Brixton Life Drawing

By
Jessica Dyer
-

Longer pose from Brixton Life Drawing

Jessica Dyer joins Brixton Life Drawing’s Thursday morning class.

During lockdown it can be harder to make time to be creative, so an hour and a half life drawing seems like a perfect way to flex those muscles and start the day.

The class starts with an introduction from co-founders Anya and Bex. The classes are all pay what you can, to keep them accessible to everyone who would like to give life drawing a go and 50% of profits are given to local charities, today the charity is Brixton Soup Kitchen.

The first few poses are shorter, held for 2 minute to warm up your hands and you are encouraged to loosen up further by drawing with your non dominant hand, drawing one continuous line, or not looking at your piece of paper.

2 minute drawings layered on top of each other
Quick 2 minute drawings exercises layered on top of each other

The model then begins to hold longer poses, this gives you the freedom to explore the shapes of the body, the light and shade on the figure and add more detail to your sketches. Bex and Anya continue to offer alternative ways of drawing, “Perhaps you could use two pencils at the same time” interjects Bex.

Longer pose from Brixton Life Drawing Class
Longer pose from Brixton Life Drawing Class

The last poses are quicker again, softening your focus on perfection and winding down the session. Participants are encouraged to show their work during the zoom session and afterwards on social media, recreating the end of an in person class, sharing different versions of the same pose.

Anya and Bex, local residents, usually run Brixton Life Drawing classes in Brixton’s Studio B – but since the pandemic, they have moved online and things have been booming!
Last drawings of the class, using on continuous line
Last drawings of the class, using on continuous line
The online classes are now attracting hundreds of people from across the world. “It’s amazing! On Tuesday we had 300 people log on to draw with us” says Anya. “We offer the classes as pay what you can to keep art accessible to all and the money raised goes towards paying our life models their full salary as well as donating 50% of all profits to local charities, so far we’ve supported Compliments of the House, South London Cares, Solace Women’s Refuge and Brixton Soup Kitchen.”
Classes run on Tuesday evenings at 7pm and Thursday mornings at 10am all via zoom. With special classes including portrait sessions being added.
You can book on Instagram or email Brixton Life Drawing.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Hi Anya, Got your Zoom reminder but could not attend today (June 2nd) but is the Meeting ID and Password the same every week, plus do you guys schedule other life drawing meetings at any other times or days in addition to 7pm your time on Tuesdays, please.
    Thanx, David

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