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I'm feeling sooooo much better! I think I'll even make it to kung fu tonight. I just have a little bit of a cough, and yesterday, I even made it to the gym with f00 to do some weight-lifting. I had to take it easy yesterday, and I lowered the weights on a few things, but I made it through the workout unscathed (unlike f00, who whinged about being weak, tired, and sore afterwards. Wimp!).
I modelled this morning, and also escaped that relatively unscathed despite the 45-minute reclining pose on an unpadded surface. You know, I think figure models should be unionized or something. We really are treated not so well as we should be. For the same wages we were paid ten years ago, we're expected to:
* be naked in rooms so cold the artists are all complaining despite wearing sweaters or jackets (thankfully, all the classes I model for currently have space heaters)
* be naked on filthy surfaces (charcoal, mud, or worse--today I was asked to recline on a grimy wooden box which hadn't been washed since a dog had "posed" there the week before. Yeah, right! I sure would like tapeworms, please! I waited until the box was washed off with hot, soapy water before setting my nekkid arse on it)
* lose circulation in various body parts for prolonged periods of time. This honestly does make me wonder if figure models are prone to deep vein thrombosis.
* hold facial expressions for prolonged periods of time (this is impossible to do convincingly)
* hold painful poses on hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time (this sometimes even causes bruising, depending on how bony the model is)
* get paid whenever the school happens to have some spare cash, as opposed to being paid on a set schedule
Now, some of these things are just part and parcel with the job (eg. holding uncomfortable poses). However, other aspects really could be improved. Is it really so hard to wash the area where the model will be? Is it so very expensive to buy a few cushions and blankets and keep them laundered? And considering how much tuition has been increased over the past decade, is it really impossible to give the models a comparable pay increase? This is hard work--more physically demanding than I personally found being a woods worker--and it's also unpopular work. I think most people would rather have the flu than pose naked in front of a room filled with scrutinizing strangers, or, even worse, in front of scrutinizing casual acquaintances.
Ah well. It sure beats being a grocery store cashier.
I modelled this morning, and also escaped that relatively unscathed despite the 45-minute reclining pose on an unpadded surface. You know, I think figure models should be unionized or something. We really are treated not so well as we should be. For the same wages we were paid ten years ago, we're expected to:
* be naked in rooms so cold the artists are all complaining despite wearing sweaters or jackets (thankfully, all the classes I model for currently have space heaters)
* be naked on filthy surfaces (charcoal, mud, or worse--today I was asked to recline on a grimy wooden box which hadn't been washed since a dog had "posed" there the week before. Yeah, right! I sure would like tapeworms, please! I waited until the box was washed off with hot, soapy water before setting my nekkid arse on it)
* lose circulation in various body parts for prolonged periods of time. This honestly does make me wonder if figure models are prone to deep vein thrombosis.
* hold facial expressions for prolonged periods of time (this is impossible to do convincingly)
* hold painful poses on hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time (this sometimes even causes bruising, depending on how bony the model is)
* get paid whenever the school happens to have some spare cash, as opposed to being paid on a set schedule
Now, some of these things are just part and parcel with the job (eg. holding uncomfortable poses). However, other aspects really could be improved. Is it really so hard to wash the area where the model will be? Is it so very expensive to buy a few cushions and blankets and keep them laundered? And considering how much tuition has been increased over the past decade, is it really impossible to give the models a comparable pay increase? This is hard work--more physically demanding than I personally found being a woods worker--and it's also unpopular work. I think most people would rather have the flu than pose naked in front of a room filled with scrutinizing strangers, or, even worse, in front of scrutinizing casual acquaintances.
Ah well. It sure beats being a grocery store cashier.
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no subject
Date: 2003-03-27 01:47 pm (UTC)From:Modeling is extremly hard work. Something the uninitiated fail to understand. Remarks from the art students don't make things any easier especially when people make assumptions just because you work with your clothes off.
Perhaps a rule of thumb should be that the rate of pay is equal to that which the teacher gets...hmmm.
no subject
Date: 2003-03-27 06:03 pm (UTC)From:Re:
Date: 2003-03-27 06:43 pm (UTC)From:...Maybe I got paid by the inch???
no subject
Date: 2003-03-27 06:48 pm (UTC)From:Yeah, it's Canadian. But minimum wage here is just under $6/hour, so at least I'm making more than I did at my shit jobs. Ugh.
Still, it irks me to know that models in larger cities are making well over twice what I make. It especially irks me, because I know I'm a damned good model. I ought to be with over ten years of experience.
Re:
Date: 2003-03-28 10:07 am (UTC)From:Hard to believe it was so many years ago...
It seemed the asswipes that were in charge considered models a dime a dozen and thought I was unique in that I had an obviously unpampered quality and hair that was easily dyed. I can see how they get away with underpaying you with that in mind. you should fight for higher pay
The nude modeling for the art school was sadistic. Drafty rooms, faggots leering, splinters and cramps in my spine from holding silly postures.
It's best to be multi-employable if I had to rely on modeling I couldn't do it with my spinal problems incurred since my previous career...
It's amazing how models are in high demand where I live now and they get paid damn well.
I haven't done any in the Aspen area but I've had a few that were here from around the world on photo shoots.
I sometimes think about going to a cattle call when some ski clothier is doing a shoot but I remember the crap I went through and tack an extra hour or two to a current client's bill at the tech work that pays the bills lately instead.
Life owes me a living. I just need to find where I can collect my backpay!
no subject
Date: 2022-01-01 02:44 pm (UTC)From:Modeling
Date: 2003-04-11 09:00 pm (UTC)From: (Anonymous)Pretty inhumane. Artists don't need a constant pose anyway, they shouldn't be trying to copy directly, if so then take a picture and put it on a screen.
JLW
Re: Modeling
Date: 2003-04-13 06:25 am (UTC)From:When drawing from a model, there are also other factors than the multitude of perspectives. The model, no matter how skilled, will move at least slightly during the course of the pose. During a sustained pose, the model will often move quite a bit. For instance, in a seated position, the back will generally slump, sometimes several inches.
The lighting may change, especially if natural, non-diffused light is used.
These things make life-drawing a real challenge.
Also, I am quite capable of holding a pose for forty-five minutes without needing to move. A break every five minutes or so would be detrimental to both the artist and the model. I sincerely doubt I could get back into the same pose every five minutes. It would be singularly impossible to get back into the same position if I was modelling drapery of any kind.
As for "trying to copy directly", this really can't be done by artists. A sketch is not a snapshot.
Poses of different lengths are used for various things. 10- to 60-second poses are used for gestural drawings, whereas an hour-long pose may be used for a chiarascuro drawing.
I don't think there is a real solution to a model's dilemma. As long as there is figure drawing, there will be people suffering for other people's art.
And honestly, when it comes down to pain and suffering, I'd much rather be a figure model than I'd ever want to be a grocery store cashier again. Not THAT was a whole lot of hurting. At least modelling has never made me made wear a sling, given me RSI, or landed me in the emergency room.