Figure Drawing

Donny looked at her with an odd expression on his face for a minute, Autumn couldn't read it.

"How about figure drawing" he said eventually, with a cautious tone.

"I don't know, Donny, normally I'd do a figure drawing unit later in the semester, when I've had time to arrange for some models to come in."

"But we'd all be really...engaged with the material, if, uh...you could model for us."

"Hmmm, I suppose you would be, yes...but I'm not sure it's appropriate."

Donny smiled, "but you're always telling us that art needs to be free of those, what do you call 'em, 'societal constraints'. Art should be challenge norms--I learned that from you, Ms. Bethany."

Autumn smiled and blushed. She was so thrilled that Donny had remembered her lessons verbatim like that, it made her feel like she was a success as a teacher.

"You're absolutely right, Donny. Art class is no place to worry about what's appropriate. It's a place for exploration and free expression. Does the rest of the class agree with Donny? Would figure drawing, with your teacher as the model, be more a more stimulating unit?"

There was a resounding chorus of 'yes's, so Autumn went about helping the students rearrange the classroom so that chairs and easels faced an empty space in the middle of the room, where she would model.

"Hey, Teach," Donny said while he helped her carry a few easels, "have you ever heard of AGS?"

"Absolute Gullibility Syndrome? Yes, I've heard of it. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just something I've been thinking about lately." He said with a huge smile.

Once the room was arranged, Autumn took her place in the middle of the room and tried to strike a pose that would create some interesting lines for her students to follow, without making her too indecent in her new uniform. She eventually settled on sitting on a stool with her knees together and her ankles crossed (so no one could tell she wasn't wearing underwear) and one hand holding her shirt closed while the other rested on one knee (making sure the skirt didn't ride up).

A hand went up, Donny again. He certainly was engaged in class today!

"Yes Donny?"

"That pose doesn't really match my artistic vision, Ms. Bethany."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Donny, but this will afford you some interesting lines and shapes for you to reproduce."

"A good model should follow directions from the artist, though."

"Well, that's true, Donny, but you're not the only artist here."

"We want to hear Donny's pose." one of the other boys in the class said.

"Yeah, you should do what Donny says," another boy agreed.

"I suppose I should try to give you the ideal experience of working with a model. How would you like me to pose, Donny?"