Nubia In Watercolor

I did a full class in watercolor for my second model drawing class, and it was interesting albeit less successful. But I think the tehcnique held up, just wondering more about how the students took to it.

Nicholas and his St.Andrew's Cross 2

I realized I have been remiss in finalizing many of the sketches for this S&M story, so I pulled out this rough from last January and started doing better finishes, especially since I recently got a walking reference (albeit for another project idea) from Nick that I could use as a reference for this. Perfectly, I might add, so here's to making it more him.

Also Leaning

When I did the sketch of (possibly) Nicholas leaning on a pole frontal, I wondered about a side view and quickly did this sketch.

Leather & Watercolor

Today's model drawing class was a bit of an experiment. I kinda jus went with my own techniques, and had to rethink how it might go forard for these kids. But I also thought, shouldn't I be sharing my particular way of doing things too? 

I say this because I asked the kids to map out the shadows in watercolor lightly, since there's only so much time in a model drawing session. It's different from a normal watercolor technique but with 8 minutes average, I wanted thm to get a sense of the volumes right away, sorta like a wash grisaille.

The leather, I just showed them in pencil. As once student put it, so do it like comics? Yup!

Nubia's Leather, Digital

I wondered if I should do a digital version of Nubia's model drawing outfit. So I did. It's fine, but not inspiring me to use it for tomorrow's class (which is a week behind my other class because of a snow day last winter).

Walk Together

I was watching a reel on Facebook earlier today and at one point, a photo of  Marc Jacobs and Sofia Coppola—the subjects of the reel—walking together popped up then disappeared. I was struck by how natural and relaxed they looked together. So I did this gesture sketch from the memory of that brief glimpse, albeit with two guys since I was thinking of it as a menswear fashion illustration.

I often think, "oh, I'll flesh this out more later and fix the errors and make it a fully-rendered drawing", but sometimes it's so much better to just leave the immediate, raw line just as it is, without fully-rendered anatomy and garments to take away from the gesture.

Leaning In 2

He's looking more and more like my friend/model Nicholas, I guess I've gotten his features in as symbols now in my mind. Obvi there are elements that are not him, but the brows and lips definitely feel like him.

Nubia's Leathers

One of my regular models, Nubia, has such an extensive leather wardrobe that I barely need to bring anything in, she's so equipped! So today we talked about rendering leather and these are some of the work I did to demonstrate.

Leaning In

I had a photo idea for a friend of mine to model for a nude that's perfectly frontal yet without revealing him fully. I wonder now if this is better as a sketch or as an actual photo?

Frontal Recliner 2

I adjusted the pose and started experimenting with the colors, but I'm still not into this. It might just be a study I went through to get somewhere else...

Rebecca

Both my regular models were unavailable for  my Tuesday class, so I ended up booking an older model, who is also a former dancer. Rebecca could actually hold a pose well! I got the feeling she was an old East Village bar habitue—she had that classic old New Yorker feel to her.

I forgot to take photos of my sketches of her so I'll upload them later.

edit 04.11.26: sketches added and blog entry updated!

Frontal Recliner

Taking off a bit on a photo a fave model sent me online, I thought, is he trying to get me to draw him in this rather  naughty pose? I mean, I'm all for it, but this particular model was always so careful about his...exposure.

East Bunneh

This was actually a makeup drawing as I had neglected to do one during teh actual day. But it was a nice two continuous lines drawing (the second line was the eye)

StonerHustle Also

This one is the more racy, although I have quite a few racy poses from him that  can draw. But this is the beginnings of it.

Stoner Hustle, Done

Here he is in all his flouro-orange glory.

Couch Layout

I also had another idea involving multiple men seated on a couch, one of them being naked. It'd be fun to draw all these models and then one naked guy. I'm already imagining him to be my usual model Nicholas.

Fashion Tableau

I had a push-and-pull long layout idea with multiple models at different distances from the camera, and this was the rough layout.

Foppy

There's a neo Victorian-slash-preppy vibe I'm getting from men's fshion these days, so this little fop is invoking that vibe.

Stone Hustle 5

Making incremental but significant adjustments to this guy. I can't wait until I get a groove where I can't stop drawing. it's been a lot of start-n-stop with this one for reasons I don't understand!

Eyes

I thought it would be fun to do a shared eye between two different faces.

Notebook Cover

I was inspired by the cover of a notebook being sold by a very chic online desktop goods seller. It's a seriously well-curated store, and this cover was decorative abstract art. i got inspired by the colors and technique, so I thought I'd see what I could make of it, in my oeuvre, of course.

Sheerly Sophie

Last day before Spring break, and my Friday model drawing class is learning to do sheer fabrics and lace. Model Sophie was on today, which was good because I myself (as well as the class) seemed ready for Spring break already. Anyhow, these were teh demos I did. Can't say the facs are great, but I think I got the lesson across in rendering.

Courreges Beauty

I was looking online a few days ago, at a website that we at FIT have access to. And when I examined the latest pics from Nicolas di Felice's most recent Courreges show, I didn't realize wit would end up to be his last one. I started this sketch then, but touched it up a bit (even if it's intentionally raw and unpolished).

