A Preview to Nude Art

To be able to draw a nude portrait has been on my bucket list when I re-started art. It would come as a surprise if you know me 15 years ago. Raised in a conservative family and awarded as one who emulates the virtue of Notre Dame, I hope I won’t be adjudged unfairly for this shift in interest.

This is not my first attempt to nude art, neither was the painting entitled “A Woman Unchained”. There has been several attempts in the past and I can say, modesty aside, that I have improved in my figure drawing.

But why nude?

Figure drawing has always been a challenge to me. One of the many ways my big brother devised to tease me when I was a kid was to draw me in an exaggerated size, making me look fatter than I really was. Though I wanted to get even, I can’t draw a human figure as good as my brother.

Not anymore. Shame on you, Kuya. :)

I read from a book that to be able to draw a person, sketching them in nude is an excellent starting point. It makes sense for when a person is naked, the lines and muscle tones are very much visible and distinguishable. No clothing will distract the artist’s view.

And if I may be poetic about it, the human body is a beautiful masterpiece. If  an artist will be able to draw it on canvas, it would be tantamount to paying homage to our Creator.

Itapon, Basura Nyo

Sa bawat araw na ginawa ng Diyos, marami tayong nagagawang basura. Balat ng kendi, buto ng prutas, plastic cups, bote ng Coke, papel, balahibo ng manok. Ilan lamang ito sa mga basurang ating tinatapon sa mag-araw.

Dahil sa talamak na pagtatapon ng basura sa ating kapaligiran at ang mga kaakibat na problema nito, likas sa atin ang maghanap ng kasagutan. Karamihan, pinagbubukud-bukod natin ang bawat uri ng basura. Malata, di-malata, residual.


Meron namang biodegradable, non-biodegradable. Sa ganitong sistema, may mga basurang  nare-recycle. May iba  namang ginagawang biofuel.

Ngunit may mga basurang di nakikita. Tinatago natin ito sa kaibuturan ng ating kaluluwa. Mga pighati, poot, kabiguan, inggit, galit at iba pa.Ito ang mga basurang karapat-dapat na itapon sa paglubog ng araw. Sa tagal ng panahong pagkimkim sa salansang na damdamin, ito ay aalingasaw at sisira sa bawat relasyon ng mag-ama, mag-asawa, o magkaibigan.

Ito ang mga kaugnayang di natin hahayaang mawala. Kung sa gayon, isang mapanglaw na pagsalubong ang ating maidudulot sa pagsikat ng araw.

Sketch it..Live!

As Pareng Jotay had mentioned, taking photos of a toddler is no easy feat. For one, setting up the lights will wrack one’s analytical brain, only to realize that the little subject is no longer within the shot area. I may have not assisted him shooting his nephew but I can surely testify how much effort he puts in to get the right combinations of exposure, shutter speed, and power. (Free advertisement ni, P’re.)

I am not here to talk about photography, though, I plan to buy my own camera next year. It could be a Christmas gift though, if my brother is reading this.

I am here to talk about making a portrait of a live model.

Pareng Jotay was my first victim er … model. Very few people knew how many portraits Jotay had to endure until I was able to at least show his George Clooney-look on paper. This is my first portrait of Jotay, live! He was working on his netbook while I sketched him using a graphite pencil.

Lesson #1, never sketch while the model is doing something. Unless, of course, you asked him to minimize the head movement.

In my frolic with arts during summer, Carmel was gracious enough to sit for our class. I was personally grateful to her for she sat especially for me as a make-up activity  for my absence (No, I didn’t get sick or married, no one died in my family, and I was not sent by USC to represent the school to Big Brother’s house!)





Eventhough Carmel has to sit still for an hour, we allowed her to take breaks in between to stretch her sleeping muscles and mainly to relax.

Lesson #2, be considerate to your model. True, making her a portrait is not an everyday occurrence but one has to remember, your model is doing you a favor for sitting still when she can do other important personal stuff.





My third model is Stian, my classmate in art class. This time, we applied lesson #1. We let him surf the net. Our only request is for him to hold his head in one position. Afterall, we will sketch only his head.



Lesson #3, show your model your work, no matter how far the real one looks, for his comments.

Some might go berserk because the portrait looks like a monkey. Some will just smile and go in their quiet ways. Some will give you helpful comments.

While some, like Stian, would say “That looks like an actor from a movie! “.