Hope and Marie-Ange: Posing
Nov. 17th, 2017 01:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_trance posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsHope poses for Marie-Ange and they discuss tarot cards.
"Hey Marie-Ange" Hope opened the door with a smile that was just a tad nervous, a silk robe wrapped around her. "Meggan is out tonight, so we should not be disturbed for a while."
"Yes, that would be a very different card." Marie-Ange said, teasingly. "Have you taken any life drawing classes at all at university?" She asked, as she set her art satchel down.
"No, just general art history and a theater class." Hope replied as she quickly cleared some clutter from the table and the couch. "Sorry I did not have the chance to do this earlier. "So no experience with posing really, I am afraid... what did you have in mind?"
"Ah, mostly to accustom you to it, I tend to prefer real sources for cards, rather than body doubles." Marie-Ange said, and then wrinkled her nose just a little. "And it is possible a little bird told me that you perhaps needed to be just a touch more comfortable with casual nudity." She sat down on the couch and took a sketchpad and charcoals from her bag. "Typically I draw some warm-up sketches, and then try to decide on one or a few particular poses. I doubt you are going to be like Quentin, where I get ten poses just from selfies, no?"
"I am afraid not." Hope concurred, putting down a glass of water with some fresh lemon at Marie-Ange's side. "Quentin is... how do I put it... a world on his own. That is the best I can come up with. So, how and where would you like to have me?" One hand played with the tie of her robe, ready to pull it off.
"Quentin Quire is an excellent model and could probably make himself some spending cash modeling for art students, if he so wished." Marie-Ange said, neutrally. "I have found that most of the people with mental powers are good at modeling. I think those of us who spend time inside our own heads, ah, it seems easier to be outside our bodies. Though perhaps not as literally as you might take it." She smiled, and waved a hand. "Where are you most comfortable sitting still for a few minutes at a time? I can work from anywhere with good lighting, you have the more difficult job."
"Uhm..." Hope looked around her, quickly considering her possibilities. "I think the chaise longue might the easiest place to start for me, but after years of meditating and popping out of my body in strange spots most places will do. I also have a large pillow or two if that is something you'd like to use." She moved over to the chaise longue and slipped the robe from her body. "This is the stage I need some direction with though."
"Being nude, or finding a comfortable pose?" Marie-Ange asked. "The second I can assist with. Do not rest your weight on your elbows or wrists, try to relax your spine and neck, and do not worry about fidgeting. The first, that I am not sure what advice to give you. I had a rather abrupt crash course in being comfortable in only my skin."
"Let's start with the second one. I think I will have to find my own way to deal with the first." A faint blush colored her as Hope took a seat and arranged herself on the chaise longue, making sure she was not leaning on an arm and her head and back comfortably on a pillow. "Does this work for you?" She checked, gesturing with her hand at herself. "And may I ask what happened with said crash course?"
Marie-Ange did a few quick sketches to test, and nodded once she had a handful of sketches that looked nothing like Hope - except in the way she was lounging and how she held herself. Everything, and nothing at all at the same time. "Quite a few years ago, I was in Russia for a mission, and the only way that our contact would speak to me and my mentor." It was habit by now not to refer to Remy by name, even around other survivors of M-Day. "Was for us to sit in his hot spring with him. It was Russia, it was ice cold, and no one had a swimsuit on." She gave a wry smile. "And then of course, there were no towels ready for guests, so we had to wait."
"Talk about a crash course indeed. A very chilly one." Hope had to giggle at that. "I am glad me getting used to this is not as... abrupt, I'd say." She quickly moved to flick a hair out her face that had been tickling her nose. "Sorry for that."
She fell silent for another long moment, then asked: "I have been doing a little bit of reading on the tarot and looking at images from several decks. I was curious for which cards you'd hope for me to pose."
"That depends on several things. Any relationships you are part of, your activities at the Hellfire Club, your activities with X-Factor..." Marie-Ange answered as she drew. "From the Rider-Waite deck, the traditional one? That is probably The Lovers, eventually. That card is not just about romantic love, but partnerships. The Thoth deck has a Lust card, and I draw one of those for everyone who is willing to pose for me." She gave Hope a quick nod, and then an amused smile. "Or three or four versions for some people. Quentin would have me draw nothing but, for example. And perhaps given your power, I may draw an entire Nine Paths deck just for you. Most of which is not nude, but it is easier to draw clothes atop a body than remove clothes and try to guess."
"That makes sense." Hope easily agreed. "I think I have seen pictures of the Rider-Waite deck and the Thoth deck, but I cannot remember seeing the Nine Paths deck. The one I think that stuck with me the most is the DruidCraft tarot though. I found the artwork on those quite stunning."
"I use several of that deck as the basis for some of the less, ah, naked, readings for the hellfire courts. The addition of prince and princess lends itself well to the nature of the courts." Marie-Ange said. "More than a few of my decks are custom. So similar suites and cards, but different artwork." She flipped a page in her sketchpad and began drawing in earnest now, layering light charcoal lines to create shadows and depth. "But most of my readings are custom decks, even if they began as one of more common place sets of cards. I find that my power means sometimes I accidentally slip a card from one deck into another. I find baseball cards in readings for Garrison all the time, and somehow, a pair of blank braille playing cards has slipped into readings for Mister Murdock. Which really makes no sense, I do not even own a set of those."
