Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Dosson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Back in 2014, Edward Artinian was running small life drawing workshops at Titmouse Animation Studios in Hollywood.
I was running my own workshops out of my living room, having just moved to LA. Edward reached out with the proposal of a partnership, with the intent to grow the workshops in size and locations.
Model Drawing Collective was formed shortly after, and we have done just that! Currently, we host workshops at Titmouse Studios, Nickelodeon, The Animation Guild, and others.
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting a business from scratch is always a challenge, but it’s much easier when the founders have shared ideas and values.
Edward and I both work as professional commercial artists, with an appreciation for traditional art. We believe strongly in equality, inclusivity, and treating models and artists with professionalism and respect.
This has continued to help our workshops grow with natural ease.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our tagline says it all: Empowering Models, Inspiring Artists
We strive to be an enriching and inclusive space to people from all backgrounds and artistic disciplines. We are known for our welcoming spaces, professional models, and great snacks!
Artists in commercial advertising, animation, and illustration may find special value in our workshops, as our models focus on dynamic poses.
Our sessions typically begin with fast nude gestures, moving into semi-nude (to study drapery) and then longer, costumed poses. In total, poses usually range from one to 20 minutes. The costumes vary greatly from session to session, and we work with models of varied sizes, shapes, gender, age, and race.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
LA is a wonderful place for artists!
It’s important, for young artists especially, to have a sense of community with other artists, where they can focus on fundamentals of their craft, and learn and grow from each other.
There are so many places in the US in need of artistic spaces; I would encourage artists to think beyond LA, and start workshops wherever they happen to be.
The drawbacks to this area are limited space – rent is very high, so warehouse, loft, and industrial spaces are often at a premium.
It would be great to see more tax incentives and grants from the city to artists with community workshops like ours. Incentives for property owners to share their space with local artists would be wonderful too.
Pricing:
- Each 3 hour workshop is 10-15 dollars (members of Women in Animation and Girls Drawing Girls get a 5 dollar discount)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modeldrawingcollective/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModelDrawingCollective/
Image Credit:
Photos by Edward Artinian, Lisa Dosson, and Rachel Long
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
