Life Drawing Class with Nude Life (NSFW)

Planning a hen party is a stressful business. You suddenly question everything you know about one of your best mates because the fear of arranging something she will absolutely hate is so very real. And I've already got my bridesmaid dress sorted, so I had no intention of being kicked out of the wedding just yet.


After finding a beautiful house to rent on the north Kent coast and planning a day trip to Margate as well as lunch at Whistable's famous Wheeler's Oyster House, the main Saturday night was a bit lacking. I was racking my brains on what we could do that wasn't going to cost the earth AND would fit the tastes of the bride when lo and behold, I stumbled across Nude Life.



I was adamant that this wasn't going to be a hen party with a stripper because it's just not right for me and my friends. Nude Life provides life drawing classes which gives the cheeky element of have a naked man in your presence, without any whipped cream or policeman outfits involved. This particular hen sketches and draws anyway (she'd even brought her sketchbook with her on the train with no idea that this was planned!), so it was perfect.

I spoke loads with Charlie, our model, beforehand to tailor the evening to our hen's tastes. I told him that I didn't want anything crass so we decided to eliminate some of the games he offered to provide as standard, but kept in things like forfeits for the worst drawings (and believe me, there were some absolute corkers!).

I was absolutely terrified when the evening rolled around, imagining my friend's reaction to be a mix of horrified and angry. I'd given the other hens specific instructions to get a few drinks in her before the surprise was revealed (which they did a little too well!), but our model was so friendly and helped put my mind totally at ease so that when she walked in to find me, two other friends and a stark naked stranger in the room, she shrieked with shock and then just started laughing.

We were each handed pencils, paper and clipboards (apart from the bride who had her own set of charcoals with her, obviously!) and given some basic tips on how to get perspective in our drawings. Our model did three poses: front, back, and with the bride, and in between the bride and model picked the best and worst from everyone else's attempts. Some were a lot better than others!

The class lasted about an hour along with pit stops for toilet breaks/drink top-ups and our whole group agreed that it was such good fun. Cheeky but not vulgar, something different but accessible for everyone, regardless of their drawing skills. I wanted to do something that fit the bride's tastes but would be remembered for a long time to come. Let's just say that there are a couple of photos that aren't included here that will be burned into my memory for the foreseeable future!

I was offered a discount on the standard Nude Life price in exchange for an honest review of the service. All opinions are my own.