nathanupchurch.com/content/blog/that-time-i-drew-my-ex.md

---
title: That Time I Drew My Ex
description:  The tale of the time I made my best effort to draw my live-modeling ex. Also some not-very-good art.
date: 2024-08-20
tags:
  - Storytime
  - Quick Thoughts
synopsis: The tale of the time I made my best effort to draw my live-modeling ex. Also some not-very-good art.
imageURL: /img/doodle.webp
imageAlt: A wiggly vector ice cream cone with a wee smiling face and colorful sprinkles. The cone is holding two smaller ice cream cones in its long, wiggly arms, one of which is wrapped around its body.
mastodon_id: "112996800811207774"
---
At the start of the pandemic, I had just begun a relationship with an artist who had the occasional gig doing a bit of nude live modeling.

[![A wiggly vector ice cream cone with a wee smiling face and colorful sprinkles. The cone is holding two smaller ice cream cones in its long, wiggly arms, one of which is wrapped around its body.](/img/doodle.webp "Not my ex")](/img/doodle.webp)

When he invited me to join a session via zoom, I was apprehensive. Drawing has never been my strong suit. I can *doodle,* but I can't *draw.* But hey, I thought, I'm not completely devoid of artistic skill. I *have* been doing design work for years; while graphic design is not art, it's at least art-adjacent. Hell, when I sit down and take my time, I can produce something that's downright fridge-worthy!

[![A crude oil pastel ocean-scape featuring a sunset. Wee boats bob about on the waves and little birds fly above them.](/img/pastel.webp "I'd put that on my fridge!")](/img/pastel.webp)

Prepared to do my best, I settled down with my laptop, some pencils, and a pad of paper. What I was not prepared for, however, was how quickly the poses would change. There I was, expecting a good chunk of time to carefully render my new boyfriend in loving detail, only to have the pose end before I'd even managed an outline! And so I changed my strategy: I decided to prioritize *speed.* That didn't work either. Here are some of the results:

[![A very speedily drawn cat, with what I think is my ex behind it. It looks like a sack of potatoes.](/img/quicklydrawncat.webp "I'm fairly certain this was supposed to be his cat.")](/img/quicklydrawncat.webp)

[![This drawing, honest to god, looks like a rotisserie chicken with a perm.](/img/chicken.webp "I really don't know what happened  here.")](/img/chicken.webp)

After much scribbling, I did begin to improve, eventually turning out this:

[![A half decent drawing of what is quite clearly a human sitting on the floor.](/img/notbad.webp "I stopped while I was ahead here.")](/img/notbad.webp)

I put the pencil down after that.