Drawing From Life

Welcome to the site where we draw from life. This site not only serves the Penzance area life drawing group in Cornwall, but also offers image galleries, news and exercises of wider interest to those who love drawing and figures, and also cakes. Here you will also find a popular random pose generator to give suggestions and inspiration for models and poses, and you can learn how to do monoprints.

Tutorial by Ann Bennett-Lofthouse

For full details of the weekly Life Drawing Penzance sessions open to all, including 2023 dates and map, please see the Penzance page here.

Our occasional all-day sessions give you time to do a more complete painting or drawing of a single pose held for the whole day, unlike a typical life class or course. These are open to all and the cost is just twice that of the morning sessions, and you need to supply your own materials and usually portable easel if you would like to be sure of having one. You can see some work from an all-day pose in this gallery from an all-day session. Everyone is welcome and we only arrange these extra sessions when there is enough interest.

One year we had a special subject, as we were drawing a pregnant model on the last Saturday of each month. and some of that work was shown at an enjoyable Lifelines Exhibition in Penzance. You can still see work here from the Figuration Exhibition in St Ives of 2014, a great chance to see a wide variety of skilled innovation responding to the living human form. Previously there was a fine set of drawings by a Newlyn artist on show at the Drawn From Life Exhibition in St Ives Cornwall, as well as an interesting local life drawing group exhibition at the Schoolhouse Gallery in Morvah, in Penwith near St Ives, which is one of Cornwall's best lit galleries.

And if you want a bit of help when drawing or with classes, get out your phone and have a look at the handy exercises here. Or try a piece of cake.

reclining figure watercolour Cornwall
Artist: Angela Stead
drawing of a man's head
Artist: Andy Tait
Figure sketches.  Charcoal on paper
Artist: Mike Duffy
figure with back to mirror
Artist: Barry Spencer
James Lee, Artist, Norbu Art Studio, Penzance, Cornwall, Oil Paintings, Mother and Child, British artists, Cornish artists, figurative paintings, figurative artists, figurative art, figurative artworks, expressionism, expressionist paintings, expressionist art, colourists, colour, Cornish galleries, Circa 21 Gallery, Myrtle Woodcraft, 2016, Tate Gallery, Newlyn Art Gallery, Interior Design, Female Figures in Interiors, Female Figures in Exteriors, Line Drawings, Summer 2016, Art Exhibitions
Artist: James Lee
Artist: Colin Cude
nude violinist with tattoos
Artist: John Berryman
Women making tortillas
Artist: John Berryman
seated female nude watercolour
Artist: Lee Stevenson
Woman holding a bird
Artist: Suzi Stephens
Seated female.  Charcoal and red chalk on paper
Artist: Mike Duffy
man with beard
Artist: Jana Gaborova
A woman's back
Artist: Barry Spencer
R AUG 3 2013
Artist: Graham Hewitt
watercolour drawing of St Ives woman
Artist: Andy Tait
Artist: Colin Cude
standing man
Artist: Jana Gaborova
Woman sitting
Artist: Suzi Stephens
Leaning back male figure lost in thought black and white monoprint
Artist: Philip Maire
James Lee, Artist, Norbu Art Studio, Penzance, Cornwall, Oil Paintings, Mother and Child, British artists, Cornish artists, figurative paintings, figurative artists, figurative art, figurative artworks, expressionism, expressionist paintings, expressionist art, colourists, colour, Cornish galleries, Circa 21 Gallery, Myrtle Woodcraft, 2016, Tate Gallery, Newlyn Art Gallery, Interior Design, Female Figures in Interiors, Female Figures in Exteriors, Line Drawings, Summer 2016, Art Exhibitions
Artist: James Lee
standing woman pencil life drawing
Artist: Jane Gosney
pencil life drawing of a female nude's back
Artist: Jane Ducker
Monday face 4
Artist: Frankie Webb
Cornwall Mermaid
Artist: Clive Daniels
Somnia
Artist: Frankie Webb
A NOV 2 2013
Artist: Graham Hewitt
James Lee, Artist, Norbu Art Studio, Penzance, Cornwall, Oil Paintings, Mother and Child, British artists, Cornish artists, figurative paintings, figurative artists, figurative art, figurative artworks, expressionism, expressionist paintings, expressionist art, colourists, colour, Cornish galleries, Circa 21 Gallery, Myrtle Woodcraft, 2016, Tate Gallery, Newlyn Art Gallery, Interior Design, Female Figures in Interiors, Female Figures in Exteriors, Line Drawings, Summer 2016, Art Exhibitions
Artist: James Lee
Girl standing 550x400mm
Artist: Lee Stevenson
Artist: Jane Ducker
Drawing
Artist: Frankie Webb
Nude woman with violin
Artist: John Berryman
life drawing class Penzance Cornwall
Artist: Angela Stead
Standing female.  Charcoal and graphite on paper
Artist: Mike Duffy
reclining nude
Artist: Jana Gaborova
Oil painting of nude dancer
Artist: David Cottrell
two reclining figures
Artist: Gazelle
male figure in Cornwall
Artist: Tom Brooke
flying seagull
Artist: David Cottrell
blue woman
Artist: Gazelle
seated nude woman in Cornwall
Artist: Tom Brooke
Pencil 5 min pose
Artist: Jane Ducker
Nude back of a woman
Artist: Barry Spencer
girl sleeping
Artist: Graham Hewitt
female nude in Cornwall
Artist: Tom Brooke
Artist: Colin Cude
green woman
Artist: Gazelle
Figures
Artist: Clive Daniels
mermaid and net
Artist: Clive Daniels
Three standing figures
Artist: Suzi Stephens
female figure on fabric in Cornwall studio
Artist: Angela Stead
seated woman monoprint
Artist: Nikki Cody
profile of a woman
Artist: Nikki Cody
seated woman pencil life drawing
Artist: Jane Gosney
Standing male nude upper body profile with hands to his face black and white monoprint
Artist: Philip Maire
Standing female figure, back view leaning forward black and white monoprint
Artist: Philip Maire