Life drawing in West Oxfordshire
Life drawing is an important practice for any creative person.
Although the human form appears only very occasionally in my painting, I attend life drawing sessions every couple of weeks. Why?
In the same way that a musician practices scales and arpeggios, drawing from a live, unclothed model is a superb practice for creative people, students, professional and amateur artists.Artistic skills
Life drawing enables artists to stop, think, and REALLY look! Frequent and careful observation improves hand to eye co-ordination. And like any skill, this improves with regular practice.
"Draw what you see, not what you think you see" is my mantra.
It allows artists to experiment with media. Dry media, paint, pen and ink, crayons - whatever - if it makes a mark, it's good enough.
It builds confidence. Life drawers' ability to understand proportion and how objects appear in space improves. Spotting subtleties of tone, line and colour is heightened. This is good for all creative fields.
Why nude?
The human form comes in all shapes and sizes and each person has their own grace, beauty and expression. Despite all the millions of differences between each and every one of us, because we ARE human, we can recognise in a life sketch when a line or proportion is not quite right. And that's important for self-quality control.
Figure drawing exposes an artist's shortcomings more than the nakedness of the model! Mindfulness
Contemplating the human form and trying to somehow express it on paper is a kind of mindfulness exercise. Except for the scribbling of pencils on paper, the room goes quiet, and everyone retreats into their own being, heads down, concentrating. It's like yoga or meditation for the eyes.
Join our life drawing sessions in West Oxfordshire
Our untutored, relaxed and inclusive life drawing sessions take place every other Wednesday at Mill Street Arts, 66 Mill Street, Eynsham, Oxfordshire, just 4 miles west of Oxford.
AUTUMN 2025 dates - we start on 10 September and run every other week until 3 December.
- We start promptly at 7pm, so please arrive by 6.45pm to settle in and get ready.
- A variety of models
- £10 per session - this pays for the model and room hire
- No booking required and no termly commitment - just come to the sessions that you want to
- Suitable for all abilities
- Note - the venue is wheelchair accessible.
The people who come to these sessions are a non-judgemental and supportive bunch. Whether you are a seasoned artist, a student, or you just want to have go, you will be most welcome to join us for a wonderfully mindful couple of hours.
Some of us (me included) attend every session, but others prefer to dip in and out, as and when.
If you'd like to know more, please contact my brother Paul Tomlinson who runs these sessions: paulrichardtomlinson(AT) gmail.com and he'll add you to our WhatsApp group to receive notifications and news.
If you'd like to know more, please contact my brother Paul Tomlinson who runs these sessions: paulrichardtomlinson(AT) gmail.com and he'll add you to our WhatsApp group to receive notifications and news.
