A new Standard

And finally, the day comes round where Alison and I get our first class in the brand new venue - today we welcomed a class to the Standard on Howe Street. I got there early so that I could have time to arrange the tables and chairs to best effect and sectioned off a part of the room where the class could be held comfortably. Alison arrived shortly after that and we settled down to chill out and wait for the girls to turn up.

I always get a little nervous at this point. I start to worry about the things that could go wrong - the potential breakdowns in communication. Had I updated all the relevant people about the new venue or were the girls en route to the Beehive as we waited? I worried about the times as well and kept double-checking the emails to make sure I had that right as well. So, when the girls arrived as planned and nothing went wrong, there was the usual sigh of relief.

The first pose was a swine. The girls asked for a "star" pose - legs spread wide and arms in the air. Alison said it was a difficult pose, so we should make it a short one. I could feel the strain in my arms almost immediately, but was able to maintain it until Alison called time on it.

Later, Alison introduced the "question session" - something she had come up with a few classes back. We worked from right to left and the girls took turns asking questions. Someone asked what the weirdest pose was that I had ever been asked for and I thought about suggesting the "Brucey Bonus" one which is often put forward. I changed my mind, though - because I hate that pose too and didn't want to suggest it. I told them that the worst pose I'd ever had was the "star" pose.

Someone also asked where the weirdest place was that I'd ever modelled. I wasn't sure, so I looked to Alison and she reminded me of the first time we met - I had her guarding one of the doorways at Craigmillar Castle while I set up my camera to take some self-portraits for my art work. That's probably not the weirdest, but it was a good suggestion.

At the end, I picked out the best and worst pictures from the gallery. I couldn't make up my mind about the worst one though, so I narrowed it down to two, then held them up for the "applause-o-meter". Then got into a debate about whether loud applause meant one picture was better than the other - and so wasn't the worst. Started to confuse myself and gave up on that one when the girls all insisted that the worst was the one with the loudest applause.

Another fun class. A shame three people didn't show up. But there were enough drawings and enough photos taken to show off.

The Carlton

I had a couple of "firsts" this weekend. My first repeated customer - one of the girls had seen me before when I did the class in Dundee. My first job at The Carlton in Aberdeen, which is a bar I hope to use again. My first job with Fiona - my Aberdeen tutor. And my first job where the class asked to take a break halfway through so they could get something to eat from a buffet. When I do a class, I tend to be very preoccupied with keeping the momentum going and making sure everybody has a good time, so I struggled a little bit with that last detail. I wasn't completely sure what I should be doing while everybody was eating - but it still seemed to go pretty well.

A couple of girls had arrived early to decorate the venue, so there were balloons everywhere and I used one of them as a prop early on. Fiona welcomed the girls when they arrived, while I took up hiding and waited for my cue. When I stepped into the room with the balloon (heart-shaped) strategically positioned, one of the girls actually screamed.

Recently, someone reminded me of a couple of drawing challenges that I haven't used in a long time, so they were resurrected for this class. I challenged everybody to draw a picture without looking at the page - and I can't believe I haven't been using that one in every single class. It's a real laugh; especially when the artists are keen to "not cheat" but still have the instinct to glance down at the page. Someone asked me if I was going to be "invigilating" and I was very embarrassed to admit that I couldn't actually remember what the word meant. I'm literate... I was familiar with the word... but right at that moment, I couldn't remember it at all.

When everybody paused for something to eat, I started to become conscious of the approaching deadline. We didn't have the venue for much longer and I wanted to cram in as much as possible so the girls could get the full value of the event. So I suggested that we move on to picking out the favourite picture and posing for some photographs once they'd finished eating. Then, after a quick check of the schedule I amended that to one more quick drawing challenge, then the favourites, then the photographs.

Finally, I got dressed and said "goodbye" to everyone. I don't like to break the continuity of an event by letting everybody see me with clothes on, because I always think it drags "real life" back in and destroys the illusion. Sometimes it's necessary, though. I made a couple of jokes about my appearance. I prefer to be naked, because then people don't see how scruffy I normally. Then, it was off to the bus station and back to sunny Edinburgh.

