Disclaimer: Nude modeling for figure drawing is distinctly un-sexy, and not at all like it is depicted here. This is a fantasy. Don’t blame me if you volunteer for such an event and find yourself disappointed.
***
I was never much of an artist. Sure, I can sculpt a passable knick-knack, or color inside lines someone else arranged, but anything more technical than that and I’m lost. At my college, though, we have a really great art program for aspiring painters, animators, and other 2D professions.
Now, I don’t usually hang put with the artists, but they’re generally fun, interesting people. Which is why it was odd that I was in the painting classroom in the middle of class. And even stranger that I was putting all of my effort into not hyperventilating and keeping my heart rate under control.
Being the only naked person in the room will have that effect.
Apparently ‘figure drawing’ is such an important skill that the art students had a whole week dedicated to it. And there I was, the day’s model. Surrounded by twenty five or so students sitting behind easels and carefully examining the shape of my body.
Ding!
There was a soft chime, prompting me to change my pose. I had specific instructions to not take more than fifteen seconds to switch it up. Which was a problem, seeing as the only thing I had to cover myself with was a stupid pillowcase! So I would spend ten seconds just struggling not to show any more than I absolutely have to. Of course, the lights around me left almost nothing to the imagination.
I spent the remaining time trying to make my pose interesting enough to keep the students busy enough that they don’t have time to ogle me. All while keeping in mind that I have to hold the pose for five minutes.
Ding!
Time’s up. I freeze again, somehow laying across the simple wooden chair I’ve been using as a prop. My loose hair dangles to the ground, one arm tightly clinging to my chest while the other holds the top of the chair so I don’t slip off. The bottom edge of the pillowcase is tight between my crossed legs. I hope it looks more elegant than it feels.
“That’s perfect, Yuri! A wonderful pose to end the day on!” The teacher is bright and bubbly, doing her best to remind everyone that this is just a normal thing artists have to do. If I was sitting behind one of the easels I might have believed her, but from the little stage she’d set up… not so much. “So, for this last pose, your challenge is to capture fine details. Make a quick sketch of the pose, then add in little details in the way her hair falls or the wrinkles in the fabric. When Yuri moves on, you can use those little details to give your final picture more life!”
Oh, a good challenge! The should keep them extra busy, right? Logically I know that the students either don’t care or they’re just as embarrassed as I am, but that wasn’t much defense against my blush reflex. I’m pretty sure passing aircraft thought my face was some sort of signal flare.
“Miss Campbell? Is this the kind of detail you mean?” A student asked a question. Another good distraction.
“Oh, not exactly.” She addressed the student directly while speaking loudly enough for all of the students to hear the additional advice. She might be the devil himself in a cute wraparound skirt, but she was a very good teacher. “You can adjust the exact shape of body parts by looking at any reference image, so you should look for things that it would be difficult to find without recreating them. See how you’ve drawn the shape of her breasts? I already shared reference material for how gravity affects the softer parts of our bodies, but the way the fabric is fighting against her nipples is much more unique. Focus on that instead.”
Just kill me now, Lucifer.
“Oh Amy, that’s wonderful! Capturing the way just a little bit of her pubic hair is showing under the fabric will bring a lot of vividness to your final picture!”
My what?!?
“Time’s almost up, make sure you’ve captured at least one detail that will help your final product. I don’t think anyone’s captured that on bead of sweat on her inner thigh, or the interesting double-image tan lines she has from a school bathing suit and a backless dress.”
“Actually Miss Campbell, I think it’s a bikini and a backless swimsuit.”
“Are you kidding, Kevin? She would have a distinct line from the bikini top!”
“Maybe you would, Katey, but for all we know Yuri sunbathes topless!”
“You must be very confident in your sketches to bicker right before the timer’s up.” At the teachers words, both students went quite and an intense scribbling filled the room.
Five, four, three-
Ding!
“Time’s up!” Miss Campbell clapped her hands while I shot up and quickly pulled the pillowcase over my exposed nethers. “You were wonderful, Yuri.”
“”Thank you, Yuri!”” The whole class chimed in at once, which only made me blush more.
