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by Eleanor Brown

Fourteen people showed up to the idyllic park-land setting of the Ku-Ring-Gai Art Centre at Roseville, NSW for a week of life drawing. Paul Miller promised us hard work – and he wasn’t kidding!

Each day was different, we worked through a large range of media with different models and a variety of poses, sitting, standing, moving, lying down. Paul never let the pace slow down for a minute. There was a mixture of elementary exercises and more challenging ones so we could explore new methods of expression and to help each of us develop our own personal approach.

We drew with pencils, with charcoal, ink, pastels, acrylics, watercolours – whatever we wanted to try. We experimented with big brushes, little brushes, fingers, sticks, even feathers. It’s possible we had the kitchen sink in there as well.

So, by the fifth day we were all exhausted but still rising to the challenge. Left hand, right hand, both hands at once, then both hands with different media in each. Short pose, long pose, no time to stop. Pencils breaking, charcoal snapping, pieces of paper flying in all directions until finally we were left totally spent but still wanting more. We left, vowing to come back and do it all again next year.

Many thanks to our wonderful models, Brett, Clara and Joanne.

And especial thanks to Paul who runs a great Life Drawing Boot Camp!