IamA nude model for art classes at a large university, AMA!

Portraits or it didn't happen.

I actually think there is a sketch of me on the wall in the art department from one class, so I will try to take a picture when I go to class in a few hours!

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/2/0/20c9c_ORIG-op_will_deliver.jpg

jk, I have faith. just saving my spot because artistic titties

Actually I think the one of me you can't really see my boobs all that much, but I can't remember (and I'm not 100% sure it's me, obviously they don't draw my tattoos or w/e)

How does it feel seeing people's depictions of you naked? I've done nude modeling too and I was very flattered by the results.

It is AWESOME.

If possible I would like to see an actual picture of you to compare to the sketch. Bikini shot or nude or whichever you are comfortable with.

Um. I'm okay with this. Give me like two seconds to find or take one.

RIP your inbox.

IKR right. I'm too nice to not respond to literally every single person.

I know right right

oops i just noticed.

[deleted]

hahahaha YES.

Perhaps /u/awildsketchappeared can make an appearance

oh that would be so neat.

Do yourself a favor and censor your face so you can't be identified.

Turns out the light reflection did pretty well, but if you search my post history, you can see a few pictures of my face. It's NBD I guess.

I was thinking the same! Comparative photo & portrait please!

No portrait yet, I don't go onto campus for another two hours, but hopefully then!

I posted one in my OP.

But why male models?

But why what what? What about male models?

Are you serious? I just...I just told you that a moment ago.

No I'm really confused what are we talking about.

did you ever think that there's more to life then being really really really ridiculously good looking?!

Oh now I get it. I've only seen half of Zoolander :<

[deleted]

Hahaha, I tried convincing my husband to do it, but he was worried about the same thing. It's not really a sexual thing, but I understand if just like the whole "Please don't get a boner please don't get a boner" aspect just unconsciously makes you have a boner. Oops!

Guys just randomly get boners too though. Completely at random. I'll be sitting at my desk looking through log files or something and...bam, boner. It doesn't always have a rhyme or reason. I'm sure most male models pop one on occasion. It's not always a sexual thing, it's just sometimes your body decides "hey it's boner time."

I'd be terrified of modelling for the same reason...random boner time. Nothing stops random boner time. I'm sure this is the reason he won't do it, because he can't control the bone!

Edit: Guys you can stop posting the link to NSP's "No reason boner." Yes, I have seen it, and yes, about 4000 other people have already posted it. It's funny, I agree, but just go upvote one of the other guys who has already posted it!

hahaha, yeah i have heard stories. penises are so...weird and interesting. i only recently learned about the double stream.

Just wait till you learn about the multistream. Ever wonder why sometimes after a guy pees there is random pee spots everywhere? Multistream, and he didn't manage to clean it all up.

These penis things are a liability

I live with lots (and lots) of male roommates, and I have found pee five feet up on the wall before. HOW?!

Care to expand on "the double stream" ? Edit: Ya I get what the double stream is now. And lets face it, It's not hair, it's always left over jizz.

Like omg. When a dude has a boner and he tries to pee apparently it comes out in a double stream sometimes. I had NO IDEA.

How many hours per week do you work?

Uh, if I have two classes a week, then whatever 2h45m x 2 is. I'm an art history major, not a math major ;]

5 1/2 hours. We'll all let it slide because you get naked for art.

Pfft. Math nerd.

Does it bother you that art history is used as the primary example of the degree not to get if you want a useful degree? What do you plan on using your degree for?

ps. Yes, I am aware that many people turn their art history degrees into lucrative and/or fulfilling professions in the arts. I am just talking about the perception.

Hey, I didn't see this until just now. I think it's bullshit, but there are bigger reasons (that Reddit doesn't really like to hear) why I think STEM is pushed pushed pushed and people just like to shit all over anything lib-arts. I actually am getting more opportunities as an art history major than I did as a bio major back in the day. There's just such a flux of STEM and, yes, there are jobs in STEM fields, but the math just doesn't compute when there's a glut of students racing for those jobs.

For me, it's less competition. I go to a REALLY top university in the south (say what you may about our football, but we're not called the Harvard of the South for nothing, and I'm not necessarily talking about academics, just the prestige that comes with the name Ole Miss), and I am in a REALLY small department, and I'm excelling well. I have done one awesome internship last semester, the first semester I ever went to this school (as a transfer student, no less), and am working with a professor this summer, as well as nabbing this art modeling gig. I've got it MADE.

