I have been going to Life drawing classes for a few months now after a break of several years. Drawing skills need practice, and you can lose them if you don’t.

I first did life drawing almost 40 years ago at college after drawing portraits of fellow pupils at school. I remember the person I first drew was a very interesting and always wore horn rimmed glasses and had her toes bandaged!

Later I did life drawing with the same group that I am in now but at Burslem School of Art (Arthur Berry was a student there). I only went for a couple of months and stopped due to ill health. But now I’m drawing again.

So what can you learn if you draw? The proportions and anatomy of a person. Working out how large feet are in relation to legs, arms etc. Recently I did a nice drawing, but when I stood back from it I could see the head was too large and the legs and arms too short. I think that’s a problem due to my eyesight. I tend to peer through my glasses then look over the top of them to see the sketch pad.  Looking very closely means you are not always checking the bigger picture.

I guess I should measure with a pencil, but to be honest I’m too busy drawing to remember half the time.

I think life drawing should be taught as a skill at college. I have heard that a lot of classes have stopped. Art and creativity are so important, keep drawing!