Another session painting another figure, wow, I could hardly be less excited about this prospect. Figures and portraits aren’t my thing really, but it’s part of the course, so I’ve got to do it.

The model for this session was a woman this time, I’d guess she was about my age, but I’m not go at at these things. She looked sort of familiar, maybe one of the staff I’d seen around the campus, not one of the teaching staff for sure. Whoever she was, she didn’t do this as her full time job, she looked, just ordinary, the sort of person you see everyday, or rather you don’t see because they are just faces in a crowd, not a person at all, just part of the scenery.

Or so I thought.

You have to look, really look at a person to paint them, so our lecturer told us and so I did.

The woman, took her place on the seat in front of all of us and then pulled off the band holding up her long black hair. I’d not noticed her hair was so long. She arranged it to it fell over her left shoulder, it looked silky smooth and soft. She spent a few moments getting her hair just as the lecture wanted it, her long fingers carefully moving the skanes of hair. Those hands were used to precision work, I felt sure, the way they moved, the was no wasted motion here.

Her skin was pale, very pale, almost white. I could see pale blue vines beneath the skin on her hands. For the first time I noticed how tall and, no not slim, but thin she was. She almost looked painfully thin, but somehow she didn’t look unhealthy with it.

I should get started with the painting.

I looked at her face. Again, the hair caught my eye, long, jet black and somehow strong looking. Despite her thinness she looked vital and sturdy.

Then she looked right at me.

Her eyes, it was her eyes. They were blue, very blue, a light blue. They almost seemed to glow to me. She looked away, it felt like the world had just become a darker place. I studied her face intently now, but not for the painting, for my own sake. Would those wonderful eyes turn their light on to me again?

Maybe it was the pale skin and dark hair, that made such a compelling contrast to the eyes, that made her look so beautiful. Yes she was, I’d not see. It before, but now that was all I could see.

Her skin while pale, was flawless, not mark or any variation in colour on her face, it was a thin long face, her eyes large, slightly almond shaped, mabye a bit of Asian heritage in her family?

Her movements, possiting her self on the chair, had the same graceful precision has her hands.

Even the gentle rising and lowering of her shoulders with each breath seemed to have a grace all of their own.

She wore a simple white top, that showed a little v of her chest. She was flat chested, no surprise given how thin she was, but the simple top and black trousers managed to look stylish and elegant on her.

She was tall, so her legs were log, I could only imagine what…

‘Well Mr. Johnson’. The lecturers voice behind me, brought me back with a snap.

He looked at his watch, then at my blank canvas.