Excuses for drawing the nude figure

[drd]

I need an explanation, good and witty, for the immature idiots like some of my family members who berate for drawing naked people, since I'm only 15. >>

So, why? Make them nice and juicy, and full of scathing disappointment.

[Seedling]

“I would be drawing vegetables, but the world isn’t ready for broccoli super-heroes yet.”

“Clothes are too hard to draw, so why bother?”

“Would you approve if I erased the penis, painted him blue, and give him a cape?”

“I thought you liked naked women. Have I been wrong all these years?”

“You have more first-hand knowledge of breasts. Can you tell me if these look right to you?”

“I’m too cheap to buy a copy of Playboy.”

“I’m too lazy to look for porn on the internet.”

“You’re right, I should be wasting my life in front of the television like everybody else.”


How's that? ;-) Knock 'em dead, Tiger.

[Unedibleapple]

Hehe, some nice ones there seedling, seems like you might have had experience like that in the past..
Good luck drd! Drawing naked people is fun!

[Jason Rainville]

haha, this could be fun. You could always go with the "I expected someone as immature as you to not understand. Get out of my face or I'll crush you with my mature, enourmous brain" well, maybe not that last part. But in the spirit of fun -

"I'd rather draw pussies I find on the internet than ones like you" - don't say this to your mom
"Looking at naked ladies is fun. You should try it sometime." - good for guys
"I don't have time to worry about what you think. I'm to busy improving myself... what are you up to again?"
"You'll die unremembered because you couldn't understand the concept of working toward something greater than a drunken weekend with loose women and tilted glasses..." - harsh, switch that last part per person.

You could also go another route and explain it to them. But I assume that you've tried and it has no effect on skulls more than an inch thick.

EDIT: seedling, I'm SOOOOO tempted to quote one of those in my sig and atribute it to you :D I'm sure everyone would like to hear how you're too lazy to look for porn... :teeth:

[Seedling]

EDIT: seedling, I'm SOOOOO tempted to quote one of those in my sig and atribute it to you :D I'm sure everyone would like to hear how you're too lazy to look for porn... :teeth:

LOL! Be my guest.

[drd]

Hahah, that's epic.

It's mostly my 13 year old sister and my dad. He doesn't understand why artists draw nudes.
I do usually take the immature route, and tell them that they're the immature ones for giving a flying flip.

[Seedling]

They really just need your help to understand what you are doing, drd. :-) Be patient with them.

[brianhamner]

Persecution goes with the trade. Your lucky its only family members, I live in deliverance country. Everyone who sees my work thinks I'm possessed by the devil because I dont do flowers or birds or sports. Or Jesus. You should draw some really crazy shit, go overboard with it and try to be as offensive as possible. Then they'll be happy when ou go back to just drawing naked chicks.

[Konstruktion]

Make Jesus nailed onto a reveres cross with his penis erected! Also, some of his folks can suck it.

"I need the practice." should suit just fine.

[rustikof]

ask them why architects start with large planks of wood to build a house.

same idea, you could of course always build the outside walls of a house, but if you've got nothing inside to support it, the house falls apart. The blueprints are the part that make the house work :)

plus, metaphors are always good at conveying ideas to plebians, as it seems your family members are...just be like--dude, i'm an artist. get over it.

[DavePalumbo]

Yeah, try and explain that it's alot easier to draw a person in clothing if you have a strong grasp of what's happening under those clothes first. It's like asking why does a med student poke around in dead bodies?

An equally valid answer, though maybe not the one that you'd give, is that naked people are nice to look at. And this doesn't have to be in a sexually exciting way, it could just as easily be a fascination at the complexity of a living organism. In either case, it's still a very good answer.

I'd think it would be harder to understand why some people paint nothing but bowls of fruit their whole lives, but for some reason that one seems easier to "get"

[That fat kid]

Nakedness is obviously a sin and disgusting. Make sure that they wear bathing suits in the shower and that all conception is immaculate. Also remind them that looking down while peeing is perverted.

Oh! And don't forget to ask your dad when he decided to become straight.

[Qitsune]

Maybe you'd rather draw écorchés but they tend to squirm a lot!

[Joshua Fountain]

Med students seeking to become professionals study anatomy. Art students do the same.

There really isn't any better argument than that. Usually it will help your cause to get people to do a little bit of understanding rather than giving them crap about why they asked you. Then they'll most likely still hate what you do but mostly out of spite for the way they were shot down.


EDIT::: weird sentence

[HunterKiller_]

Bring them to the computer, tell them that this is a forum of professional artist earning lots of money, and make them read this thread.

[Ilaekae]

I practice drawing nude figures because...

When the pope asks me to do his ceiling, I won't do something stupid like having Adam's dick hanging out of his left ear or armpit...

I like to remind myself that silicon is NOT original equipment...

It distracts really stupid people long enough for me to do my real work without interruption...

It establishes a strong sense of "Gender" in my mind's eye that will keep me from picking up a chick at a bar like you guys did last week...named "George..."

I'm looking for more places to pierce and tattoo...

I'm just waiting for my 18-year-old models and casting latex to get here so I can do some REEEEAAAAAL art...

They last longer as props than a lime jello wedding cake...

I like to pretend I'm blind and the clothes get tangled up in my fingers when I check to see where everything is...

"Sex" is hard on my Batwoman Comics, not to mention the constant replacement costs...

I'll probably get laid before you do, Dad...

[watermonster]

You can try going down the long-discussion-with-maturity road and explain how drawing naked people can help you improve with anatomy...

As the absolutely last resort, you can add lines on your drawing's wrists, ankles and neck, and call him/her to be wearing a swimmer's wetsuit or a contortionist's garment.

It gets even harder here, living in an islamic country. I doubt I've ever seen a piece of art of a naked lady/man here. Remembering art lessons, our art teacher would discourage us from painting people in the nud', even pregnant ladies - or to add leaves or patterns over the areas in case a moderator comes to check what we're up to!!!*gasp*

[kev ferrara]

How about:

"If I don't draw from life, the kids at school will beat me up".

Actually, just say you're getting a jump start on all the other artists your age because every artist has to draw from life to learn the anatomy sooner or later.

"See, dad, its a competitive-edge thing! I'm doing advance R&D!"

[MephistoLV]

"Who is so barbarous as not to understand that the foot of a man is nobler than his shoe, and his skin nobler than that of the sheep with which he is clothed?"
Michelangelo Buonarroti

[sgtplunder]

"My wife is now a week overdue the due date...." - that should be enough :)

[Magic Man]

How about "I'm looking for my next victim, I gotta make sure they have a size 12 skin, because I'm going to wear their epidermis like pajama's and I have to acquaint myself to what a size 12 person looks like..."

That should get rid of pesky relatives who are balking at you drawing nude people =)

- m

[Dallas]

"Dad....*sigh*.....maybe you should try to convince mom to turn on the light in the bedroom on wendesday nights...."