In all my moving around from one country to another, it was quite a while since I had done any life drawing but the abundance of drop-in sessions available in Edinburgh has ended the fallow period.  The first one I went along to was on a Wednesday night in the historic Summerhall building.  This was a couple of hours’ drawing to curated music, with the added attraction of being able to bring in a drink from the bar.  I’d come across this kind of event in London last Summer and I was an instant fan.  Until that time, I’d only ever been to silent, reverential classes/sessions so it was quite a revelation to experience the combination of professional life models in such an informal setting.  I think these kind of sessions are fun and a great way to get people drawing who might otherwise feel intimidated by the hushed, more traditional life room.  Another venue for this kind of life drawing, where they have music and up to three models, is on a Tuesday night at the Cabaret Voltaire organised by the wonderfully named All the Young Nudes.  I haven’t been to this one yet but I’m looking forward to it.  All that said about how great these alternative sessions are, I’ve also been really enjoying the more traditional sessions at the Saturday afternoon untutored groups offered by Leith School of Art.  I went along for several weeks in a row to take advantage of the long, continuous pose, i.e. the same pose each week. The bonus for me is that the School is only a ten minute walk along the Water of Leith.  Such a luxury.  Also on my doorstep, so to speak, is a drop-in group at Leith’s Custom House organised by Trina Bohan on a Thursday morning for a couple of hours.  The images above are from the School of Art short poses.