What I actually plan to do would preferably be teaching, but I would also love to curate & write. My big plan is to finish writing the novel I'm working on, which is art historical fiction about a (real) woman who lived in Taos in the 20s. My focus in school is minority art, predominantly minority women (both women IN art and women who MAKE the art).

Next time you go in, lay on a couch, look someone dead in the eye and whisper, "draw me like one if your French girls." Report back with a summary

HAHAHAHAHA the class would love that.

you mentioned you've finally gotten comfortable being naked in front of strangers. what motivated you to start nude modeling in the first place as a self-described awkward, shy person? have you noticed any difference in your everyday life (as in, less modesty with your partner)? also, how much does it pay?

$15 an hour, I sit for 2h45m each class period, in a variety of different poses.

I had always been interested in figure drawing modeling (an old roommate of mine did so for her mother & a few other artists), and I'm a student in the art history department, so it's important for me to associate with professors & be more involved. I found it to be actually really no big deal at all & has improved my confidence (I'm pretty but I have some body issues, and seeing the drawings is both interesting & a confidence booster sometimes!)

As far as improving life with my husband, it's the same. The only thing that's changed is he wants to buy a painting/sketch of me :]

ha, yeah, you should plaster your walls with nude pictures of yourself and act like it's no big deal when people come over. the most elaborate, expensive joke that would get old pretty fast...

i hadn't even thought about how you'd get to see the drawings afterward, but i could see how that could go both ways depending on the style of art.

Yeah, the students are usually cool with me walking over behind their easels after a long pose. The ones I saw yesterday, of me in a reclining pose, were really quite pretty!

Also I super want a sketch of myself for sure. The new class I'm going to be modeling for OMG the professor is the most incredible painter. I wish i was just posing for his work instead, but alas.

Since you're a student too, does it ever make it awkward that your professors have presumably seen you naked? I could understand coming in off the street to serve as a model, but hanging out naked with your professors adds another dimension to it.

Nope. I see the professor I mainly model for all the time (I'm an AH major, I'm always in the building). He is funny and nice and not creepy at all. :>

Hi, thanks for the AMA! Couple of questions.

• Any oddball stories from classes? Many boners/ladyboners?

• What do mentally while you pose?

• If I wanted to be a model, where would I start?

• If you saw a duckling about to walk into a drain, what would you do?

thanks!

OH GOD SAVE THE DUCKLING.

Surprisingly, no. The classes have a few "older" students, but mostly everyone is close to my age, but it remains a professional environment. It's not silent, we chitchat and make jokes (never about my body, of course, they're there to learn). No ladyboners here, (I'm married!)

To pass the time, I listen to music, if they have some that's playing, or think through songs in my head. Sometimes you have to keep a difficult pose for literally upwards of 30+ minutes(just yesterday, I was putting all of my weight on one leg, the other foot on my toes, with my right arm against the wall. It sounds simple but oh my god my legs are sore today). Sometimes I'm laying down and nearly fall asleep. Otherwise, breathe, concentrate, and don't lock your knees!

Head to your local college art department. Literally, I got started by seeing an advertisement a professor posted on the bulletin board, called, and started modeling the next day, no prior experience. I got the second class by the professor referring me to another teacher, so I guess I'm doing something right. :)

As an art student I can say this (as awful as it sounds); the model becomes just an object. Even nude, I had never felt any limerence or sexual desire for them.

No no, you're totally right. Honestly, I forget that I'm not wearing clothes. It's a job. I have to think about how to pose myself, where my light is, as well as just concentration and dealing with any pain & passing of time. Most of the time you guys are too busy trying to get the grade than pick up the model, anyway. It's nice if you talk to us though (if you can!)

Sorry if this is a weird question, but I took a figure model drawing class one semester and always wondered - how do you handle a day when you're on your period?

I would call in, probably. Good news is, I don't get one! Huzzah!

You don't get a period? What is your secret (that I may share it with my wife)?

Hormone imbalances. Probably means I'm infertile, and I would really like to have kids (although I'm adopted and will be adopting most if not all of my children). Trust me, you don't want this. I sometimes get cripplingly depressed over it.

My friend's wife has the same thing and they have 6 kids. Look into it, and see what your options are. Go to the doctor's and find out what you can do, or what can be done.

that's very kind of you, thank you. :]

I being a nude model a full-time job? Do you work any other jobs? HOw do you feel completely comfortable with artists staring at your naked body?

