Back to Sketch Night - Society of Illustrators

After a little break from Sketch Night due to another class falling on the same evenings each week, I dipped my toes back in last night. It was inspiring and energizing as always. The models were terrific, the jazz band exceptionally good and a larger turn out than I expected on such a warm, balmy night here in NYC. Here is a 10 minute ink sketch that I rather like.

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Life Drawing and Fashion Illustration

Going to classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology was liberating. Two evenings a week I sketched frantically in a fashion illustration class. The longest pose was 20 minutes but these were rare. The models posed mostly for 3, 5 and 7 minutes. I had to throw out the rule book, well a lot of it, for life drawing and adapt to fashion illustration rules. As it turns out, working so fast for fashion will help me with my fast poses in classical life drawing and the classical life drawing certainly influenced my pursuit of expression in fashion illustration. In the end, I realized that one feeds off the other. Both great disciplines to have and I have a passion for both. The class consisted of fashion design students, professional fashion designers and others with a love for fashion illustration like myself. Having written my degree thesis on the subject years ago, it was wonderful to be in the company and under the influence of a tutor who worked at Women's Wear Daily in the late 60's, early 70's. Follow @EleanorRahim

Life Drawing at Grand Central Academy of Art, NY

Finally, after far too long an absence from life drawing, I finally decided to rise above my fears and go back to classes. I started with Dan Thompson and Jon DeMartin at the Art Students League and then continued classes with Jon at the Grand Central Academy of Art. After a sticky start, I finally got into it with brilliant guidance by Jon and the input and influence of the other students. However, there is still so much to learn. Anatomy, expression, technical technique. It can feel overwhelming but mostly it is exhilarating. The classes gave me the confidence to try 'Sketch Night' at the Society of Illustrators and then embark on a fashion illustration course at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

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