“Art is definitely a hobby for me and it gives me a huge amount of satisfaction.”

Chas Mason is a talented artist based in Cheshire, United Kingdom. He uses his Instagram accounts to showcase his brilliant work. During the pandemic, Chas created a profile to show drawings of portraits he creates through Zoom live sessions or photo references. His life drawing account has over 3,000 followers who stay tuned with his life drawing studies. 

Chas likes to use toned paper for his pencil drawings and enjoys highlighting features with a white pencil. He is very careful with proportions and takes his time to achieve the results he wants. Chas’ hobby allowed him to gain many fans and receive encouraging comments from users and artists from all over the world.

In this Q&A, artist Chas Mason shares with PoseSpace what he listens to while he draws, what is his biggest challenge while working with the nude figure, what he thinks of PoseSpace and more:

Can you tell us about your background and how you got into art?

 I became interested in art as a result of my parents taking me to galleries in London when I was a child. In particular, we saw an exhibition of paintings by Magritte that deeply impressed me. 

Is art a hobby for you or do you make a living from it?

Art is definitely a hobby for me and it gives me a huge amount of satisfaction. 

Do you listen to music while you work? What is your perfect environment to draw?

When I’m drawing at home I often listen to music on headphones. At the moment I’m revisiting my favourite albums from the 70s and 80s. I also like to listen to programmes on BBC Radio 4 (talk radio) and also to audio books in French to help me learn the language. 

When I’m drawing from life in groups I much prefer silence. 

What do you think of PoseSpace? Do you have a favorite model? 

PoseSpace is a superb resource and I have gained so much understanding of the human form by using it. The idea of having photos of the same pose in rotation is superb because it gives an appreciation of how the body is placed in three dimensions during a pose. 

This appreciation of three dimensionality is really important to me when drawing from life. However, when drawing in a group it isn’t usually possible to walk around the model to get a view of the whole pose because that would be distracting to others. 

It’s hard for me to choose a favourite model, however I prefer poses that are photographed with softer lighting because the resulting tonal range suits my style of drawing. 

What challenges do you face working with the nude figure?

Getting the proportions correct is possibly the biggest challenge I face. I overcome this by repeated checking of the drawing until I’m satisfied with the proportions. Like a lot of people I find drawing hands difficult and time consuming, but it gets easier with practise. 

How has your style changed over the years?

My style of drawing changed most when I changed from using white to toned paper. With toned paper I find using white pencil to develop the highlights really satisfying. 

Chas’ Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/chas.practises.portraits/

https://www.instagram.com/chas.life.drawings/

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