Life drawing and sketching from life is a discipline for every artist. RA students used to have to do two years of it. Why? Well it’s about observation, perspective and gives a great foundation for any paintings which incorporate one or more people.

A series of poses can be built up with or without props which can be popped into pictures. In the old days when the pictures often reflected gods/goddesses those nudes could be taken straight from the paper to the painting.

Watteau was the man for his day (1700s) and the execution of the drawings is varied at the exhibition at the RA. There seems to be a strange arm obsession going on in places – both in the positioning of the model and the odd addition to other sketches.

Inspiring use of line for tone though, and various people’s ideas of what ‘stumping’ was as they looked round was tres amusant. Looking forward to getting back to the life drawing group in May.