1. Nope. For one class, I work every other Tuesday and Thursday (Tuesday one week, Thursday the next week, back to Tuesday, etc), and the other class I work every Tuesday and Thursday, as well as if any other models call out sick.

2. I do! I work from home, and am also in the process of writing a book. I don't do art modeling for the money (although it pays relatively well).

3. FINALLY yes. I am probably the most awkward person you will ever meet, and very shy, so preparing myself before the first time was a real trip. I think it was more a matter of "Taking my robe off the first time will be the hardest part, but then I can deal with the rest." You honestly forget you're nude, and the classes are very friendly. They're close to my age (we're all college students), so we just chitchat. It's very professional.

Probably not quite comparable, but derobing the first time sounds a lot like skydiving. Just hop out the plane and hope for the best

My dad loves to skydive, so yes, I would compare the feeling.

On cold days do you hear the endless tapping of pencil as everyone sets about drawing the goose bumps?

If not are there any other drawing sweeps or noises that make you wonder what the heck's being drawn?

Hahaha, not yet. The classroom stays pretty neutral (and it can get warm under the spotlights).

Also no, I have the thing where certain noises gives me the tingly feelings so it is wonnnnderful to listen to.

[deleted]

FUN STORY. NO BUT YES.

the FIRST TIME. as in the FIRST time i ever modeled (i was SO nervous), turns up the ex-girlfriend of my roommate was writing a paper over figure drawing classes. she got to see all the goodie bits. really, it was no big deal, she's such a sweet person and we ended up talking & she interviewed me a bit, but at the time, it was absolutely hysterical once we realized who each other was. other than that, i don't really have any friends on campus, so no. the classmates and i do talk a lot during class, though!

i think a lot of people (especially women) worry about body hair. i shave my armpits (although i forgot to yesterday, and i modeled, oops), but i don't go bald downstairs. in fact, i've heard a lot of artists say they actually prefer it that way, for whatever reason. it's just hair and it shouldn't freak you or anybody else out, you're there so people can learn how to draw real people, and you are a real person.

I imagine it's much easier to depict a triangle than to accurately depict nether lips.

hahahaha. yeah.

other than that, i don't really have any friends on campus.

Right in the feels, op

It's sad. I'm 24 and although I'm not an "older student," I'm still an older student. :/ All of my friends that I made last semester just graduated and none of them are here anymore.

Ever fart while posing? What's the most embarassing thing to have happened to you?

HAHAHAHAHAHA no.

Most embarassing thing was showing up the first time to model and realizing my roommates ex-girlfriend was there to write an article on the class. Neither of us had any idea the other was going to be there. Turned into a great interview and some good laughs, she's a very nice person.

[deleted]

Concentration, concentration, concentration. And breathing.

I almost always have a bottle of water with me. I don't shower before, the classes that I work in literally come right after two other classes, so I don't have time to run home. I'm not stinky, it's nbd.

I can briefly move if I need to, I just need to know exactly how my body is placed before I move, and I only move what i need to. If I need to take a break, I just let people know and then we take a break. I'm naked, so I'm the boss.

I'm naked so I'm the boss

Have you seen conversations with my two year old? I think episode two has this exact line.

YES that's where I got it from. Love it!

I just wanted to say I'm sorry that you couldn't complete your username. It's awesome.

hah thanks <:

[deleted]

I am lucky enough to never have received a single inappropriate comment from the professors & students I work with. Everyone is very professional, and very nice. The only creepy things I have received are from Facebook friends, that I tried to shut down as nice as possible. Gross.

Also thanks!

Did you ever get "excited" being nude in front of all the students, that it was visible? How did you handle it?

i am a girl, so no. well i guess you could see if my nipples were...loud and proud. but no, the temperature stays even and it's not an arousal thing for me, really.

What's the best thing about this job? And what's the worst?

Also, besides your husband, do your friends/family know about your job? If so, how do they feel about it?

My friends all know, my family knows (but they think I model clothed. For some reason it would be outrageous to them if I was naked in front of people). My parents think it's...interesting, but hey, i'm covered in tattoos and piercings so I guess they're really not all that surprised. In fact, I'm not sure if they actually believe me or not. Friends think it's great.

Best thing about this job is seeing whatever the artists have created. You can look at yourself in a mirror and obviously know the general shape of yourself and how you look, but it's so different on a piece of paper. Sometimes I think, "OMG my boobs are so saggy ;-;" and then other times it's like, "Wow, I didn't know my hips were that big & shapely." It's just neat to see how other people view your body (both objectively, as they're learning classical technique, but also subjectively, because they all have their own style and little touches).