I used to live in Aberdeen, and it's days like this that make me want to live there again.

Aberfeldy

It wasn't easy to get to Aberfeldy - and it was even more difficult to get from Aberfeldy to the lodge where Saturday's first class was being held.  The taxi driver dropped us off a fair distance along the track, but Marta and I still had a bit of hiking to do after that - dragging the bag with the charcoal and sketchpads along with us.  But when we finally arrived, the views were spectacular.  It would be a nice place to live, although the walk home after a night at the pub would be a bit of an adventure.

There were two bunkhouses at Glassie Farm.  The one Marta and I attended had 25 girls on a hen night, and the neighbouring one had a stag night attending.  The guys were off whitewater rafting that day, but the girls made a couple of tantalising references to playing naked football in the early hours of that morning.  It was very intriguing, but they wouldn't give any more information than that, barring the occasional half-overheard snippet of conversation between them.  I really wanted to know more.

I think the group had a fair idea of what to anticipate.  There was an attempt to smuggle Marta and I inside, but there were windows overlooking the courtyard where the main door was, so that wasn't easy.  Then there was a brief conversation about whether I would be partially clothed or fully naked when I was introduced and it was decided to go straight for the nudity.  I got changed upstairs, then walked downstairs and waited outside the door while I waited for Marta's cue.

One of the poses - suggested by Marta - had me lying down on my back on the floor.  It was a tiled floor, though.  I actually gasped at the shock of it when my back touched the floor and it occurred to someone to suggest pillows and a duvet at that point, but I was already getting over the initial chill and didn't need them any more.

The only real challenge was the size of the room and the amount of girls filling it.  The chairs were spread out in a rough square formation while I stood in the middle of the room, so I made sure that I faced in all directions as the poses progressed.

I had got myself waxed on Thursday afternoon in preparation for this class, but - disappointingly - the waxer was still perfecting her technique and the results weren't brilliant.  Still a massive improvement on the ungroomed look, though.

Once the class concluded, Marta and I were kindly offered a lift back into town.  I thought about getting something to eat in Aberfeldy, but then suggested that we wait until we get to Kirkcaldy (ready for the next class) before we do that.  I just knew I'd be much more relaxed if we were actually in the neighbourhood of the second place and would enjoy the meal more.

Another fun group, though.  And the girls were all very welcoming and friendly.

Kirkcaldy

I've been warned about the girls in Kirkcaldy before now, but then... I've been warned about the girls in other towns as well.  I have noticed some trends.  Girls from Aberdeenshire and Dundee are both liable to cut loose a bit.  And this is what I anticipated from the girls in Kirkcaldy.  But this was, quite definitely, the rowdiest group of all.

When we got to the bar where the class was being held, I asked one of the bar staff to discreetly locate the event organiser and bring her through to us so that we could discuss the approach.  I asked if anyone was going to be surprised and set about making the arrangements.  Should I be partially dressed or fully nude?  The response was that I should just come out "with everything hanging free".  This was not going to be a class with shy girls involved.

When I first asked for suggestions for a pose, one girl immediately had a response.  Now, normally, when something rude is suggested, I'll know it's a joke - but this time, it had the feeling of a genuine request.  Practically a demand.

My favourite picture was very stylised and as soon as I can get it scanned, I'll post it here.  It was done during the "straight lines" challenge and I came out looking very punky and dynamic looking.  I was so impressed by it, that the girl who drew it gave it to me right away.  I was even more impressed by her later pictures, but didn't want to enthuse about those as well, because I was worried that it would seem like I was soliciting them from her.  So, I want to state here, that I loved all of her pictures.  Her use of the blue chalk really helped add to the overall look of the picture.

I really loved this group.  It was a bit of a challenge to stay in control, but it was a challenge I enjoyed a lot.  They really shook up the status quo and they seemed to really enjoy themselves a lot - and the buzz of it definitely had me on a bit of a high, afterwards.

When it was done, Marta and I went through to the bar and ordered a taxi.  While we were waiting for it to arrive, one of the girls came through and told us that they had all enjoyed themselves a lot.  Feedback like that - especially immediately after the class - felt great.

After that - taxi to the railway station and train back to Edinburgh.