“Um… Y-you’re welcome, e-everyone.” Miss Campbell, finally showing some mercy, turned off the stage lights and pulled a screen in front of me so I could change back into my school clothes. No sooner was it in place than I was rushing to yank my underwear back on. I didn’t feel safe until my dress was securely buttoned, and even then I was wishing I’d worn something a little less flashy today. “Why do I always have to look so dang adorable?”
My muttering unnoticed, I collected my bag and stepped around the screen to sit and tug my shoes on. Normally the extra two inches of height they gave me made me feel more powerful, but right then I just wanted to go unnoticed.
Miss Campbell clearly heard my prayer, because she was coming over to talk to me about something. Wonderful.
“That really was lovely, dear, I’m not just trying to make you feel less anxious.” I’d bet my cute tush she’s about to ask me to cover another class. “I’m very glad, too, since I’ll be seeing you again tonight.”
“You’ll… uh, what?” I am a master of eloquence. A silver tongued prodigy.
“Hmmm? The special honors session is tonight, dear. Did you forget?”
“Honors session? I thought It was just the one period?” I barely kept the panic out of my voice, although the thundering of my heart might have given me away regardless.
“Oh, no. I guess they didn’t walk you through the schedule like they were supposed to, Yuri. There’s another session tonight for the honors art class. You aren’t double-booked, are you? The other class only has this one chance to do their own life drawing.”
“I, uh…” Stay strong! Say no! It’s such a shame, but I really- “Can’t wait to be there!”
I’m such a push-over.
“That’s wonderful, Yuri! I won’t be there myself, since I have to cover the grading while my TA is with you, but it’ll be a lot more relaxed than this! Just pose however you’re asked to, you won’t be asked for anything that’s beyond your ability.” The heart-melting smile of undiluted gratitude she pointed at me was almost enough to make it worth it. Almost.
***
I was early for the honor’s session, waiting in the hall wearing a pretty pink sundress and trying not to strangle my purse strap too hard. I’d already lost one this month to the penguin incident.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a someone lightly smacked the back of my head, grabbing my attention. “Yo, earth to Yuri! You in there?”
No. No way. I froze in place, the proverbial deer in the headlights. She’s not… it couldn’t be!
Piecing together the last of my will, I turned my head to meet her eyes. Her smirk was like a physical weight on me, making it hard to breath, hard to speak. She rolled her eyes, clearly thrilled by my wide eyes. “You just gonna stand there, or are you coming in? We have work to do, y’know.”
Mary Kent. One of only three people from my high school who went to the same college as me, and the last person I’d ever expect to see in an honors class. She was taller than me by a full six inches, even in my heels. Brown hair pulled back in a little pony tail to show off her undercut and keep it out of her eyes. Slim and fit in the way someone who spent her weekends running from the cops tends to be.
“R-right.” I finally squeaked out a response, my voice sounding small even in my own ears. She laughed shortly, grabbing my wrist to pull me into the studio and kicking the door shut behind me.
“Geeze, loosen up Yur. It’s just an art class, we do this all the time.” She snapped the lock on the door shut so no one would walk in on us, a gesture I appreciated immensely. But something still felt wrong as I scanned my eyes around the dimly lit classroom. Mary saw my look flicked the overhead lights on, “See? There’s not even a crowd like the intermediate art class. Just you and the only TA for the art teachers this semester.”
My already pounding heart somehow kicked it up a notch. “J-just, uh, us?”
“Yup!” She had moved into the center of the room, putting easels away to clear the space. “That oughta be a relief, right? I mean, we used to have gym together so it’s not like i haven’t seen your perky little… knees before.”
I stepped slowly up to the raised stage, trying to ignore the shivers her teasing sent down my spine and focus instead on the real logic hidden in her words. It’s nothing she hasn’t seen. Nothing she can’t see in the mirror. Just us girls, doing an art project.
Somehow I actually managed to steady my breathing, setting my purse behind the stage and looking around for somewhere to take off my dress. I realized quickly that it was silly to hide behind something when the only other person in the room was going to see me naked anyway, but I didn’t want to give up the tiny amount of modesty I was afforded.
“You gonna strip, or were you hoping I’d come up there and help you out?” My spine went stif, a shiver creeping down my body even as sweat began to bead on my brow under the stage spotlight. “I’d say we don’t have all night, but we kinda do. No one’s gonna kick us out, and I have all the keys to lock up, so.”