Figue Drawing with Anton van Dalen: Farewell

Anton, my figure drawing teacher, gave me a sincere hug and I did my best to match his intensity. His freshly cut white hair pressed against my curly brown locks. "Thank you," he said with fierce eye contact. "Thank you," I replied. That was the last class.

(Check out more pictures of Anton on his website.)

Over the last couple of months our class spent twelve hours a week exploring the nude body through drawing. Anton is exceptionally open-minded and his teaching style reflected that. He always asked us what types of poses we wanted, how long they should be, and we often sat down in a group and had mini round table discussions with our models. He urged us to connect with them on a deeper level than as mere subjects - they were people with stories and passions just like us.

Here are some of my favorite drawings from Anton's class.