Male Nude as a Warrior - Figure Drawing in Graphite

Our figure drawing group in Woodstock was very lucky to have Mike posing for us in military garb on Thursday. He is a very professional model, and you can tell that he treats the job as more than just "standing there" - he actually made a spear to use based on a drawing he saw in a book. He had several props, including a sword and a shield, and a cranberry piece of cloth that he used to tie over his shoulder, giving him the look the he just stepped out of the screen of the movie "300".

And let me tell you - holding this pose was not an easy task. Any one who has ever done Yoga knows that holding a pose is incredible exercise!

I did two graphite sketches from different vantage points. The lighting was great, and he has incredible definition in his torso. This is a plus and a challenge - every breath changes the landscape of his torso, so you have to either catch a moment or combine each lighting change as he breathes.

The pose and costume reminded me of the sketch I did of the soldier on the horse, much like the one my great-grandfather did.

You can tell that Mike is one of my favorite models - more samples of male nude drawings.