Hitting the ground running

Since I've got back from my holiday I've not stopped being on the go, which is great, and I'm really pleased about. Some holidays it takes a while to get going again  with the work momentum after the relaxing break (or maybe that's just the jet lag when you feel like shit because you're wide awake at 3am but half asleep by 4pm!!).  But, I think it helped that on the day that I was travelling back from France there was over 9 hours sitting in a car, and four hours of sitting on a ferry, so I was able to get my mind in gear again, and think of the jobs I needed to do when I got home, so by the time I stepped over the threshold, I was mentally focused and totally tuned into the work in progress.

Which is a lovely job for me to come back to do.

It's a nude.
Of a man.
In watercolours.

Just the sort of thing, that's right up my street! :)

I'm working from a set of photos, that I took of the guy in question, as it's easier for me to do it that way. I know when someone is in a pose, it can be hard work, and the pain, concentration, need for a stretch, or an itch, shows on the face, and in the posture, and in the aching muscles. So, I made the decision to do it from photo, which I can do at my pace, and get it right for the client, so that he will look at it and know instantly its him, that he posed for it, but he won't have the unhappy memories of getting cramp whilst he did it!

I've drawn out the image, and am happy with the drawing, so the rest should follow on easily enough after that. I love the way the colours build up slowly, the highlights of pale colour on the skin, slowly building up the tones of colour to make the darks, and give the figure form and life.

And it's going really well so far...... I can't wait to get on with it!

Stuart

Now we've got Christmas out of the way, I thought I'd share with you the letter I've had from the chap I drew the other week. He's happy for me to show his letter here, as well as the drawings I did of him....

Dear Jackie

I have knocked out this piece about the sitting at your home on December 3rd. I have allowed my memories to filter down over the weeks and have tried to make them representative of my experience. Should you like to use it in your blob (or is it blog) please free free. Everyone who has seen the drawings are impressed by them both the quality of your work and my temerity in being pictures in such a way (as they think) and the audacity of my showing them with great pride.

Regards Stuart

..... For some time now I have entertained the idea of commissioning a life study of myself by a competent artist although I am aged 72 but in fairly good shape. My resolve to accomplish this ambition was accentuated when I attended a life class workshop. I was was enthralled by the craft of the male nude model and his ability to remain absolutely still for very long periods. "I would like to try that myself", I thought and so I enquired as to the possibility of finding a local artist who would be willing to execute the commission. A few weeks later I received a recommendation for Jackie Adshead, a professional, versatile artist who specialises in erotic art.

I contacted Jackie by phone and she agreed to undertake the commission as soon as she had reduced her current workload.

One thing I have lacked during my lifetime is super confidence. As soon as I had realised I would be posing nude feelings of apprehension engulfed me. Would I have the nerve to divest myself of clothing in front of a woman and an attractive one, as I later found out. Only my wife had seen me naked since I reached adulthood except for a few medical men and women. However, when the day arrived to visit Jackie at her home for the sittings, I was strangely calm. She ushered me in and made me feel at home with her friendly, confident, professional approach which installed confidence in me. We had a short general conversation before she showed me some of her beautiful work and described some of the media in which she worked. I elected to have two drawings in graphite on A3 paper. We decided that the first pose would be seated and reading a book. The second would be on a couch with me in a supine position. Jackie decided that a standing pose might prove difficult and tiring for a beginner.

In the drawings I wanted to make a statement:- "This is me as God made me and I have nothing to hide or be ashamed". I would also ask Jackie "What do you see" and the answer would be in her depiction. My desire was to see myself as others see me and not through the lens of a camera. The drawings must be frank as I did not want any coyness or false modesty in them.

With the chair in which I was to pose in place the moment of truth had arrived for me to take the plunge and divest myself of my clothing. The degree of success in Jackies introduction could be judged by the confident way I walked nude across the room to assume my pose. It was strange, however, to be walking naked in someones home in front of a woman I had only known for a hour. Jackie had provided some of my favourite music as background, predominently the works of Beethoven. I also had a pleasant view through the window of the garden. We engaged in pleasant general conversation as Jackie worked and it soon became clear that we had enjoyed a common interest in local and social history. The conversation only flagged when Jackie was engaged in the execution of a challenging piece of drawing that demanded full conversation.
The time flew by and after about a hour and three quarters the first drawing was complete. My only inconvenience experienced during the time was the pressure points on my back caused by the chair became noticable. It amazed me that I had sat for that length of time and only noticed my lack of clothes when I glanced down. We had a break between poses when we enjoyed a cup of tea. I was so used to being nude that I did not bother to get dressed for such a short time. During the sitting no sexual thoughts crossed my mine. There is great beauty and innocence in the human body. At no time did I feel vulnerable as I trusted Jackie implicitly. Perhaps before a class of students I might be less comfortable.

The second drawing took only just a bit more than a hour. Both the drawings are magnificent and the more I see them the more I like them and they are among my most treasured processions. Not only has Jackie captured the essential me but also the essence of human nature with all its mysteries.

