I wrote back immediately and said I was very interested in that first class. We booked it, and I showed up last night. It was an amazing experience. The class was held in a section of the anatomy lab. Six easels were set up. A local artist named Jan Friedman had been hired to help teach the students to draw proportionally. There were also three members of the medical school faculty in the class.
The first part of the class was a two hour standing pose with the students drawing on standard drawing paper. I don't think any of the six students had ever drawn from the figure before, and I usually like to do standing poses for people just starting out. So even if I hadn't been asked to stand, I would have suggested it. Here's a photo I took of part of that set up...
Once that pose ended, things got really interesting.
"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."- Psalm 139:14 (ESV) This verse came to mind as I lay on a table while the students worked. Their job was to use body paint and draw the organs directly onto my body. They then had to use an ultrasound and see if those drawings were in the right place. It was amazing. I am happy to report that my gall bladder is very healthy with not a stone in sight. And my liver and kidneys all looked normal.
Here are some unedited pictures, some of which are NSFW, from that session (the drapery kept getting pushed down, but I think it was there more for the students' benefit than mine):
