When our model asked if we’d like a standing pose, I was delighted. In all my history of painting figures from life, I don’t ever recall a pose in which the model stood for any length of time.

She leaned gently against a wall. Can you see the slight slant of her body? The shadow was added to reinforce the fact that she was not freestanding. I wish I’d left the shadow between her left arm and her body a lighter shade of flesh tone. Being the same value as the shadow behind her, the cast shadow of her arm cuts into her, making her look thinner than she is and making her torso look twisted. Oh well, it’s a study, right?

I added her face for two reasons: 1) I was interested in painting a close-up of it, and 2) the overall composition of this painting needed something to the right of the figure. She was a real trooper to give us a standing pose for a three-hour figure study. For this, I applaud her.