Yup, I'm a Model

I love it when people ask me what I do for work these days. I get to say, "Oh, I'm a model for the art department," with the best coy intonation I can muster. This is usually followed by a "Wow!" accompanied by slightly skeptical raised eyebrows. I then explain that, no I am not nude, I wear a bikini, yes it's awkward at times, yes it's a lot harder than it looks, yes it's the most interesting experience I've ever had. And yes, I love it.

Needless to say, my first week of work went very well. Strangely enough, my very first day was my favorite. I had been nervous for the whole 24 hours before, worrying that I would run out of ideas for poses, that the whole class would take one look at me and know I'd never done this before, that my belly would hang out funny, that I would faint...oh, the imagined horrors were endless. But I arrived early and invigorated nonetheless, and was further encouraged by the teacher, a young, tall, handsome Asian guy who I thought was a student when he first started talking to me. He was so eager to make sure I was comfortable and really treated me like a person rather than a prop, as the other two teachers did who I worked with later in the week. There were 2 models for that class, and it was her first day too, which made me feel a lot less self-conscious. The class was very friendly and respectful, and they had obviously had some experience with figure drawing before, so the drawings were pretty realistic. As I walked around during the breaks to look at their work, I was fascinated to see myself materialized on the giant pages, each one showing little a different perspective and interpretation. I noticed about halfway through the sustained pose that the teacher was on my side of the room, drawing me. I saw a lot of the students looking at it during the breaks, observing his technique and looking back at their own sketches with looks of dejection, but I wanted to wait until the end to see it. When the end finally came, I went over to the easel and saw this: (I apologize for the terrible quality, but you get the idea)

I was struck dumb. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was!! I asked the teacher if there was any way he'd let me have his drawing, and he looked at me like he couldn't understand why I'd want it, but said I was more than welcome to take it. I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful souvenir from my first day as a model. It is so incredible to be part of the creative process in this way, especially since I can't draw at all myself. 

Sorry for the terribly long post, but I thought you'd like knowing how awesome my new job is. In case you can't tell, I'm pretty dang stoked. Wish me luck this week!