Strike a pose: On being an art model

Being an art model is more than just taking off your clothes in front of a group of artists.

To be good at it involves training in physical movement, the ability to hold a difficult pose for a long time and, OK, the willingness to take off your clothes.

Rainbow Geffner, who models at the Society of Illustrators sketch night and other venues, told us a little bit about her work.

Did you have any physical training before becoming a model? I did physical theater school for a year and I also have a background in dance.

What made you get into it? I thought it would be bohemian.

Do you have a routine before you model for people? No. It’s really just: Come in, take your clothes off.

You don’t do any kind of mental preparation? No. I think that everybody works differently, but I am very spontaneous in my poses. … The best thing I think for a pose is to have a lot of movement in it.

Are there other qualities that separate a good pose from a bad one? You want to have a dynamic pose. You want to change between poses so that you play with levels. You make it as three-dimensional as possible. I tend to do a lot of twists. But you want it to be dynamic and not just someone standing there straight on.

Do you like to look at the work that the artists have done of you? I like to see what they’ve done. If I know an artist well, sometimes I’ll even give him an opinion, if he asks for it — but I certainly don’t impose my ideas.