I had almost forgotten about daytime programming. Work, school pickup, standing like a prison officer over homework, making tea, eating my own, doing bedtime (“The end of shit o’clock” as an equally weary friend puts it) means I haven’t turned the telly on before 9pm for five years or more.
I’d forgotten how nice it is until it came time to review the new series of Drawers Off (Channel 4), the teatime show presented by Jenny Eclair, in which a handful of amateur artists gently compete over the course of a week for a small cash prize and a place in the winners’ gallery. The gentle twist is that all their pictures are of life models. In the first series, which I went back and watched after the series two preview episodes, the artists themselves took it in turns to go near-naked. But this time round – perhaps on the advice of lawyers, perhaps after a dearth of applicants ready to expose both their artistic skills and wobbly bits, perhaps to lessen the cringe factor – a proper model is used.
The art expert, Diana Ali, has also been dispensed with, which is a less successful decision. It’s always nice to have a helping hand. Without someone adding advice, hints and general explanations about why some things are working and why some aren’t, it feels a bit insubstantial, even for teatime.
The first week’s contestants are retired Cheltenham accountant Sophie, for whom art is a comfort and a weapon in her life with young-onset Parkinson’s. She works at a combined bench and easel to accommodate her physical difficulties. “I can do it when I feel good and when I feel bad, and that means the Parkinson’s hasn’t won.”
Mavii, a 20-year-old student from Stoke and a self-taught barber, seems slightly thrown by both Eclair (who is there to lend vigour to proceedings and is not one to modulate herself for anyone of a delicate disposition) and the sight of 43-year-old life model Roy in all his glory. “A fine specimen indeed,” says Mavii, politely, while opting to sketch only Roy’s face.
David is a 33-year-old software developer from Belfast, whose uncle was an art teacher and encouraged him and his daughters, David’s cousins, to enjoy art from an early age.
Retired graphic designer John is a keen and experienced life drawer. He can even do that measuring-with-a-pencil-and-one-eye-closed thing that I thought was only for sitcoms and cartoons. His enthusiasm for art and for life is palpable, and I wish to be just like him when I grow up.
Or, maybe, I’d rather be Lizzie, who works as a live illustrator – documenting people and scenes at weddings, restaurant openings and other festive occasions, in real time. Even if she is in a low mood, she says, when she draws she is “transported into bliss”.
It is, as any act of creation is, fascinating to watch as the five artists, presented with exactly the same scene – Roy, glory – produce five completely different interpretations. In fact, John produces four on his own, sketching so swiftly that by the end of the mere 90 minutes allotted he has an array of options from which to choose his final submission. Lizzie ditches her first effort because she has left no room for the feet (would this have happened on Diana’s watch or would she have stepped in to have a word about blocking early on? We shall never know). Mavii looks as if he’s going horribly wrong, but in the last few minutes everything comes together like magic and, from his canvas, the essence of Roy suddenly stares back at us. Sophie creates a striking vermilion figure, and David incorporates the room around Roy, so the artifice, as well as the art, is apparent.
The scoring system has changed from series one, too. Instead of the model choosing which one they like best, every participant awards points out of 10 for each picture. In the event of a tie, the deciding vote goes to the model. Roy casts his, and there are doubtless small smiles of contentment from viewers everywhere for the scores to be so close and honour so satisfied.
Four more days with these lovely people, then three more weeks with three more lots until all the frames are filled and the final vote is in. Let gentle, creative, inspiriting, inspiring battle commence.
