Life drawing

Give Life Drawing a Go in Maidenhead — Even If You Haven’t Picked Up a Paintbrush Since School

If you’ve ever thought “I can’t draw”, my Maidenhead life drawing class will change your mind.

We prudish Brits feel more than a bit awks about being in the room with someone wearing no clothes - but you’ll find this discomfort is the very best thing about the experience. Life Drawing models find stripping off very old hat. You won’t catch them shuffling into view, self-consciously trying to conceal their genitals as they arrange themselves in a modest pose. Far from it! For a life model, being starkers is as comfortable as wearing a voluminous dressing gown and slippers is to the rest of us.

They all but bound into the space, moving with glorious abandon. And with body parts jiggling and swinging about, they fling themselves onto the chaise longe (never, ever a sofa or chair) and sprawl about, with everything on show, while we mortified artists gawp and blush.

And that’s when we really start to enjoy ourselves. When we admire and appreciate the dignity of someone completely at ease in their own skin.

They ought to add LD to the school curriculum I always say, to remind impressionable teens what a normal body really looks like: sometimes hairy, sometimes flabby, frequently pale and pockmarked - and always perfectly, beautifully real.

Even if it’s been years since you held a pencil or paintbrush, you’ll find it surprisingly freeing. There’ll be laughter, creativity, and a real sense of exhilaration as everyone sketches away - each seeing things in new ways. Every drawing is unique - and it’s that - coupled with the sense of being out of your comfort zone, that’s exactly what makes it special.

And for a double win - my Life Drawing for Beginners class take place at the welcoming Ben & Jack Studio & Café in Maidenhead. It’s a creative hub specialising in video production, cinematography, photography and design, run by two great blokes who make superb films and documentaries, right here in Maidenhead.

Their café is open Monday to Friday from 08:30–17:00, making it a great spot to grab a coffee before or after one of their yoga classes or Friday’s networking run (a talking-pace jog round local green spaces). The studio space itself is also available to rent for photography, filming, or private and creative events.

Ben is often on hand to tell you about the greatest football team in the making: Maidenhead Nomads - where the women are all Chloe Kellys and every single goal is a top-bins-banana-kick. I trained with them once, in 80 degree heat, and had to slink away and hide in a hedge for a fortnight afterwards.

So if you’re looking for a relaxed, sociable way to let your creative side out for a play - come and give life drawing a go. You’ll leave feeling proud of what you’ve done - and of what you’ve drawn.