Posing

I am posing at the next Drawing with Russians? What do I need to know?
Be responsive, communicate promptly with the organizer. Arrive ahead of schedule. No model has flaked since the beginning of this event, you do not want to be the first.
How is the session structured?
The organizer will explain the house rules (no photos, add money to the jar, no talking). Timing is as follows:
[START]
5 x 1-minute poses
3 x 5-minute poses
[BREAK]
2 x 5-minute poses
1 x 10-minute pose
[BREAK]
2 x 10-minute poses
[BREAK]
1 x 20-minute pose
[AFTER PARTY]
What should I bring with me?
Robe or cover-up (before taking the posing stand, during breaks, and for the after-party), wet wipes (for freshening up), props (if discussed with the organizer), and something to drink (whatever gives you strength to pose).
What should I do to prepare?
Practice at home. Stand in front of a mirror, grab a timer, and gauge how it feels to hold your body in different positions for varying lengths of time. Share your socials with the organizer if you seek to grow your media empire.
What about personal grooming?
Arrive clean, but skip the body moisturizer (you don't want to slip while holding a pose). With regard to hair removal, this seemingly personal practice has, in fact, profoundly influenced science, medicine, business, and even warfare—prompting enormous outlays of money, emotion, and environmental impact. Consider your personal values and comfort when making such decisions.
How should I pose?
TL;DR your first poses should be full of movement. Face a different direction for each new pose. Additional guidance below.
Where can I find inspiration for my poses?
Through your posture, expression, and interaction with space, you can convey narratives, emotions, and character, transforming a static pose into a dynamic scene. You may find it helpful to mine inspiration from the following sources: 1) your body/features, 2) art/fashion, 3) sports/movement practices, and 4) sensuality/kink.
What should I do during breaks?
Prioritize your own comfort. If you need to rest, stretch, hydrate, or use the restroom, do that. Feel free to wander around the room to admire everyone's hard work and/or make new friends.
Do you have any final modeling tips?
Take a couple seconds to find each pose. Trust the organizer to start the timer when it looks like you've “settled” in. Be still. For the longer poses (e.g., 20 minutes), remember that you're only human, and it's ok to adjust and return to a pose if needed.
What are the compositional elements of a pose?
You are using your body to create shapes and lines, and to communicate expression. Here are 8 basic principles to keep in mind while creating those shapes and lines.
  1. Balance & Stability: Holding a stable pose is crucial. Don't pick something you can't hold.
  2. Vertical vs Horizontal: Emphasize height and upward extension (vertical), or width and groundedness (horizontal). Consider the overall flow and direction of energy. Reserve seated or laying poses for the longer 10- or 20-minute poses.
  3. Stretch vs Compact: Elongate the limbs and torso, creating open space and dynamic lines (stretch)? Or crumple inward, creating a sense of containment, tension, or introspectiveness (compact)?
  4. Weight Distribution: Consider how weight distribution creates stability, balance, or a sense of impending motion. (e.g., contrapposto, where the weight of the body unevenly distributed along the hips).
  5. Tension: The presence and placement of muscular engagement, either active (e.g., a flexed muscle, a held balance) or implied (e.g., the tautness of a muscle, the strain in a gesture). Tension adds drama, strength, or vulnerability to the form. It's about where energy is held or released within the pose.
  6. Gesticulation & Articulation: The expressive use of the hands, feet, and extremities to convey emotion, narrative, or simply refine the pose. The "devil is in the details"—extending through fingertips and toes, articulating wrists and ankles, can transform a static form into an elegant, living line. This is where the subtle nuances of human expression reside (e.g., dance, gymnastics, springboard diving).
  7. Eye Contact: Is it better to close your eyes, seeking a calm internal retreat? Or to keep them open, letting them dance freely around the room, perhaps catching the gaze of a potential admirer and savoring the delicious tension?
  8. Rotation & Room Awareness: How the body is turned and angled within the space, interacting with light from the windows, or shadow from the overhead light. Think about how rotating a shoulder, tilting the head, or turning the torso can catch a highlight, create depth, or direct the viewer's eye. Also, consider how the pose's rotation might appear differently from various viewpoints, especially depending on where the artists are positioned in the room.
