Acclaimed artist on why we can all draw on our experience
Expert on childlike joy of paper and pencils
Practising art, no matter how well or how badly, according to the writer Kurt Vonnegut, is a way to make your soul grow.
Tonight, budding artists will get the chance to follow that advice when Life Drawing Live! is screened. Billed as the UK’S largest ever live, life-drawing masterclass, models will disrobe for amateur artists in the studio to sketch.
Those at home will also be given the chance to join in and upload their own portraits, much to the delight of celebrated artist Lachlan Goudie. “Life drawing is the ultimate key in how to become a visual artist if you’re going to be painting or drawing figuratively,” he says.
“People have been learning how to draw from life drawing since the Renaissance in the 15th Century, before that even. Being able to draw the human figure is really important, because we’re surrounded by other people and inevitably at some point in a painting, you’re going to have to draw either a person, or you’re going to have to draw an object that is designed in proportion to the human size.
“You look at a human being, learn to draw them, and you’re basically learning how to relate your drawing to the rest of the world, and how to reproduce that on paper so it’s really important.”
Goudie starred in last year’s Life Drawing and The Big Painting Challenge and encouraged people to pick up a pencil for tonight’s masterclass on BBC2 and BBC4, no matter their skill level. “I’d love to be able to play the guitar like Mark Knopfler or piano like Elton John but I’m unlikely to be able to do it in a couple of hours,” he says.
“The amazing thing about Life Drawing Live! is, unless you want to be able to draw like Michaelangelo straight away, you can just take your pencil and pad and doodle away, do your thing.
“By the end you should have a series of images, which is an achievement, but you’ll also have learned about how to use simple marks to reproduce a human figure on paper.
“You might only end up with a few stick men but that in itself will be a step towards
familiarising yourself with the process of drawing once more.”
The class is a chance to reconnect with the joy of drawing, according to Goudie.
“People in their younger years have a great time when they’re drawing and painting; it’s a huge source of fun and escapism,” he added. “We all grow up and become so serious and mature and it kind of trickles away.
“There are lots of areas in our lives like that. Particularly in these difficult times, it’s a means of escapism, a kind of meditative process. It’s a craft.
“That’s hugely rewarding, and it can be done absolutely anywhere with a scrap of paper. I can’t think of many hobbies and activities you can do that require so little.”
Although Life Drawing Live is presented by comedian Joe Lycett, Goudie, an acclaimed artist and broadcaster whose The Story of Scottish Art won praise, believes the sniggers of painting a nude model will be short-lived.
“I see this a lot and people might anticipate the whole experience as being snigger-worthy or funny, or a bit saucy,” he adds.
“But the fact is we’re all grown up and the minute you’re in a room with someone who is brave enough to stand there without any clothes on, it creates an atmosphere of total respect.
“The minute you begin this process, you start to learn how much you’ve got to learn so you start to become humbled by it.
“We all get very caught up in our heads about nudity depending on what the context is. But maybe a little bit of relaxation and acknowledging why life drawing is special is why this programme has been such a success.”
Goudie grew up watching TV artists like Tony Hart and Bob Ross; he hopes to imitate these icons at least in terms of how relaxing their work was.
“I watched a lot of Bob Ross because he was on BBC4 quite a lot but the real touchstone for me is Tony Hart,” he adds. “When I was young that was the programme on children’s TV, I loved it.
“Even the segments on Blue Peter where you make something. It’s that kind of simple, almost nursery school-type of pleasure where you watch someone make something out of nothing. And you think maybe you can absorb it into the way you draw or create something.
“I love watching people draw all the time.
“I can’t help but be transfixed by watching someone as they begin to start drawing and losing weight, and in itself watching something come out of nothing is really captivating.”