Drawing Ben - 11/22/13

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! Ben is in the holiday spirit! We've seen Ben before. This time he came to me with an idea. 

Drawing Gabriel - 11/21/13

ANOTHER FAVORITE OF MINE. Gabriel has a perfect youthful, heroic body. He has an athlete's body, not a gym rat, overly diet-consicous body. Wrestling has given it to him. It's been a long time since I've gotten to draw him. You can see the other images of him here.

Drawing Boris - 11/14/13

IT HAS BE CRAZY AROUND HERE. I'm so behind on posting. It's funny how that works out. The busier I am with interesting projects, the less you all get to hear about it.

Drawing Jonathan - 11/07/13

BANG BANG! This was a fun drawing session. We had Jonathan in the studio posing. Despite the big gun, he's actually a gentle soul.

Drawing Eryc - 10/24/13

I NEVER TIRE OF DRAWING. I enjoy doing it ever opportunity I get. I have been posting, quite regularly, figure studies for the last year and have enjoyed working on each one. If any of you wonder, I'm not drawing these for work, nor am I enrolled in any class. I'm making these drawings and watercolors because I want to. It's what I love to do more than anything.

A few weeks ago, I got to draw Eryc. Eryc is a dancer and, in fact, owns his own dance company. He's obviously in shape and gave us some great poses. I'm in love with the last painting here. I really captured his weight and mass.

I hope you enjoy looking at my work as much as I enjoy making it. Please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions or just want to say hi!

Drawing Benjamin Part II - 10/17/13

I GOT MY WISH. Benjamin came and posed for us again! No need to reiterate how perfect of a model he is. (You can read it here.)

I can't get enough time with this guy. I'd like to hire him for a new series I'm hoping to start in the next month or so. He's got the perfect physique for the sport-focused images I'm imagining. I'd like to draw them in graphite. It might be a while before you get to see anything, though. I'm going to experiment with mixing my old style with some of the new pen and watercolor work I've recently been doing. It's going to be an exciting project! Stay tuned!

Drawing Magic - 10/03/13

NOW FOR A LITTLE MAGIC! Our model last night was magic. I mean, our model last night was Magic. Magic was his name. Like, legit, his parent's named him Magic. Often models with have "stage" names to protect their identity should they become famous actors or politicians. I was a surprised this was not the case last night. 

He was quite the handsome guy, long, lean, and muscular. I'm sure that his training as a dancer gave him the body. It also gave us the great dramatic poses. He was a pleasure to work with. I hope I get the chance to draw him again.

Drawing Ben - 09/29/13

BEN WAS A SURPRISE! Ben contacted me to model. I was nervous at first because he didn't have any modeling experience, but he was a natural!

He's super-fit from his collegiate days as a track runner. With a little direction, he gave some great poses. I think we were both really happy with the experience. He had fun and checked something off his bucket list; and I got some great drawings!

If you're interested in modeling, please contact me. I'm mostly interested in working with athletic/fit builds that connect with my current body of work.

Drawing Francisco - 09/26/13

FRANCISCO WAS LATE, but he was worth the wait! As mentioned in my last entry, Drawing Charles, Francisco had some difficulty arriving on time for our drawing session. Because we got a late start, we had him hold the same pose for the entire session.

Drawing Tim - 09/17/13

TIM HAS RED HAIR. Not strawberry blonde, like REALLY, REALLY RED! It was fun to paint, since I'd never painted a ginger before. It was a different palette. So many pinks and oranges!

Drawing Michael C - 09/10/13

DANCERS ARE THE BEST MODELS. Michael C. is a dancer. He had such elegant poses. Even the motion to get into the poses was graceful. Also, they obviously have great bodies. I mean, just look at him.

Follow Me on Instagram! @JohnMacConnell

I JOINED THE INSTAGRAM BANDWAGON a few months ago, and so should you! I love it! Get a glimpse into my process and inspiration! Follow me @JohnMacConnell!

Drawing Ryan 2 - 09/03/13

RYAN 2 REALLY SHOULD BECOME RYAN 1. This is our third time together. Ryan 1 hasn't shown his face again. Also, Ryan always looks great. Check out his heroic poses below.

Drawing Benjamin - 08/20/13

BENJAMIN HAS ONE OF THOSE HEROIC BODIES usually reserved for Italian sculpture and comic book pages. We're talking serious beefcake. Needless to say, he was a pleasure to paint. I kept having the urge to put a "S" on his chest, though... I'm hoping to work with him again. Stay tuned!

Drawing Dustin - 08/10/13

Photo by Carlos Pisco 

IT IS TIME to catch up on posting. The summer is always a busy time. I'm having a great summer visiting the beaches of Fire Island every couple of weeks. In August we had quite a unique drawing session with the Pines Nude Drawing group. Not only did we get to draw on a boat, but our model Dustin was a skilled accordion player! We must have been quite the site huddled on the pier drawing!

Drawing Jeff & David - 07/23/13

I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO FOCUS LAST NIGHT. Jeff and David were both beautiful men. They each deserve a drawing session of their own. It was only by mistake that we were drawing them together last night at Mark Beard's--a double booking. 

While I love the first painting of the two full-body figures together, I wish I would have had more time for the second. The double portrait would have been beautiful. It's such a more intimate composition.

Drawing Bryan Slater - 07/21/13

MORE DRAWINGS for your enjoyment. Our model Bryan Slater (NSFW if you google him...) was amazing this week. He had a well-muscled, sinewy body that captured the light just right. He posed for the Pines Nude Drawing group in the Meatrack, just outside of the Fire Island Pines. It's so nice to be able to paint the figure in nature. It's going to be hard to go back to a basement studio after this...

Drawing Chad & Will - 07/06/13

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND was a blast in the Pines! (I know, I'm a little late...) A highlight was definitely drawing with the Pines Nude Drawing group. It was glad to take some time away from all that strenuous partying and stressful days on the beach to relax with my pens and watercolors. :P

Chad and Will were great sports. We found a secluded house at the edge of the Pines with it's own private beach (newly cleared thanks to Hurricane Sandy). The boys did everything we asked--posing in the water, and we even got Will to climb a tree! I wish the session would have been longer. It was a great spot!

Drawing Zsolt - 06/02/13

SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY UNOFFICIALLY STARTED! And so has my share in the Fire Island Pines. It was beautiful on the beach last weekend. It was the perfect start to the season -- good friends, good food, and good drawings.

Last week was the second week (the first I could attend) for Pines Nude Drawing, the drawing group that meets almost weekly in the Pines. This week, we had a great model named Zsolt with very classic heroic features. I love the red and blue ballpoint pen drawings I captured of him. I need to do more of those in the weeks to come.

I'm so excited for the summer and for more poolside/beachside drawing! Also, if you're interested in drawing or posing email info@pinesnudedrawing.com for more information!

Drawing DanPaul - 5/9/13

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN; I present you with DanPaul; singer, songwriter, artist, and model.