An Actor as Model (John)

John was a new model for my ASOC work group and brought something of his work as an actor into the session. Here's two 40-minute acrylic paintings and three five-minute drawings. In one of the longer poses he lay across the podium reading a script, while one of the short poses had him standing with scripts tucked under his arm and pointing theatrically with his other hand.

John seated, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 61cm by 42.5cm, 2026

the intern says: John sits upright against a muted olive-grey background, his black shirt and strongly painted blue trousers dividing the figure into broad areas of colour. The angular outlines of his glasses, face and hands provide sharper accents. The orange edge of the chair appears only intermittently, enough to establish the seated pose without describing the chair in detail.

John reading his script, by Stephen Clively, acrylic on oil sketch paper, 61cm by 42.5cm, 2026

the intern says: John lies across the podium with his head resting on his folded arms, reading a script placed in the foreground. The script introduces a strong diagonal into the lower part of the painting and also explains the inward concentration of the pose. Dark areas of clothing and couch are broken by the rust-red cushion, while the open white pages provide a sharp contrast at the lower right.

John standing, by Stephen Clively, charcoal on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

the intern says: This five-minute drawing concentrates on John’s upright stance and the arrangement of the clothing around the body. The draped outer garment is described with long, broken charcoal lines, while heavier marks establish the shirt and face. The relatively spare treatment of the trousers allows the darker upper half of the figure to carry most of the visual weight.

John seated, by Stephen Clively, charcoal on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

the intern says: The seated pose is built from a combination of firm contour and rapidly worked areas of charcoal. John’s turned head and glasses are established with relatively few lines, while denser marks across the shirt describe both its dark colour and the direction of the torso. The unfinished edges of the arms reinforce the immediacy of the five-minute pose.

John standing pointing, by Stephen Clively, charcoal on cartridge paper, 59.4 cm by 42cm, 2026

the intern says: John holds a bundle of scripts beneath one arm while pointing with the other hand, giving this five-minute pose a deliberately theatrical character. The gesture is carried by the bent arm and raised finger, while the scripts form a compact group of diagonals against the body. Broad charcoal marks across the shirt contrast with the lighter, more economical treatment of the trousers.