This is the third & the concluding part of a 3 part series titled Fine Art (Nude) Modeling – 10 Essential Tips for Beginners, and although mainly targeted for aspiring new art models, this is equally relevant to any photographer getting into or planning to enhance their fine art nude photography performance & quality.
The 2 prior posts:
- Fine Art (Nude) Modeling – 10 Essential Tips for Beginners: Part 1 of 3
- Fine Art (Nude) Modeling – 10 Essential Tips for Beginners: Part 2 of 3
A general caution: some of the images here depict artistic nudity and may not be suitable for all audiences. Please refrain from viewing them if you have any legal or personal constraints. Such images are masked until you intentionally wish to view them.
A quick recap of the earlier 7 tips before we head on to new ones.
- Tip 1: Know your Artistic Talent & Strengths
- Tip 2: Understand the nature & business of Fine Art Nude Modeling
- Tip 3: Get to know the photographer’s composition style and creative depth in fine arts photography
- Tip 4: Ask & schedule trial photo sessions with the photographer
- Tip 5: Create & be in your own bubble to avoid distractions
- Tip 6: Once in a while review some pictures but you don’t have to
- Tip 7: Be prepared for personal management with a cosmetic kit
Here’s the last 3 professional tips for aspiring fine arts & fine arts nude modeling assignments.
Tip 8: Subtlety & grace are two of the keys to a great session:
Fine art modeling is like an a fine cup of English tea – the flavor is mild & subtle but the effect is powerful and long lasting! Overdoing is a strict no-no and that requires a lot of practice as well as lot of experimentation with light & shadows.
I will recommend beginners to study & practice subtle expressions as much as possible. Pinterest is a great place to start looking for sketches. American artists like Maurice Prendergast, British painters like Walter Sickert, Spencer Gore, George Clausen are some of my personal favorite artists whose work I have used a lot in storyboards & mood boards for nude fine art projects.
I have used one of Maurice’s sketches below for demonstration.
Tip 9: Mind your hands:
This again is a matter of study & practice till it comes to you naturally. When you practice long & hard, your muscle memory will kick in during the shooting sessions automatically. Mind your hand (up to you fingernails!). Look at the artistic creations of sculptures & see how they structure hands of their figurines. A previous article Auguste Rodin on fine arts models gives you a glimpse of how he combined grace & strength in his art.
I have borrowed a sketch from another great artist Sergio Lopez to demonstrate the idea of grace.
I have seen that nude model artists, especially ones at the beginning of their career, struggle a lot with their hands & instead of using them as natural props, they often fumble with their limbs as obstructions.
Tip 10: Seek Feedback & share your improvement ideas with your photographers:
Since I left commercial photography & started devoting my time for my own fine arts photography projects, I prefer to find my own talented models and invest time in grooming them. It is also a great learning opportunity for me. Many new models are very purposeful, determined to create art instead of making a few bucks here & there & best of all, they are very optimistic about the creative art form.
I always provide constructive feedback with examples & I also seek feedback from my modeling artists. It takes courage to seek feedback and it shows huge confidence in one’s self to seek honest criticism. However, no matter what the feedback is, you do not have to keep chasing them unless you think they all add up to enhance your modeling skills.
An extra tip for those who are real serious about their fine art nude modeling careers:
From amongst a lot of new talents, I have come across students of art who also does a lot of nude modeling for artists in community colleges. That experience certainly helps, that art community supports each other in numerous ways for self-improvements, connections and advise. I recommend those serious about furthering their modeling careers to reach out to local art communities and colleges & become part of the art communities.