Worst thing is probably the pain. I'm very sore from yesterday's session, standing for 30+ ish minutes with weight shifted on one leg.

A note from myself and fellow artists to OP:

SIT STILL!!!!!!!!!

I'M TRYING!!!

So I go to Ole Miss and am thinking of doing it. Worth doing?

Yes! If you want to meet or whatever to talk about it, I'll be in the basement of Bryant at noon. (I'm there for philosophy and pizza, but art modeling talk is fine, too)

How do you feel when shitty artists draw you?

I'm a graphic designer, and when I was going to school I had to take fine art foundation classes which I despised. I had to do a couple of life drawing classes with nude models.

I would always feel bad when they would look at my stuff. I can't draw worth a damn. I am a working graphic designer though, so there's that.

I am a TERRIBLE artist, so I feel you. I think I've only seen one bad drawing, but even then it was better than whatever i could scratch up, guaranteed. It's just a different perspective from a different person, so it's still really cool to see how they see me.

What happens if you have to fart? Awesome username btw

Uh, I just don't. And thanks!

Wow. Girls are amazing. "I just don't."

Be amazed at the willpower of the woman.

Hi! I'm a photographer and dabble in other forms of art, and have always thought this would be an interesting job to have as pocket-money, how did you get into the job? Do you have to be a student/a certain age? I'm sure your body type has something to do with it as well?

I saw a sign on the bulletin board in the art department, called, started modeling the next day with no prior experience. I do not believe you have to be a student, but it's probably encouraged (we're obviously pretty poor). As far as I know, no certain age (other than legal, for obvious reasons). As far as I know, my body type has nothing to do with it. I have heard that sculptors prefer thicker models, but as for drawing, all body types are encouraged afaik. I am not skinny, but slender & curvy, and have seen a few older models, as well a verry thin dancer-type girl, as well as a thicker model. :>

Is it obligatory for you to remove your body hair? Or can you just let it grow if you'd want to?

Not obligatory at all. I'm naked, I'm the boss.

What do you do if you're modeling on your period? Weird question but I'm honestly curious

I would call in, probably. Good news is, I don't get one! Huzzah!

Do any of the guys try to hit on you after class? Also, has anybody tried to take a photo of you while you were posing?

Not at all, I'm married. Also not at all, although if they asked & clearly needed it for drawing purposes, I am happy to oblige.

Is there a rule about having your phones out like in a strip club? (Not that I know what goes on inside a strip club, my friend Alvin told me....)

Don't ever take photos of me without my explicit permission. That's the rule.

Did you independently decide to take up this role? What factors.contributed to your decision?

Did you feel comfortable from the get-go or did you have second thoughts?

Independently, although my husband is 100% okay & comfortable with it. I didn't do it for monetary reasons, although the pay is excellent for what I do.

I did not feel comfortable from the get-go. Excited, but verrry nervous, I'm a very shy person. Slipping off the robe was the hardest part, but once I was there, it was honestly no big deal.

Do you have to be 'in shape' for this job?

Nope. I would like to say I exercise...but I don't. I am thinner & curvy though, so there's some meat that's good to draw.

Hotty Toddy!

Hotty Totty!

[deleted]

The oldest woman in one of my classes is probably 40-50. Most students are around my age, 18-24. I don't feel offended by any drawings. They're all from different angles so even a more "unflattering" pose is still true to life. Most of them are incredible artists.

[deleted]

Not at all! I was surprised, because in one class there's a more "bro" type guy, as well as a loooot of sorority girls (or I'm assuming to be so), but they're actually incredibly nice and talk to me a lot.

I'm not sure if this was asked already, but what's the most uncomfortable you've ever been while posing?

Nothing uncomfortable as far as exposure goes. Yesterday I was in two longer poses, one reclined, one standing, both of which were very painful. The first pose was the worst, though. my legs were half-stretched out and I was kind of rolled forward onto my right hip, while my upper body was slightly propped up with pillows, kind of like if you were on the floor and resting your head on a low stool. The pilows were comfy but my shoulder blades were pushed further out instead of closer together (or something?) so that hurt, and any time my right leg even twitched, it hurt so bad. Laid there for a good 40 minutes.

serious question

What do you think about someone getting turned on looking at you and "finishing the job" while they are back at the dorm?

I honestly sincerely doubt that would happen. It hasn't happened yet. Otherwise I don't care, that's their own business. It doesn't affect me in any way.

