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May 3rd, 2007

At the portrait painting class

at the portrait painting class

This is a scene from my Tuesday night portrait painting class. The model is reclining, and the painting is midway through the first of four two hour sessions. The medium is oils. Viewers with eagle eyes will perhaps see a thin brush poised on the easel.

I don’t know how people model for art classes. I tried it for ten minutes and found myself wanting to laugh at nothing in particular. I think it is because the tutor has to explain to each pupil why they have not quite got your chin right and that your nose should be longer etc.

I have been enjoying this class – even more than the still life oil painting course I did before it. The people who paint portraits are more sociable than the ones who paint still lifes (or should it be ‘lives’ – I don’t really know). I find it relaxing because with painting one does not have to think up as many ideas.

I don’t know whether I will do another course in Leigh on Sea next term. On Tuesday some youths in a car pulled up as I was walking back to the station and started to ask me questions in silly voices. All very funny, but intimidating when you are on your own armed only with a sketchbook, a small tube of burnt umber and a nearly empty bottle of turps. This is the third incident involving threatening groups of youths in cars in the twenty five weeks I have been going. I do not feel that safe in this part of Essex after dark, but perhaps I need to toughen up a bit. I’m sure it is very safe compared to many places in the world. And armed with my tube of burnt umber I could probably take on most adversaries anyhow.

9 Comments »



This is a single Cartoon Blog entry, posted by Dave on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 at 11:56 pm.

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9 Responses to “At the portrait painting class”


  1. ash says:

    Take along a cigarrette lighter next time, and the bottle of turps becomes a highly explosive improvised grenade.

    You could also probably use the Burnt Umber as some kind of improvised banana skin trap, creating similar comic effects to the cunningly places banana skins in The Beano.

    or just pretend to be a Klingon.

    May 4th, 2007 at 12:23 am
  2. Raspberry Rabbit says:

    Dave,

    Tell them that you’ll ‘**** them up’ and then if they persist, open up your easel and draw an unflattering portrait of them.

    RR

    May 4th, 2007 at 12:32 am
  3. Jill says:

    Perhaps ask them to pose for you with their eyes closed, and then when they are all still and in position, run, run, run away………..

    May 4th, 2007 at 3:36 am
  4. Ian says:

    Good luck with the yoofs.

    And thanks for sharing your work: sounds very interesting, and great work!

    May 4th, 2007 at 4:50 am
  5. Karin says:

    Maybe your next course should be judo or karate?

    May 4th, 2007 at 7:24 am
  6. Jaded for Jesus says:

    Very nice portrait – interesting seeing you having a crack at such a different discipline. Does it feel like you’re working in slow motion?

    Reference the local youths, threaten to show them your etchings if they don’t leave you alone.

    May 4th, 2007 at 11:33 am
  7. Fr. Dave says:

    I was a youth minister for 20 years..

    Kids are dangerous… you need to have a large CD player with Barry Manilow at the ready at all times it’s better than Pepper spray.

    Peace

    Fr. Dave

    May 4th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
  8. Doris says:

    Youths can indeed be threatening. I wrote about my own Unpleasant Incident earlier this week, on just that subject. (I don’t know how to do links in comments boxes, but if you were interested it’s at http://statelymoans.blogspot.com/2007/05/unpleasant-incident.html)

    May 4th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
  9. Nefertiki says:

    For your protection and to avoid unpleasant incidents I suggest carrying your art supplies, plus a dumbell or two, in a gym bag. The benefits of this are obvious – it could be wielded in the same manner that elderly ladies swing their handbags at would-be muggers, usually with excellent results; it might scare off the youths when they think you are a super-fit bodybuilding type; you will actually become quite strong after lugging around the gym bag for awhile.

    May 9th, 2007 at 4:29 pm