Svelte body type not a requirement to pose

By Laura Tonkyn, Journal staff | Thursday, March 20, 2008

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At a recent drawing session at the Dahl’s Education Complex, Sturgis resident Alisa Ennis sat nude in a comfortable pose for the group of six artists.

Ennis, who works for Farm Bureau Insurance in Sturgis, is a physically fit young woman who has a background in fashion modeling, but that has no particular relevance to the artists themselves.

“There is no set body type,” artist David Horan said. For several years, Horan was in charge of finding models for the group and says he was proud of the variety of models he was able to locate. “We had models as old as 72; we had a model who was around 300 pounds,” he said. Models included body builders, athletes and fit people of all types and ages, he said.

Artist Nancy Bowman says the point isn’t whether a model has a beautiful figure. “People are interesting, whatever shape they are in.”

Ennis says art modeling is much more relaxing than fashion modeling, and she enjoys doing it. However, she admits that she had a few doubts at the beginning, as did some family members. “There was a horrible thought about getting on the Internet nude,” she said, explaining how she thought posing might somehow involve cameras.

In fact, after gaining some experience, Ennis is the one who decides on the poses she will use, along with placing the lights to create angles and forms with artistic possibilities. Horan says the best models are the “ones who take charge once they have it figured out. They will assume poses without much instruction.”

Assuming poses takes a certain amount of flexibility, according to Ennis, who practices yoga to keep fit and help with her modeling. “As you gain experience, you learn how to keep comfortable,” she said.

Models may hold some poses for only a few minutes, Horan said, allowing artists time for only a quick sketch. Other poses may be held for 15-20 minutes, requiring the model to make sure that the position won’t cause muscle cramps or a limb to fall asleep.

During longer poses, Ennis says she may think about what pose she will do next or go over her schedule for the next day. “It doesn’t take a lot of concentration.”

Modeling has brought some change to how Ennis views her body, particularly in her ability to accept herself as she is. Plus, seeing artistic renditions of her body can have a positive effect. “After they started drawing my best features, I thought, ‘Wow, do I really look like that?’ It kind of makes me want to switch places with them,” she added. “Hey, I want to try drawing this. I want to see what you are seeing.”

Horan says people decide to become models for different reasons. “Some are in it for their love of art. We do have some who are exhibitionists,” he said. And some people model to defeat their poor body attitude and learn to accept their wrinkles and stretch marks, said Horan, who has worked with a number of women for whom modeling is a freeing experience.

According to Horan, these women are “sort of kicking down the door,” saying, “I am so tired of feeling ashamed of my body. I just want to put it out there and say, ‘There, this is me.’”

Such models have the exact attitude needed for good results, the artists agreed.

“I think the only holdup with a model is if they aren’t comfortable in their own skin. A tense form isn’t as beautiful as relaxed or working muscles,” artist Victoria Ledford said.

While the public still has a tendency to put a sexual slant on the issue of nude modeling, “That’s not what we’re thinking,” Bowman said. “We’re thinking about shapes, forms and color — putting it on a two-dimensional space — what works and what doesn’t. That’s what we’re thinking.”   

Contact Laura Tonkyn  at 394-8405 or laura.tonkyn@rapidcityjournal.com.