The Female Drawing Reference

The female drawing reference is very varied as femininity has always taken many forms: The Mona Lisa, Joan of Arc, the nude in Gustave Courbet’s “Origin Of the World”, the nudes in Pablo Picasso’s work and finally Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife”. Women are both virginal and wanton in art.

A drawing reference or sitting model is often nude but can be clothed. The most important thing is that they be able to maintain a pose for a few minutes and be able to work for at least one to several hours per sitting. Breaks as in every type of work are necessary and should take place several times during a lengthy session.

The female model holds her pose after the artist indicates what he or she desires for an indefinite period. After taking a break, the model is expected to resume the original pose, once again re-establishing the pose she previously held.