Posing in the nude while being sketched by a agglomeration of strangers for life drawing classes wasn't farthermost for model Andrew Crayford.

He decided he needed to "up the ante".

Now he's launched Life Drawing Gymnasia where artists sketch equally he and two female person companions perform a series of eye-watering poses while completely naked.

Andrew Crayford and his model companions hold poses for up to 45 minutes (

Image:

Local World/Croydon Advertiser)

Andrew says artists ofttimes discover his face familiar.

He appeared in 2015 BBC1 series The Big Painting and was too a model for two programmes well-nigh renaissance fine art at The British Museum.

He is also the front cover of the Irvine Welsh novel A Decent Ride and worked extensively with renowned 3D lensman Scott Eaton and posed for the storyboard of the film Legend of Tarzan.

Andrew said he wanted to "up the ante" of life-drawing classes (

Image:

Local World/Croydon Advertiser)

"Everyone has seen me at some indicate merely they merely don't know my name," the 37-twelvemonth-old told the Croydon Advertiser.

Andrew, who has been a life drawing model for 10 years, has turned the artform on its head – sometimes almost literally – with The Life Cartoon Gymnasia.

He founded the group more a yr ago.

"Having been a model for a number of years I thought information technology needed a bit more excitement," he said.

"I take always done very dynamic poses. The artists do really get inspired by it. It takes it to a whole new level.

"The dynamism in information technology, the athleticism in it and the stamina in it."

Andrew said the classes crave a lot of stamina (

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Local Globe/Croydon Advertiser)

He constitute stereotypical life drawing to be "all very static".

"It is only a drawing and people sitting there for no reason," he said.

"Why would anyone sit at that place only sort of naked? What are they doing? I found there is a lack of artistry."

He connected: "Existence naked is no big deal. Anybody has sort of seen information technology.

"That'southward not what I become paid for. What we are doing is sort of elevating it and upping the ante.

"Representative of life is what we do."

Andrew is booked nearly every twenty-four hours and goes all over the country.

The sessions at Matthews Yard and Rise Gallery lasted iii hours.

The classes take proved so pop Andrew says he'due south booked nigh every day (

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Local World/Croydon Advertiser)

In that time there are poses which the models typically concord for 5, x or fifteen minutes.

Merely there are some which he and his young man models stay in for far longer and for which serious stamina is needed.

Andrew said: "Sometimes they are similar half an 60 minutes.

"I take done some actually crazy stuff upside down for 45 minutes. That's insane.

"Dorsum bends over a chair – I have washed that for 25 minutes.

"Some people expect at me like, 'Oh my God'."

The Croydon sessions have been such a success that artists have demanded more than.

"They are simply and then excited and tin can't wait for the side by side one," said Andrew.

"It'southward not like life drawing – information technology's like a operation. It's just similar cipher else they've seen."

Andrew added: "I did another event concluding night – it was packed, most 200 people. Anybody is 'wow'. They are just watching you. It's rock show modelling, a physical functioning.

"It literally blew them away."

The poses between the models may look very intimate but they are just focusing on property the poses, Andrew added.

"We can't afford to retrieve nigh anything else," he said.

"There'southward not whatsoever room in your head to remember nearly it.

"You're only using your trunk in every bit expressive a way every bit possible.

"This is virtually trying to brainwash people to movement across their preconceptions of nudity."

In fact, Andrew said he is so decorated concentrating he doesn't even really wait at the other models.

"Information technology's quite weird – [I've got] ii young models and I can't retrieve it," he said.

"I'm sure it'due south the same for them. It'south merely non really a thing. Information technology actually is, 'slap-up, the pose is over'. You can't look to let go of each other. I accept done poses where they are hanging on for dearest life."

Andrew doesn't spend hours in a gym to maintain his sculptured physique and impressive stamina.

His modelling work combined with cycling, yoga and what he describes as his own form of resistance training has been enough.

"It'southward not rocket scientific discipline," he said. "I never go to a gym.

"Your own body is a gym. Y'all don't need to do a lot physically. Cadre strength is what information technology'due south virtually.

"Information technology seems to work. I'm constantly existence asked to railroad train people."

We tin't all be keen artists only maybe afterward reading all this and looking at the photos you feel inspired to give information technology a go.

"You have got to be willing to endeavor," said Andrew. "You might as well try it with something quite spectacular that really ignites the passion. If you go to some evening life cartoon group and have some model who might not desire to exist in that location it might just switch y'all off."

He continued: "People feel your kind of free energy and they experience your kind of passion. It is all about the artistry.

"I get into my zone. I am merely concentrating on maintaining the pose. People run across that and they start to see y'all not just every bit a torso but as a shape."

Y'all tin find out more than nearly The Life Drawing Gymnasia at www.facebook.com/TheLifeDrawingGymnasia