I appreciate the theoretical framework, but I'm having trouble synthesizing all this information and want concrete examples of how I should pose. Can you help?
Yes. Below is a sample set of 15 poses. Please use this for inspiration only. Copycats are viewed with deep suspicion, potentially seen as saboteurs undermining innovation or ideological purity.
[BEGIN 5 x 1's]
Pose 1: Standing - Hands Clasped (Front or Back)
Stand tall with even weight on both feet. Right arm goes behind back and catches a straight left arm. Look slightly down and right.
Release your hands, spread feet, and gently lean your torso slightly to left, letting your right arm fall and stay draped behind back slightly.
Pose 2: Standing - Extended Side Bend
Warrior 2. Lean your left arm on your left leg and rotate your chest open. The right arm can stay draped behind the body. Keep your head aligned with your spine or look up.
Straighten your torso, shift your weight, and turn.
[ROTATE]
Pose 3: Standing - Hands Clasped (Front or Back)
Left arm goes behind back and catches right. The right arm comes up in the middle of the chest. Look down and to the left.
Release your hands, spread feet, and lower to the floor.
Pose 4: Gathered Side Crouch
Weight on your right foot. Hands on the floor, deep bend/squat of right leg and shoot your left leg out.
Straighten your torso, redistribute your weight, stand and raise arms.
[ROTATE]
Pose 5: Stand Tall
Stand tall, legs together and on tip toes, and arms away from the body. Take as much space as possible.
Straighten your torso, redistribute your weight, lower raise arms.
[ASK FOR CHAIR - BEGIN 3x5's]
Pose 6: Seated - Leaning Back, Legs Crossed, Arms Behind Head
Lean back slightly against the chair's backrest. Cross one leg over the other at the ankle. Arms crossed and supporting head. Look up.
Uncross your legs. Stand.
Pose 7: Supported Lean
Balance on left foot, right foot on chair. Rest hands comfortably on a chair or body.
Stand.
Pose 8: Seated - Straddle Twist
Straddle the chair and twist (e.g., facing right). Both knees should be bent, feet flat on the floor, ideally both facing the same direction as your body. Gently twist your torso left to look over the back of the chair. Use arms to generate more torque and activate muscles.
Unwind from the twist, stand.
[BREAK AND BEGIN 2 x 5's]
Pose 9: Slight Arch
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place your hands gently on your lower back, fingers pointing down or up. Inhale, gently lift your chest towards the ceiling, and allow your shoulders to draw back slightly, opening across your collarbones. Your gaze can remain forward or tilt slightly upward, avoiding any strain in your neck. Feel a subtle arch in your upper back, not a deep bend. The goal is to create a slight curve in the spine.
Straighten spine and ask for chair.
Pose 10: Seated - Arms Outstretched
Sit sideways on the chair. Cross legs comfortably. Twist, extend arms and rest them over the chair back.
Untwist and stand.
[BREAK AND BEGIN 2 x 10's]
Pose 11: Waiting in Line
Stand with feet comfortably wide, perhaps slightly wider than shoulder-width. Gently lean your upper body to one side (e.g., to the right), allowing your hips to shift slightly in the opposite direction (to the left) for balance. Your arms can hang naturally at your sides, or one hand can rest lightly on your hip. Feel a gentle stretch along the side of your torso without straining. Keep your gaze soft and forward. This is a very subtle lean, not an aggressive bend.
Gently return to a neutral standing position, then slowly make your way to a comfortable seated position.
Pose 12: Seated Gentle Hinge
Sit on the chair. Gently hinge forward from your hips, letting your torso relax towards your thighs. Your hands can rest on your knees, shins, or dangle towards the floor. Allow your head to hang heavy, relaxing your neck. This provides a gentle stretch for the back and hamstrings.
[BREAK AND BEGIN 1 x 20]
Pose 13: Sit
Consider how to interact with the chair and position your body in a way that is both comfortable and sustainable for your body. Feel free to ask for a cushion or pillow if needed.
This posing guide is a masterpiece. Or, at the very least, it is very long and someone took a lot of time to write it. To whom do I express my gratitude?
@Ri_Drawn, an aspiring model and art historian who has a slight fixation with the cultivation of practice.
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