Becoming an art nude model

I'm kind of glad I wasn't born to be a fashion/runway model. Especially after watching a 60 Minutes program a couple of weeks ago, the episode about a former fashion model Jenna Sauers who revealed (anonymously) in her blog how hard and non-glamorous life for most models is. Working several hours one day and getting paid in lipstick, a few slices of watermelon and a dress! Or some photographers taking advantage of models in need of work, getting them to do gross things or something that's definitely not part of a model's job in exchange for a guaranteed modelling gig... Nasty!

I didn't realise that most fashion models live in debt, but then if you are paid in lipstick and a dress...

Here's a link to Jenna's writing:

http://jezebel.com/5317761/i-am-the-anonymous-model/

A former published fashion photographer whome I met a while ago, told me that he quit fashion photography despite the fact that the money was good. He couldn't stand the environment and arrogance of fashion designers and some other professionals working in the industry. This photographer is currently doing portraiture and landscapes and is very happy with that. Obviously he's able to make money that way, too, which is extremely hard, especially in Auckland given the competition.

Recently I've been busy doing fine art shoots. So far I've been very lucky to meet some great photographers who are able to create a fun and relaxed environment for the shoot. I really like when a photographer thinks that a model should be paid for her work. Tfcd is great, it really helps to create a model's portfolio, but then there's a point when you feel you're entitled to financial compensation. I thought that with the recession I wouldn't have much luck getting paid, but so far (fingers crossed) photographers have been happy to pay my rate, which is really cool! Some even offered to give me a certain number of photos on top of my payment, so I'm really happy with that and thank you guys for your generosity! I'm definitely going to place them on my online profile for more variety.

I collaborated with an Italian artist a while ago, too. Here's a link to his blog where he placed his artwork:I'm also working out like crazy now, whenever I can, trying to get rid of some "winter flab". Kung Fu and Qigong are great for that! Really looking forward to summer and all the fun it brings, including art and photography projects :).

All hail to Body Painters!

Although petite models are considered unsuitable for the runway, high fashion and quite a bit of commercial work, too, the art side of modelling doesn't have specific height requirements and therefore is available to us, petite girls, for exploring and enjoying it; that makes me very happy.

I personally love the work of Carmel McCormick and also Yolanda Bartram (who is from BodyFX), they are awesome artists!

Anyway, I was kind of shocked today to find this piece of news:

nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5720941/body-painted-air-hostesses-upset-kiwis

You can see the actual ads here:

www.throng.co.nz/ads/air-nz-ceo-gets-his-kit-new-ad-campaign

Luckily, the great majority of Kiwis in on-line poll voted for this kind of advertising, stating that it was very well done and reflected good Kiwi humour. Naturally, I voted for that, too. It was done tastefully and is not offensive. I actually saw this add many times on the back of the bus, but didn't realised until recently that the pilot pictured had only his black shoes and hat on out of clothing items, the rest was body paint.

Body Painting is an ancient and truly amazing art, and I hope to take part in it one day as a model.

Welcome to Petite Silhouettes blog supporting Petite Models

Hi and welcome to everyone reading this post.

My name is Anya and I decided to create a blog that would focus mainly on (but not limited to) models that are classed as "petite", i.e. starting from about 4"9' and up to 5"5'. There is a lot of info and resources for models who have the height required by modeling industry, but I couldn't find anything that would support petite girls in any way who aspire to do modeling.

Everyone who aspires to be a model (even tall girls) have to be realistic about the chance of successful career as a model, especially on a large scale like runway or being a face of a cosmetic brand.

When an aspiring petite model asked on the Model Mayhem forum : "I'm 5"1'. Is there any chance of me becoming a successful model?" The responses she got ranged from blunt "Forget about it, unless you want to do porn or glamour" to ones like "Kate Moss is short for a runway model, but she's successful" and "There are always exceptions".

Model Industrielle (she's 4"9' by the way) from Model Mayhem site summed it up very nicely, it was the coolest and most sensible out all the responses to the above:

"Runway - unavailable,

Photographic modeling - available

Art modeling - available

Desk job - also available

Life - goes on"

I laughed when I read it - so simple but so true! Bravo, Industrielle! People should check her profile on Model Mahem, she's incredible!

To me - modeling is a hobby, a fun thing to do, it's my creative outlet that makes me happy. It's not about earning mega bucks, it's about creative satisfaction from the work you do together with another artist, be it a photographer, body painter, makeup artist etc. Success to me in this case is when a photographer chooses to work with me (regardless of my height), simply because he/she believes in me. When I hear from a photographer :"We nailed it!" during or after a shoot, it's very rewarding. TFP work can be great with a great photographer, perfect for adding to your portfolio. When I get paid for a shoot, it's also very special to me.

So, if anyone out of petite models out there would like to share their success stories, or discuss anything in particular, feel free to post your thoughts on the matter.

Cheers and best of luck to models and photographers alike!