Did you initially have any confidence issues which made you want to stop? What made you want to do it - such as increasing confidence in body. Thanks

To stop? No. Once I did it, it was quite natural and I frequently forget I'm naked. I wanted to do it for general interest in art modeling, as well as wanting to be more involved in my department, as well as a confidence booster. It's quite liberating!

Hello! I actually used to schedule models to come in for my college's art club so that we could do public figure drawing sessions. I always had an easier time getting women to model, men were always a bit cagey about it. Could never figure out why, but guys seemed really self conscious about doing that kind of work. Any thoughts on that? Have you ever noticed a disparity between male and female models? Any ideas why that discomfort would fall along gender lines like that?

I've never met any male models in our department yet (although we have some). I have the feeling guys are actually more prudish about that and assume it would be some kind of sexual experience, when it's genuinely not.

Have you ever had students come on to you, and how did you handle it?

Not at all, they're all very polite. Also I'm married.

Thanks for the AMA! I was wondering, what is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you whilst modeling?

Seeing my roommates ex-girlfriend on the first day I modeled. She was writing an article on the class. She saw everything.

What is the most uncomfortable position you had to hold while modelling, and how long did you have to hold it for?

Also, do you ever get moments of boredom while modelling?

Um, I mentioned it just recently in a comment a few comments ago, go check it out!

Also yes, hah. In one class, they don't play music (although the students can listen to their ipods.) It gets so BORING!

How is this considered valid proof? Emails should never be considered proof, and a paystub from a school that has absolutely no information as to the job performed.

That's what the mods said. Has to be public if it's screenshots, so I guess you can take it up with them. My professor's name is there, so if you really want to hunt around and get your own proof, his email and phone number is actually listed directly on the university site.

Have you thought about branching out into other aspects of modeling, such as photography? Why/why not?

I don't feel I'm conventionally attractive and no photographers I know have expressed an interest in photographing me. It doesn't bother me too much.

Do you like potatoes?

Yes omg. Boil em mash em stick em in a stew

How was the first time you nudely modeled?

Awkward and then awesome.

Have you picked your focus yet in Art History? I've been debating switching into the program at my University and I'd like to study French Baroque specifically if I can. It's always nice to chat with other people interested in the major when I find them.

i LOVE being an art history major. There are a lot more opportunities here than you would think (and there's so much room for growth, because I honestly think we have no more than ten AH undergrads here, and no AH grad students). My focus is in minority art, particularly art of women and art BY women. My super super focus is on Mabel Dodge Lujan & the Taos art colony she founded in the 20s. That's currently the subject of the book I'm writing.

Can you sing a C sharp?

I'm a singer, so...maybe?

Have any crazy religious people commented to you personally or even demonstrated outside the art building?

No of course not. Although we do have pro-lifers, bible passer-outers, as well as the KKK come visit regularly. Hotty Toddy!

Are you on /r/gonewild?

No, creeper.

I one time had a model (male) start talking to my friend (female) about how she should be a model and how he would love to draw her. It was creepy as shit.

I wish I had a question for you. But I appreciate what you do and I thank you for doing it, 'cause otherwise I'd have to do it, and nobody wants to see that.

It is creepy when that happens. I posted about it on my Facebook and a few male friends were like "Ooh I bet it would be so nice to draw a girl like you instead of old or fat people." It's just like :/ stop. It's not a sexual experience. There may be men or women who may be attracted to me and my shape, but when I'm naked in that room, it's 100% all business. They're there to learn. I'M there to learn.

Having done this, would you consider nude photography?

I photographed my first model a year or two ago and I think the most interesting aspect for me is that after about 5 minutes, she stopped being a woman and just became an abstraction of the human form for me to pose. So really there was zero arousal. I was just trying to get poses that I thought exhibited her best talent - her athleticism. I wonder if the art students feel the same way,

Set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericsbinaryworld/sets/72157626491900067/ but unless you're signed into flickr and give flickr the OK to see "unsafe" photo, you'll only see the 4 safe photos which are OK, but don't really showcase what I was talking about in the previous paragraph.

I would, but no photographers so far have been interested in photographing me. I haven't exxactly put myself out there, though.

Hi thanks for doing the AMA..

So i was thinking of getting in to it. What do you suggest to newbies? How do you maintain your posture for so long.? Doesn't one get cramps?

You definitely get cramps, and my legs are still fairly sore from yesterday's session. I would suggest you work on posture & general stability (so stretch a lot & do yoga).