Art students learn to draw from the human form

A line of charcoal on paper mirrored the curve of Cheri Ewing's bare back. She sat still and naked at the front of the class as art students sketched her.

She felt perfectly comfortable there in her own skin, aside from the tingling sensation she began to get in her foot from sitting on it too long.

It's not about being nude, said Ewing, a Merced native. It's about art. And sometimes the hardest part is just sitting still.

Some people initially react to the idea of nude models with surprise or embarrassment. But local artists and teachers say they are an essential part of learning to portray the human form.

"Artists don't think of it as a sexual thing," said Freda Rasmussen, Merced College arts division secretary. "It's about the beauty of the human body. It's something artists throughout the ages have been doing."

Why do it?

For about 10 years, Ewing has worked as a live, nude model for various art classes in the area, including Merced College, the Merced Multicultural Arts Center and Modesto Junior College.

She began the job while attending Merced College. A photography teacher told her about the school's need for figure drawing class models.

The pay now is about $14 an hour.

"I was slightly hesitant, but not too much because I had been at the other end of the easel," she said.

Ewing also creates her own landscapes and portraits.

Not a particularly self-conscious person, the slim 40-something understood artists' need to see the human form without hindrance.

"Clothing bunches and is not as nice to draw," said Elizabeth Glass, 22, a student who sketched Ewing in Merced College's figure drawing class. "If the model is nude there is more of a sense of the dimensions."

Who can do it?

There is no age or body-type requirement for this kind of work, said Lori diMuro, an artist who teaches the college class to a range of skill levels.

Each week her students sketch a live model, which diMuro says is an essential part of the learning process.

"The most fashionable figure is not necessarily the most interesting to draw," she said. "The more curves, age, makes for an interesting drawing."

But the model must be able to sit or stand in poses for extended periods of time -- from about 30 seconds to 20 minutes -- which can be a lot harder than it looks.

"Most people who try any kind of modeling are surprised by how difficult it really is," said Jamie Brzezinski, the college's arts division chair. "When you start that pose, there might be a slight bit of discomfort, then a raging cramp."

Corina Brazil, 79, has known this for many decades. She began modeling nude for classes at California State University, Stanislaus, around 1964.

"I saw an ad in the art department and I got real brave one day and I went in," said Brazil, a Gustine native now living in Merced. "At first I was nervous, especially when I saw people I knew. But I've never been very self-conscious."

She got paid $4 an hour back then.

She continues to model nude occasionally for classes at the Multicultural Arts Center.

"My son was kind of shocked," she said. "My grandchildren didn't want to see the (pictures) ... but my family is OK with it now."

Modeling became more strenuous for Brazil as she aged, so she does it less than she used to. But she is still comfortable posing nude and believes it to be an important part of art.

"The thing about the human body is that there are so many textures," she said. "It's not like you automatically know how to draw it."

She tries to keep her mind busy while she is posing.

"Sometimes I pray," Brazil said. "Sometimes I plan out my house. A song will go through my head. You don't want to start thinking unpleasant thoughts."

Not just for the ladies

Although women are often seen more in nude paintings than men, it is important to learn how to draw both, diMuro said.

"Men's bodies are obviously different," she said. "It's nice to have a wide variety."

Dave Hill, 46, began modeling while attending college at Washington University. A teacher asked him to pose for a drawing class.

"It sounded like an easy job," he said. "When I got done filling out the paperwork she said, 'You're going to have to go ahead and get undressed.' I didn't know what I thought about that but I did it. It was fun."

Hill, a Hayward resident, continues to model about two times a week for Bay Area art groups, and occasionally at Merced College.

He got over his embarrassment quickly and now considers modeling a relaxing activity, as long as the poses aren't too difficult.

"I think there are three views of male nude models," he said. "One is 'that's really cool.' Second, there are people who are uncomfortable seeing you as an object."

Then there are people who wonder why anyone would do it.

"If you like to be nude, it's a good job," Hill said.

Comfort on both sides of easel

Of course, taking off your clothes for a class can take a lot of courage, say art teachers and models. But people get over their nervousness.

"Apparently they do because no one bolts for the door," diMuro said. "Some don't have any problems with it, some are shy. The atmosphere of the class is very professional -- nothing unseemly is tolerated."

The college is currently looking for more people to pose for the figure drawing class. Regulars still come in, but it's not unusual for a new potential model to sign up and then back out before class.

Ewing is one of Merced College's regular models.

She said taking vocal lessons was a great way to prepare for posing nude.

"When you sing, it's like standing there naked in front of everyone," she said. "You are baring your soul. It's almost more intimidating."

However, student artists often get self-conscious as well, she added. They are also put on the spot when someone else examines their work.

"Some (of the pictures) are flattering, some make me want to go home and work out," Ewing said.

After about 20 students drew her with charcoal or conte crayon, their work sat on easels around the center of the classroom for all to see.

Kerrie Curtis, 21, an art major, said that while it might seem awkward to have the model look at her artwork, it didn't bother her.

None of the students said they were particularly surprised or uneasy about the nudity in class.

After all, it is a figure drawing class and artists sign up to better learn the lines of the human form, Glass said.

Before student David Carrillo, 20, saw a live, nude model in art class, he thought it might be uncomfortable.

"But it was cool and I just went with the flow," he said. "It made me see how other people's figures are all different."

Want to model?