‘How long have I been sitting here naked?’: the woozy, not-dreadful experience of being a life model

An Aley Wild sketch of two nude models. The artist speed draws in a bold, graphic-art style. Photograph: Aley Wild

At first, my clothes stay on. “I can just imagine you naked if you’d prefer?” says illustrator and graphic artist Aley Wild. I’m the first to Wild’s booth at Sydney’s showcase of independent artists, The Other Art Fair, where people can pose for a take-home nude portrait, with the option to stay dressed and let Wild disrobe them (with her mind).

“No, I want to do the naked one,” I say. “But can I do it with clothes on first?”