All in all, it was a very interesting and intriguing experience which I surprisingly enjoyed. I would certainly pose again. One occurence amused me when I was getting myself in position for the second pose. Jackie requested "Could you lower your right leg, I cannot see your genitals", It took me totally by surprise. I met Jackie a few days later and she recognised me fully clothed!

Thank you Jackie. I will never forget you!

A change is as good as a rest

Since I first started doing the Fantasy Fannies a couple of months ago, all I've been thinking about is them . Female art. Very abstract feminine female art. But this week brings with it the wind of change, and I am now involved in some masculine art. I have been asked to draw a guy. He's never been drawn naked before, but he's interested in art and has decided that he would like to be drawn. He's led an interesting life, and I think he will enjoy this experience. He wants a woman to draw him, rather than a man. And to start with, when I heard that, I wondered if there was an "ulterior motive" - because I am very aware that some guys might think that if there's a woman who's an erotic artist drawing them, then they might get more than a painting out of it! So I have to make that clear from the start, that it is "work" for me, and it will be "hard work" for them. He understands that. He says he is feeling some trepidation at meeting me. I can understand that, its a new experience for him. Its all quite normal for me. But drawing him will be a first for me - he's a chap in his 70's, and when he asked me if I'd ever painted a pensioner before, I had to say I hadn't!

And to add to this, this morning I had a younger guy ring me wanting me to do a "bedroom picture" for him. We were on the phone for an hour, and it took a lot of gentle chit-chat to find out what he wanted exactly. He probably has never had the sort of conversation we had, before, and I must admit it struck me as amusing and novel! Because his "bedroom picture" was more than just a sensual nude sitting in a chair, artfully lit. He was a bit more specific than that. He wanted a woman in the picture, a woman with very large breasts, and he wanted her "doing something" - ok, I agreed, I could do that. What exactly did he imagine she was doing? Well, it seemed he wanted her doing something quite specific, to a man to be exact. And he wanted the man to be himself. Ok, I see, well yes, that was possible, I could do that, and agreed it was indeed a "bedroom picture"! He said he was happy to pose for the drawing, which helps, because if I'm drawing him, it might as well be him. He's never posed before, and thought that the opportunity would be "good" for him. I can see that he might think that! But I made it very clear that it was highly unlikely that I was going to find a model, a) specifically one who fits his description of the woman of his dreams, who was b) going to pose, and c) going to do what he specifically wanted. But the point is that I can take various images from various sources and put them all together, to compose the image he wants. So I probably deflated his fantasy, in reality anyway. But I know I can create it on paper for him. And that's what I do. I paint peoples dreams. He's come to me with an idea, and we've discussed it, I can picture it, he can picture it, so now I have to get inside his head, and draw that image on paper so that everytime he looks at it on his bedroom wall, he feels hot and horny, looking at that image................................. Should be fun! :)

But I get the impression from the conversations with these two guys, that they feel happier being drawn by a woman artist , than a male artist. And I can understand that, most hetrosexual men don't seem to be happy being naked infront of another man. They feel more comfortable with a woman.... it makes sense....... and gives me more work!

Hot and steamy with half naked men

Well.... I suppose you could call it work, since that was the purpose of the meeting... but when Lucy Felthouse and I get together to discuss "work" we end up talking about hunky men, sexually assertive women, threesomes, sexy underwear, erotic stories and erotic art! And what a very pleasant and enjoyable way to spend an evening!! But the really good thing is - we inspire each other, with my erotic images and her erotic words. She's gone off with another batch of my most recent images to use in conjunction with her stories and given me a list of ideas she's got for stories not yet written, the ones still swirling around in her head, most of which seem to involve half naked hunky men, with large biceps, a six-pack, strong jawlines, tight firm buttocks, powerful legs, and one idea in particular that's really inspiring me at the moment ..... of a naked hunky man in the shower, soaping himself down, his back half turned, as the warm water trickles over his sun kissed skin........ sigh...... yep, I think I'll be very happy to paint that picture.......

Suprise turn

Chatting with a friend in the pub last night, he told me again that he wanted to pose for me. He'd told me this last week too, but I thought it was the late night beer talking. He's never posed for an artist before and is both thrilled and scared at the same time (always a potent mix for erotica!!). He said that his life is mundane, and the chance of me drawing him lifts his life out of the mundane. I was touched and appreciated his candour, and obvious delight at our forthcoming painting session. He says he'll be guided by me, for what pose I'll put him in, and is perfectly happy for me to publish the end result on my website and blog. That's nice, that he puts so much trust in me, and will be happy with the outcome, before even seeing it (although he's viewed my erotic art on my website and is impressed with it, so he knows how I paint). I'm looking forward to doing it with him. There aren't many jobs in the world, where people are happy to take their clothes off for you! There's something of the extrovert in people who can do it. I'm happy to give them the chance.

I'm wondering this week why most of my recent interesting and in-depth erotic conversations are with straight guys and bi-sexual women. There must be a reason for this. Is it that straight women just don't talk about erotica - with me at least - or is it that only straight men and bi women are interested and open about it?

Now, I've got to get some landscapes painted - how vanilla! - and not half as interesting as erotic art.