Colby, Done

I changed the background to my couch, and leaned into the side lighting a bit. I also did a lot of refinements on teh face and body, especially the abs. Although after publishing on Instagram i realized I should have cleaned up the arm on the right a bit more as the highlights are a bit too defined. Oh well!

Colby 5

So my issue now is, I don't know how to resolve the background. I know I need to have one, but the seat he was on and the actual situation wasn't as attractive a set up as I would like. So I'm trying to fake something in a looser fashion, but am not completely satisfied yet.

Colby 4

If I'm going to publish this on Instagram, I need to find a way to hide his dick just in case they get censor happy. With the bed idea I thought maybe some fabric, but I think I need to do a better job of it—this floating, angelica swathe isn't quite the scene.

Colby 3

I think the bed idea won't work especially if I'm doing such strong reflected lights on his left side. But I guess I'll finish the body rendering and see what works.

Colby 2

So he posed on a chair leaning against a wall, but this position looks like he's reclining on a bed, so i tried that. Not sure...

Colby

At one point I was reviewing old image files and found my series of photographs that I took of my former crush and occasional mode, who I'm calling "Colby" for his privacy. I found an old pose that I wanted to do, one that I had even asked Ernesto to pose for. But here it was, I had already asked for it and I'm apparently so repetitive in my ideas! Anyhow, I already have teh pose so now I can do the sketch. This is the initial rough.

Shine On, Nubia!

Today's lesson was rendering shine in garment fabrics, with stalwart model Nubia modelling. I always have fun with this lesson, as I think I make my best work with it, and I also start to draw more like myself when I demo. I realize I dumb things down a bit earlier in class, so that the students can imitate me, so I try to make it more easily imitated.

Formerly Red Croquises

I wanted to post these for Instagram as I was lacking any new work to post, so I changed some proportions and cleaned it up a bit, and changed the colors while I was at it. I posted it last night but saved this version after with even more slight adjustments.

Directions

A student wanted to drop off their homework instead of attending class, purporting that their grandmother died and I didn't let on but I know that grandparents mysteriously die again and again around midterms and finals. Anyhow, I gave them a rudimentary map of where my desk was in the office. I bet he doesn't actually submit.

Olive, now Violet Jared

This was from a post I made back in 2021, which I entitled "Olive" because of the olive background marks. But I recently rediscovered the face I drew and rather liked it, so I've retooled it to make for another composition. Jared was the name of the other model I was drawing at teh time, on the same file, and now it's his name too.

Hair Scarf, Done

I always liked the idea of tying your long hair around your neck like a neckerchief, and I found an old sketch I did in 2019 doing that. But it was never finalized, so I just opened up that 7 year old file and finished it up.

Dressing Room Refit

My friend Nicholas is a woodworker and I am doing some exhange deals with him, and I was thinking I could use more shelving in my dressing room area. This is a (very rough) sketch of my initial thoughts.

Stoner Hustle 4

I got a little further along with this, but haven't hit a stride yet where I feel, "yeah we're cooking now." But getting there!

Face Lessons

I was trying to demonstrate how to draw fingers in various views, including how to draw 3/4 faces. These were some visuals I out up on screen.

Nicholas Seated

I drew this back in January but just made adjustments today to include a chair I imagined, then saw a real life example of today, in an email! I love real world confirmation.

Roccoco Rocco 2

As a baseline sketch, I didn't love where the marks or linework was, but I did see a clear idea still in it, so I went in and did a NEW rough sketch to see if it can be realized further. Now his position feels oddly stylized and dynamic for such a static scene. I might have to add some birds and flying objects.

Roccoco Rocco

You know how your brain assimilates all the recent things you've been seeing, and may suddenly blurt out an idea to you in your head and you think, oh, that seems familiar yet I'm not sure how that came about? No? Just me? Anyhow, that. I had a sudden urge to draw a man with luxurious retro waves curled amid a mass of fabrics and textures and colors. This is just the start, we'll see if I even finish haha

Sample Submission

Sometimes I have to visually show my students what to do, so I posted this image about how I wanted them to submit their first 2 months worth of work to me.

Matt at Fransciso's

I had originally planned to visit my friend Philip for his birthday, but a change of plans left me free to join my friend Francisco at his place, to draw lithe model Matt. After t4 great 5 min warmups, we got into one pose that eventually because a long 1 hour pose (with breaks, of course) and I got to revisit an old colored pencil technique of mine.

Flatness 3

I was looking for older sketches to post on Instagram and found some old studies I never developed. I like this core-shadow chiaroscuro on solid flat shapes idea, an extension of what I did last year with my black model wearing a Valentino blouse, so I played with it to see where I could take it.

Dick Pic

A model of mine asked if I could draw his erection. I often eschew doing such things but the challenge was, how do I make this art? I'm kind of intrigued by the challenge.

Curly-Haired Quickface

I gave yesterday's sketch a mop of curls. And some weird purple coloring.