Drawing II and III

[onlyforthedream]

I'm holding the first class in the gallery, at Anthony Blunt's leave. The room is airy and more than large enough for the number of students who signed up. Some of the faces are more familiar than others, though I'm starting to recognize most of the island's inhabitants on sight, even if we haven't been introduced. There are chairs set out with

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[dancin_maxxie]

Maxxie waits in the doorway of the school room until the instructor is finished with his opening remarks, then sneaks up to the front in a way that he hopes isn't disturbing to the rest of the class. He really should have done this before class started, but he didn't have any idea who "Steve Rogers" was other than a name on a paper. He could have asked Jason, he supposes, but he also wanted to know for himself whether the instructor had any idea what he's on about. He does, that's for sure, so Maxxie comes up, armed with sketchbook and pencil case.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rogers?" he says softly. For fuck's sake, did the guy have to be so huge?

[onlyforthedream]

I look up from my own sketchbook, where I was jotting a few notes in small block letters, to the soft spoken young man with his own supplies. I have a guess as to what this might be in regard to.

"Yes?"

[dancin_maxxie]

"Sorry," he starts off, because that usually seems best when dealing with teachers. "I didn't want to disturb your class or anything, but I was hoping I could still enroll. I've got some of my sketches here, if you want to take a look. I never took any formal classes back home, but I'd like to now, if you'll have me."

And with that, he bites his lip, trying not to think of the half dozen teacher-student fantasies that have popped up in his head.

[onlyforthedream]

Other than attempting to teach the young man some arbitrary lesson about timeliness, I can't think of a reason not to let him join the class- there is none. He's certainly shown up prepared and ready to learn. All the same I hold a hand out to accept his notebook.

"I think we have room for one more," I tell him, smiling slightly.

"You heard the introduction," I say, having noted him when he entered but, in case he opted to reconsider, declined to draw attention to his presence, "so you'll know that everyone's working at their own level, really. May I?"

[dancin_maxxie]

He smiles in return, though it's almost shy and just as slight. Rogers is still bound to critique his work, and he doesn't want to come off too assured, not in this.

Nodding, Maxxie hands over the book with a quiet, "Please do." He's proud of his work, though he knows there's still plenty of room to improve. Secretly, he hopes Rogers doesn't flick too far through the pages. Most of it's people, hardly any landscapes or abstracts or still life, just people posing or sitting still. But, while the study of the human form is important, there's a few pages in there of extremely close focus on male anatomy.

[onlyforthedream]

The drawings are good. He clearly has an understanding of contrast, the value of light and shadow and the mechanics of shading. The anatomy is good but stilted- everyone on the pages seem posed, like they're drawn from a photograph. Not that photo-referencing isn't a valuable tool, but I can already think of a curriculum for-

"What's your name?" I ask, turning another page.

[dancin_maxxie]

"Maxxie Oliver," he supplies promptly. He bites his lip again, realizing he's watching Mr. Rogers look at his book a little too closely. Waiting for critique is bad enough; wondering if your potential new teacher is going to stumble on your nude studies is worse. To save himself from both thoughts, he glances out at the class, catches Billy's eye and now has to attempt to be cool with that while stressing over the book.

He flashes Billy a brief smile and shrugs, helpless, before looking back to Mr. Rogers.

[onlyforthedream]

"You have a good idea of what you're doing," I tell him.

"You know how to make your pictures look like pictures, but I think we can find a way to push that. You seem to have an interest in photorealism?" I venture.

"So let's teach you how to make your pictures look like life. The attention to detail is there-" I turn a page, make a glancing mental note of the anatomy detailed there, and snap the sketchbook easily shut with one hand.

Remember what I said about the sharing of art being intimate? There is also the sharing of intimate art.

"-but it's a little short on depth." Possibly the phrasing's a little on the nose, but changing sentences mid-way through would have given the impression that I'm thrown off-guard. As an observer, that's fine, but if I'm going to be his instructor then commenting on his subject matter isn't my place or interest, at least in regard to what he does outside of class.

"A little static. We can work on that, though. Welcome to the class, Max."

[dancin_maxxie]

Fuck, he thinks as he catches a glimpse of the page and the sharp motion to shut the book, but doesn't dare change his expression even the slightest bit.

Maxxie takes the comment just as, he thinks, he should, with an attentive nod that acknowledges and promises to do better. Any way you look at it, it's a fair comment. He hasn't really been pushing himself in his drawing, only mucking around for fun, sketching what he sees. He sees a fair bit of naked guys, but that doesn't have to stop just because his subject matter changes.

Finally, examination over and book back in hand, Maxxie smiles widely and says, "Thank you, Mr. Rogers. I really appreciate it."