nervous about this, spend a little time thinking about some mental prompts you could turn to if you get stuck.

It sounds silly, but even thinking things like ‘I’m an elephant, I’m a flower, I’m a teapot’ can help you out.

Consider your kit.

Some models turn up with nothing. Some turn up with a bag full of costumes and props. It’s up to you and wherever you’re modelling (some places will have themes or request costumes) but I always take a bag with some kind of robe or dressing gown to wear and some wet wipes (I’m often coming straight from work).

I’ll sometimes drape my robe over the chair/couch/stage/whatever, so you could also consider having a piece of fabric to use like this. Some places are diligent with washing sheets and cushions and…some places aren’t.

Remember you’re nude. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

PRO TIP: DO NOT MOISTURISE SHORTLY BEFORE YOUR SESSION. You might like the idea of looking nice and silky but there’s nothing worse than getting into a pose and feeling one of your body parts start to slip.

Part 2: Modelling

Command the room.

You’re performing from the minute you step into the room. Stand up straight, move with purpose, and command attention even before you start. For me, the modelling starts while I’m still robed and the teacher is introducing the session. It’s a time for me to fall into a calm, focused headspace and bring awareness to my body.

Assess yourself.

How are you feeling today? Do you have any particular aches, pains, twinges, or tightness? Pay attention to your body and make a quick mental note of any considerations you need to give yourself.

PRO TIP: Feeling particularly tight? Take posing as an opportunity to get a nice long stretch.

Assess the space.

Okay, this is a big one. A huge one. Doing this well is what differentiates professional models from people looking for some extra cash and is what’ll get you repeat bookings.

Modelling requires an acute awareness not only of yourself but of the space available to you and how the audience can see you.

Let me repeat that. The MOST important factor in any modelling gig is:

“HOW DOES THE AUDIENCE SEE ME?”

• Where is the audience?
• Are they in front of you?
• In a semi-circle?
• 360 degrees?
• How far back does the audience go?
• Are you on a raised platform?
• Are there any areas in your modelling space which some people won’t be able to see?

There’s one place I model which is a stage with a chaise lounge. It’s a deep room and the audience goes quite far back — which means most of my modelling is done perched on top of the couch rather than using all that beautiful space on the stage. Because half the audience wouldn’t be able to see what I was doing down there.

You also need to look at the space you’re using:

• Is it stable?
• Is there furniture?
• What is there for you to lean on (if anything)?
• If there is furniture, how can you use it without anyone’s view being blocked by the back of the chair or the armrests?

I also like to check what level the drawers are at. Part of being aware of ‘how does the audience see me’ is being aware of things like twists, tricky weight distributions, and foreshortening.

Beginners can be overwhelmed and discouraged by more complex poses, while more advanced drawers can be bored by overly simplistic poses.

Timed or self-timed?

Most places will have someone timing you. Some places will ask you to self-time, in which case it’s fine to have a stopwatch or timer set on your phone. Sometimes I count in my head. Sometimes I use a Tabata app with preset timings so I don’t have to interrupt the flow of my poses by resetting a timer on my phone. This one is up to you.

To prop or not to prop?

As a rule of thumb, only use props when they allow you to hold a pose you couldn’t otherwise hold or help you communicate some sort of character or story.

I love modelling with some kind of stick, scarf, or stool because they exponentially increase the positions I can put myself into, but don’t hold something just for the sake of it. Unless, of course, the place you’re modelling at has a theme and has requested those props. In that case, go to town.

Use a prop to place your body somewhere challenging or to convey a character, but don’t hold something just for the sake of it.

Short poses.

Short poses are great to warm up your body and get your head in the game. This is a fun time to experiment with what you can do because an awkward pose will be over soon.

Keep in mind that this is also a time for the sketchers to warm up, so don’t jump straight into a convoluted pose.

Long poses.

Long poses can be more relaxing because you’re usually sitting or reclining. Take care not to get too comfortable or you might drop off. (This has happened to me.) When you’re doing several long poses, the challenge lies in coming up with enough variations on sitting/reclining to keep things interesting.

For poses 15 minutes or longer, make sure none of your limbs are crossed and your neck is straight. Your neck will seize quite quickly if it’s turned, and crossing your legs or ankles might feel comfortable at first but trust me. Things go numb way faster than you think.

PRO TIP: If you’re stuck on inspiration for multiple long poses, the same pose rotated around will give sketchers a different angle. Voila. New pose.

Part Three: Professionalism & Safety

The Icky things

Sometimes things can happen that will make you uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s because people are unaware, and sometimes it’s straight-up creepy.

Photos: People should not, under any circumstances, be taking photos of you while you’re posing nude. The organiser of the group should make an announcement about this at the beginning of the group. If people want to take photos of their artwork, insist they wait until you’re robed during the break. If you see someone on their phone and the camera is pointing at you but you’re not sure — speak up. The supervisor should gently request the person to hold their phone so the camera is facing away from you or put a sticky note/blu tack over the camera lens.

Getting all up in your space: Be professional, until this happens. I always have and always will champion taking up space and being loud when something inappropriate is happening.
Especially women.
Especially women in vulnerable positions.
If you’re not comfortable with how close someone is to you, speak up and politely but firmly say they’re in your modelling space and please move back. If they don’t, kick up a fuss. They’re the ones that should be embarrassed. Not you.

Asking out the model: It’s never happened to me, but it does happen. Handle this however you feel comfortable. If it keeps happening, have a quiet word with the organiser and ask them to make an announcement to please not ask out the model.

Commenting on your appearance: This one, actually, HAS happened to me a few times. Usually, they think they’re being nice, complimenting how I look or saying I’m so much better than other models they’ve had. I like to deal with this with a blank face and a statement along the lines of:

“Life drawing is about improving your drawing, not what you find attractive. Please refrain from commenting on my appearance or comparing me to other models.”

Private sessions

Sometimes people will ask you if you do private work. This is always at your discretion but be careful, and definitely charge more. I would advise only taking on private work with someone you know well and trust, and even then it’s absolutely fine to insist on bringing a chaperone.

Sharing artwork

It’s very likely people will want to post their artwork of you on their socials. If you like, you can take some photos (with permission) and share them on your socials too. If you do, it’s good form to tag or link to the artists if you know them. If you want to be tagged in anything that people post, just ask them. Consider having business cards with your website/socials/whatever to hand out to people.

I personally have an Instagram highlight where I share drawings and paintings of me that I particularly like.

What sets you apart?

If you’re planning on doing this seriously, it’s worth thinking about what sets you apart from other models. It could be your numerous tattoos. It could be your height or figure. It could be your background in theatre or dance or gymnastics.

It’s fine if you’re not sure. My ‘thing’ slowly became apparent as I kept modelling and figured out what I was best at.

There you have it. Life modelling is simultaneously more difficult and less intimate than people think. It can be a lot of fun being part of peoples’ creative processes, and I find it an excellent opportunity to meditate and be forced to be mindful for a couple of hours.

Know any aspiring life models that would benefit from this? Drop them a link.

Feel free to get in touch or leave me a comment if there’s anything I haven’t addressed in here already!