Articles
Life Drawing
Inside the Academy
> 2 years ago
Fact-checking Bridgerton: The Royal Academy Schools and the Summer Exhibition
If you spotted the Royal Academy’s starring role in Netflix’s biggest series, you might be wondering what was fact and what was fiction. Thankfully, our Librarian Adam Waterton is here to debunk some myths and answer our Bridgerton questions.
Our Collection
> 3 years ago
Naked truth: the story of female life models at the RA
What does a 230-year-old household bill tell us about life modelling in the 18th-century? Here, we explore the historical role of the female nude life model at the RA.
RA Recommends
< 4 years ago
Online life drawing classes to help you stay creative (and sane) at home
Grab your putty rubber and pencil, because here are 10 of our favourite virtual life drawing classes to see you through lockdown 3.0, with appearances from suspension artists, wild animals, strippers, and fat, queer or disabled models.
Inside the Academy
< 4 years ago
Life drawing with Romeo the pony
Two legs good, four legs better? Grab your pencils and sketch this tiny pony in two short poses from our 2019 event #LifeDrawingLive: the anatomy class.
Our Collection
4 years ago
7 life drawing shorts to do at home
In 2018, we hosted the world’s first-ever livestreamed life drawing class from the Royal Academy’s famous Life Room, #LifeDrawingLive. Grab a pencil and have a crack at each pose by life model Andrew Crayford.
Inside the Academy
> 5 years ago
LifeDrawingLive: the anatomy class
From Leonardo da Vinci to George Stubbs, artists have long been inspired by the wonders of human and animal anatomy. In this special online class, we take a look at what lies underneath the skin and also draw from real-life models. Take the class and send us your drawings!
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
Strike a pose: 250 years of life drawing at the RA
As our ‘From Life’ exhibition explores the past, present and future of representing bodies in art, we look back at the Royal Academy’s 250-year tradition of drawing nude models.
RA Exhibitions
< 7 years ago
From pencil and paper to virtual reality: working from life today
With our current exhibition exploring the past, present and future of working from life, art critic Ben Luke explores how today’s artists are rethinking this seemingly traditional process in innovative, unexpected ways.
Inside the Academy
> 9 years ago
Five quick tips to improve your life-drawing
The RA Schools’ Head of Sculpture and Printmaking led a life-drawing masterclass as part of our first Friends week. Here he shares five key pieces of advice.
Inside the Academy
10 years ago
Back to school… a day in the life of an Outreach tutor
Our Outreach programme has been bringing life drawing workshops to schools for over 20 years. Tutor Paul Brandford tells us what’s involved.
Inside the Academy
> 10 years ago
Strike a pose… What it’s like to be a life model
As part of the RA Outreach programme we give school students across the UK the chance to take part in life drawing workshops to discover the important role that drawing can play in developing creativity. But what’s it like to be a life model and pose for these budding young artists?