Halloween - Life Drawing becomes Performance Art

More than just a life drawing session… Halloween, performance and a whole lot of body confidence!

Halloween is always a good excuse to do something a little different at Grimsby Life Drawing, and this year I decided to push things a little further.

Rather than simply turning up, taking my position and holding a series of poses, I created a number of different characters, each with their own personality, costume and story. The idea was to bring a little theatre into the studio, keep the artists guessing and give everyone something a little different to draw.
And hopefully, a few surprises along the way!

Meet the characters…

Bones

Bones is waving

You can’t really have Halloween without a skeleton! Bones brought a familiar Halloween theme into the mix, with a slightly different take on the human form.

Chuckles the Zombie Clown

Do you want to play a game?

A little circus, a little horror and perhaps not the sort of clown you’d want turning up at your birthday party! Chuckles brought a bit of the unexpected to the studio with ripped clothing and menacing look. The juggling balls shows he's willing to play.

A Werewolf in Grimsby

It must be a full moon

There's a Werewolf in Grimsby - This was my new favourite giving me the freedom to prowl the studio, stalking the artists. For some reason this one gave me loads of confidence.

The Mystic

Do you want to know your future?

A touch of mystery and atmosphere. A character with a different presence, a 200 year old wizard knows what's coming. An interest challenge for our artists with long flowing rags constantly swaying.

The Raven

The Raven Stares

A darker, more theatrical character, drawing inspiration from the gothic side of Halloween and Edgar Allan Poe. A little drama, lots of feathers and very exposing with plenty of atmosphere. A very challenging character to my body confidence levels.

The Wounded Warrior

Wounded but fighting on

A character with a different story to tell, with battle scars and bloodied torso, the Warrior still has some fight in him. Another dimension to the evening and another challenge for the artists.

Bringing the characters to life

Now, here’s where things got a little different from our usual life drawing sessions.
Normally, my job is fairly straightforward. I enter the room, take my position and hold the pose while everyone gets busy with their sketchbooks. But for this event, I wanted to introduce an element of performance.

Each character had their own entrance and reveal. Rather than simply appearing in position, I’d walk into the studio and across the room, giving everyone their first glimpse of what was coming. There were different costumes, different levels of undress and, of course, the surprise element!

I’d then move into the pose, allowing the artists time to capture the character before eventually breaking pose and making my exit. It was almost more of an art nude performance than a conventional modelling session. The artists weren’t just responding to a static figure; they were capturing a character, a moment and a little bit of theatre.

I don’t normally spend my life drawing evenings wandering around the studio in the nude, so this was certainly a departure from the usual routine! But that was precisely the point. I wanted to take things beyond the familiar format and give everyone an experience they wouldn’t necessarily associate with a traditional life drawing evening.

A little more than taking your clothes off

There’s another side to all this, though, and that’s body confidence.
For me, the nudity wasn’t the performance itself. It was simply one part of bringing these characters to life. But it also provided an opportunity to demonstrate something I feel quite strongly about: being comfortable in your own skin and celebrating the human form.

Life modelling has always been about much more than simply taking your clothes off. It’s about confidence, acceptance, creativity and recognising that the human body comes in all shapes, sizes and forms. Being comfortable naked doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and I appreciate that. But creating an environment where the body can be appreciated without embarrassment, judgement or awkwardness is something I really value.

There’s something quite liberating about being able to stand in front of a room full of people, put yourself out there and simply enjoy the creative process. And if you can do that dressed as a zombie clown, a mysterious figure or wandering around as an art nude character, then why not!

Life drawing doesn’t have to stand still

One of the things I enjoy most about running Grimsby Life Drawing is that we don’t have to do things the same way every time. Life drawing can be traditional, experimental, serious, relaxed, theatrical or downright silly. There’s room for all of it.

This Halloween evening was about pushing those boundaries a little. Giving the artists something unexpected, encouraging them to look at the figure in different ways and exploring how performance and character can influence the way we approach drawing.

It was also about having a laugh, enjoying the atmosphere and reminding ourselves that creativity doesn’t always need to follow a set formula. You don’t need to be an experienced artist to enjoy it, just a willingness to pick up a pencil and have a go. And perhaps an appreciation for the slightly unusual!

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, embraced the characters and helped make the evenings what they where.
Characters, plenty of surprises, lots of creativity and hopefully a few drawings that will stand out from the usual sketchbook collection.

Who knows what we’ll come up with next Halloween?
Although I suspect Chuckles might be making a return… whether that’s good news or not remains to be seen but he was a big favourite.

At Grimsby Life Drawing, we like to think there’s always room for a little creativity, a little body confidence and the occasional unexpected entrance.

Done!

Chris, signing off now and still trying to get those temporary tattoos off!