Art model

The job is mostly holding a pose. A session begins with the artist explaining what they want — a standing figure, a seated one, a particular angle or gesture — and the model holds it, often for long stretches, with breaks agreed in advance. Artistic modelling is done clothed, draped or nude, depending on the commission, and that is settled before the session starts. In front of a camera the work changes: the model keeps moving, matches poses to the photographer's direction and holds the ones that work. Through all of it the model controls their own body closely — breathing, balance, where the weight sits — so that a pose can be resumed exactly after a break.

Art models work in artists' studios, art schools and life-drawing classes, for painters, sculptors, illustrators, photographers and students, usually hired for a single session or a series.

The work asks for stillness and stamina, awareness of one's own body, and a willingness to adapt to what each artist is trying to make. The practical side counts too: agreeing the fee and the conditions of posing directly with the artist, and keeping a portfolio of the work a model has posed for.