#30×30 2026 : Sunday Shibari Drawing
I’ve been going to this Japanese rope bondage life drawing group for a few months now. If you’re an artist in Montreal, they do the life drawing every second Sunday. It always attracts an interesting group of sketchers with a relatively high skill level.
The model can’t always hold still, and the rigging (as they call it) is a dynamic process always in motion until the final pose. And even then they check in to make sure blood is circulating and discomfort is manageable. They are definitely not comfortable even if she looks sleepy in this child’s pose :) But they say they do it for the endorphins, so :) It’s all part of the artform.
These little excerpts are from an 11×16″ pad of sketchbook paper I use when I’m not quite brave enough for my usual Fabriano cotton rag. It’s a house brand from a local art supply store, but it’s pretty similar to Clairfontaine or Canson’s cellulose papers.
Usually I regret cheaping out on paper. Cellulose (vs. a superior cotton paper) can give you some some grainy or, sharp edged washes – as all you sketchbook artist’s know.
But I’m used to it – it’s kind of my go-to for rapid sketching or warm-ups, and I think this ‘direct drawing’ (no layering, no glazing, one-touch shapes) plays to the paper’s sweet spot.
So today’s about the mid-point in the marathon, but for me since I start early, I’m very close if not already at thirty! The thing with these sessions – I guess every page should count – and I have six pages tonight (some poses are a bit too wild to post :)
But I do tend to think of the whole session as one thing.
Otherwise it’s just to easy to hit thirty :)
Each night of figure drawing has it’s own color-mood. I can put a stack of sessions side by side you can see which were done in one go. Sometimes the colors are softer, sometimes paler, especially if I’m really rushing. It depends a lot on the model, and how many poses they can hit before they need a break.
But anyway! I think of this as my ‘daily painting’ for today!
Hope you guys are having fun with the marathon. I’ll see you over on Uma’s website, VIVIFY!
Model @ti_grou, Rigger @pup_yofas.
Citizen Sketcher 
Ouch, ouch and ouch. And yet, you captured the kind of zone they seem to be in, despite the unforgiving poses. The analytical part of me says they’re dealing with trauma, but what do I know? You provide an artist’s impression of what appears to be a group mourning of sorts, to access ease or, much better than that, pleasure. I appreciate your intrepid curiosity, and of course your (as usual) unique skill and expression.
Well, I don’t know any models well enough to answer about trauma ;) All I can say is there is a lot of enthusiastic consent at all stages! And it’s certainly not mournful or depressing! The artists and audience are having fun. The atmosphere is no different than a burlesque drawing event such as Dr. Sketchy’s. If you were to attend a performance like this, you would be surprised at the amount of humor and positivity. The models themselves say they are doing it for the endorphins, the same as any sport that pushes the human body (Free-climbing, football, MMA). Yes there is discomfort, but there is also euphoria – I suppose in the same way as a good run or a boxer might feel after a bout. This isn’t torture, though I admit it does LOOK like it. It’s much more like contortionists or ballet – it’s torture they do to themselves in order to put on a show :)
It’s also interesting how the model feels tired but uplifted afterwards, and I feel the same way doing a drawing.
Any drawing is both fully engaging for me – but also exciting and adrenalized! Don’t you feel a rush of nervousness and then triumph when you are doing risky things in your work? Especially if it’s a big stroke that may or may not ruin the drawing? Maybe that’s why I keep coming back to watercolor – it’s much more exciting than other art forms when you can fix your mistakes :)
Thanks, Marc, for taking the time to tell me more about that body art/sport form and you make a lot of sense. Hikers, for instance, will risk their very life, especially when they go on dangerous treks, but they love it. And yes, I know what you mean about the drama of watercolour – absolutely – it’s when I’ve charged in with something into my typically quiet sort of drawing, that vibrancy starts to show up. I kind of panic, sometimes, but when it works, well there just isn’t a word for how That feels. Watercolour and drawing together hold my interest because no matter how much you know, you turn the corner and there’s a whole new discovery.
It’s so true, and it’s something so many people will never really experience! Watercolor isn’t like any other artform that I can think of. It’s impossible to ruin most things so instantly :) and you don’t get the ‘agonizing suspense’ of waiting for something to dry and then being surprised how it turned out :) At least the way some of us use it :)
bondage of women is not art, it is exploitation. Take me off your mailing list!
Hey Carol, first; I do apologize, but I can’t remove you, you have to remove yourself. Sorry that’s just the way WordPress works. I would help you if I could. If you can’t find the unsubscribe button, you can always put my email on your spam list, and then you won’t see any forwarded post.
Thanks and take care, if that’s the end of it for you! Happy sketching :)
I will say, in my defense, the Shibari artists and models involved do not agree with you. They are pursuing their artform with enthusiastic consent.
If you think the physical effort the model puts in is not similar to the pains of a ballet dancer or a cirque de soliel acrobat, (any athlete really), well – maybe you haven’t paused to think of it that way?
If you feel there’s an immoral sexual aspect, well – I can’t help you there. That’s definitely a matter of your perception. I don’t personally object to other people’s expressions of human sexuality or the human body. It’s all natural, and it’s the way humans are made, by whatever force is behind our existence.
Perhaps you feel the models are making a mistake, that they have been brainwashed by society? But that is taking away their autonomy. As a feminist myself, I feel they have the right to make their own choices. They are all adults, none of them are all that young in fact. It’s possible that other life drawing classes are more exploitive, as the model is often doing it just for income, whereas these performers are artists in their own right who have chosen this form of expression, and worked hard to get to the level of performance.
In any case, I do apologize and I don’t expect to change your mind, I do realize you didn’t expect a friendly old Urban Sketcher be drawing spicy topics. Thank you for reminding me the the world is a big place and we will often meet people with differing views.
So yes, Feel free to unsubscribe, but sorry to see you go, I have no hard feelings, and I hope it’s mutual.
Take care and happy drawing!