Mimi in the patio

Being outside this time of the year is a treat. Vine leaves browning at the edges and just the slight tinge of Autumn in the fresh air.

Mimi gave us three poses: this was the first. I liked Angela’s translation of her idiosyncratic pencil style into colours: always the feeling the drawing might somehow fray or unravel, so loosely is it held together. It is my duty however to warn you about correctly assessing the width of shoulders in proportion to the head.

Both David and Jane had a foreshortened view of Mimi’s arms and thighs, and did not deal with the challenge entirely happily. Her left arm seems to have been a problem for just about everybody. In David’s case, the issue is how to show the knee bend when the clothing is too loose to be any help – something Jane managed to achieve by using clues from the pattern.

Kathy has a simple, satisfying composition here (below) . Somehow the slight body twist works nicely with the vines and arch to create gentle rhythms.

Steve captured the posture well (below) injecting a bit of alertness which adds life to the pose.