life drawing session

I like to start class with life drawing -- quick one minute poses that focus students attention and stimulate their minds to the particulars of describing visual information. Life drawing can be very hard and frustrating. I try to create a non-judgemental attitude towards the work. These drawings are process excercises. The more comfortable students get with an attitude of experimentation throughout these beginning excercises, the better the entire class will be. Also, having the whole class come together and draw the same thing (the model) creates a solidarity within the group that I like. The first time we did life drawing some of the students were very hard on themselves. Now they can laugh at their difficulties and start over with the next pose. Keeping the poses moving and changing helps to create a dynamic environment, increases concentration skills, and limits frustration. Students are more open to trying new things during the rest of art club if we start with twenty minutes of life drawing.