It's the 14th February, so here's one for all the lovers out there. In honour of the romance of the day we'd like to present a series of poses around the theme of a love letter being sent and received. Not wanting to be prescriptive, the images presented are ambiguous and open to your interpretation - please recompose them, reimagine them and use them for your own drawing, painting and printmaking reference as you wish. Perhaps the exchanged letters chart a heartbreak, or they are a new declaration of love, or the continuance of long-distance love affair. Perhaps Ellie is rereading the letter before sending it, perhaps it is a letter she has received.
The theme of sharing the contents of a romantic message with a maid or confidant has a precedent in painting by Vermeer & by Françoise Boucher; we'd love to see what you make.
The letter being delivered to JM is a facsimile of a real letter sent to Virginia Wolfe by her lover Vita Sackville-West on Thursday, January 21, 1926, just over 101 years ago. Here is the letter and it's answer:
From Sackville-West to Woolf
Milan [posted in Trieste]
Thursday, January 21, 1926
I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia. I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night, and it has all gone: I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way. You, with all your un-dumb letters, would never write so elementary phrase as that; perhaps you wouldn’t even feel it. And yet I believe you’ll be sensible of a little gap. But you’d clothe it in so exquisite a phrase that it would lose a little of its reality. Whereas with me it is quite stark: I miss you even more than I could have believed; and I was prepared to miss you a good deal. So this letter is just really a squeal of pain. It is incredible how essential to me you have become. I suppose you are accustomed to people saying these things. Damn you, spoilt creature; I shan’t make you love me any the more by giving myself away like this—But oh my dear, I can’t be clever and stand-offish with you: I love you too much for that. Too truly. You have no idea how stand-offish I can be with people I don’t love. I have brought it to a fine art. But you have broken down my defences. And I don’t really resent it …
Please forgive me for writing such a miserable letter.
V.
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From Woolf to Sackville-West
52 Tavistock Square
Tuesday, January 26
Your letter from Trieste came this morning—But why do you think I don’t feel, or that I make phrases? ‘Lovely phrases’ you say which rob things of reality. Just the opposite. Always, always, always I try to say what I feel. Will you then believe that after you went last Tuesday—exactly a week ago—out I went into the slums of Bloomsbury, to find a barrel organ. But it did not make me cheerful … And ever since, nothing important has happened—Somehow its dull and damp. I have been dull; I have missed you. I do miss you. I shall miss you. And if you don’t believe it, you’re a longeared owl and ass. Lovely phrases? …
But of course (to return to your letter) I always knew about your standoffishness. Only I said to myself, I insist upon kindness. With this aim in view, I came to Long Barn. Open the top button of your jersey and you will see, nestling inside, a lively squirrel with the most inquisitive habits, but a dear creature all the same—
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About the models
The photoset features Ellie Lopez, Frankie Cluney and Jenni Mac
Jenni's pronouns are they/them
Watch Jenni's first life drawing replay HERE, their Christmas session HERE, their Gwen John session HERE, their Writer themed session HERE & NYE themed session here
Watch Jenni's portrait recording HERE
You can follow Jenni's artwork or poetry on Instagram via the links
You can find Ellie's life, portrait and clothed photo sets via the links
Take a look at Ellie's artwork HERE
Watch Ellie's portraits recordings: the first HERE, the second HERE and a joint session HERE
You can find Frankie's special Halloween Hair Ghost patreon photoset HERE and the life reply HERE
For some accompanying music, listen to our themed playlist HERE
Frankie can be found on Instagram HERE
You can find Frankie's Alice in Wonderland themed session HERE, Easter bonnet themed life drawing replay HERE, her Magritte themed life drawing replay HERE and her bath themed session HERE
Find Frankie's new portrait rotation and life rotation, as well as her clothed, portait, life & Summer Showers photo-sets by following the links.
Frankie is featured in the Insta, Selfie, Clothes Swap & Trio photosets of the Bubblegum Bouguereau
Frankie is ringmistress of the Drawing Circus and is in most of our Drawing Circus reference image HERE
Frankie has more reference photos available on her own Patreon HERE
About the photographer & photos
These photos were shot by Justyna Neryng at our domestic photoshoot in Wales, with more photos from the series on their way later this year.
You can find our full schedule of winter photosets in our original 'Winter '24 & '25 Teaser' post HERE
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Use the Draw Patreon Navigator to find any of our past photosets and take a look at our blogs on how to gather, manipulate and translate photo reference.
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Guidelines for using the photographs
Please do:
Download these pictures to your own computers and devices, downloading the Zip files for all images, or saving individual photos.
Use the pictures to draw, paint, print and sculpt from, being as realistic or creative as you like
Share the artwork you’ve made with us and the world - in books, in exhibitions, on social media, or on your fridge
Tag us in work you make (@drawbrighton / #drawbrighton) – you don’t have to, but we love to see what you’ve made!
Edit the photo files as reference for your own drawings - you can change the contrasts, colours and backgrounds to provide more tailored reference for yourself.
Please don't:
Share these pictures with anybody else – they are between you and us
Share the photos themselves online – thanks for respecting our models’ privacy
Edit the photo files themselves for artwork – we want to see original work you’ve made
Thanks!