"Then where do they come from? Just from lying around the mansion?" Hope wondered idly. "I saw a few of the decks had interchangeable card, depending on the person. Most of them kept the kings and queens, but you could swap the knights for princesses or the jacks for maids, I think it was. They also had other options for a number of cards for the... what did they call it again... the Greater Arcana?"
"Major and Minor Arcana, most of the time. Not all decks use the same terms, but usually do, it makes my life easier." Marie-Ange answered. "I use several custom decks as well. A bit of Rider-Waite here, a bit of druidic there, a touch of a santeria themed deck. It very much depends on the person and the purpose." She frowned at her paper and then flipped to a new page. "The deck I use most for Emma is chess themed, of course. No Arcana, just chess pieces."
"That makes sense with Ms. Frost being the White Queen." Hope agreed with a smile. "What about people like Doug, Jubilee or Wade?" She quickly named her teachers that she knew were close to Marie-Ange. "Do they also have certain decks associated with them? And is this still okay, by the way?" She made a quick movement with her hand, indicating her body draped over the chaise.
"It is fine. If you need to move, or cover up, I have enough to work with for a preliminary sketch of this pose." Marie-Ange answered, and quickly flipped her sketchbook to hand over to Hope. "I think for anything less relaxed, it would be worth using one of the sunrooms, the light is better, but for a first drawing, this is perfectly fine."
While Hope was looking at the sketches, Marie-Ange picked through her bag for a few of her day-to-day cards that she had drawn. "I do not always have an entire deck for people, though I do have a technology one for Doug that almost never works out accurately. " And when it did, it was usually because bad things were about to happen. "Most of the time I just have a few cards for each person. Amanda is the Magician, and I have maybe a dozen cards for her in various styles." The card she had on hand, the card she almost always used for Amanda was clearly inspired by a Clash album cover.
"Sounds like there is a whole lot more to this tarot thing then I suspected... Wow, I like it." Hope commented after she'd shrugged her robe back on, paging through the sketchbook. "Though I am not entirely sure I recognize myself, but..." A faint blush rose as she studied the final drawing a bit closer.
"No one looks at themselves naked, not really." Marie-Ange said. "Not in the same way an artist would. When you look at yourself in a mirror, it distorts perspective. Even a perfectly flat mirror." The cards she had drawn of herself were always from a photograph. "The complexity of my readings is even more so though, because I make it up as I go on. I have thrown out all the rules, mostly."
"I think I would call what you do 'going far above normal tarot readings'." Hope gently closed the sketchbook, handing it back to Marie-Ange. "So it does not surprise me that the normal rules do not reply anymore. I did like the drawing though and if you'd like me to, I would certainly not mind posing for you again."
"Yes, I would appreciate it." Marie-Ange said, once she had set some tissue paper in the sketchpad to protect the drawing. "Having more than one pose is helpful." Plus there were any number of potential cards to draw. Really she was going to have to track down Julian eventually too, and perhaps remind him that he had Obligations. "And it becomes easier the more you do it, like any number of things done with clothes off."
"Which is a good thing, considering certain circles I now move in." Hope grinned. "And I have to say, I strongly prefer it above the strip club option I believe you once mentioned."
"Oh, you are nowhere near ready for that." Marie-Ange said, with a smile. "And strip clubs are... sleazy. It would be burlesque for you. All the nudity, but artistic." She couldn't quite hold back her teasing grin.
Hope had to smile to herself. "I believe they call it 'the art of the tease', do they not? At one of the previous events at the Club there was a performance that was quite... interesting. I have to admit I enjoyed it... watching I mean."
"You should ask Doug about some of the burlesque shows that are themed to movies and television shows." Marie-Ange suggested. "I would not be surprised if there was one for your show with the girl and her dragons. Or several."
Hope had to laugh a bit. "I remember googling and finding some clip with Christina Aguilara, but I'll ask him. You want to let me know when you need me again or should I let you know when I am available?"
"I think both - my schedule is so erratic, and yours is not much better, it is easier to just each say when we have time, and coordinate." Marie-Ange explained. "Eventually I am going to have to draw all of Emma's court. Not nude, necessarily, but together. I have half a deck just for the Hellfire Club and it is incomplete and that bothers me."
"That I can do... I will app you my schedule as soon as I have some more clarity. And if you want to draw us together... perhaps some event might be the best way to accomplish that..."
"Yes, although I suspect I am going to have to demand someone tape Mr. Keller's mouth shut for me. He is a lovely man, but goodness he can be an arse."
"Oh, that I can handle. Julian-management was one of my responsibilities when I worked for him." Hope replied with a grin as she opened the door. "Or I will sic Tandy on him. I hope you have a good day, Marie-Ange and good luck with working out the drawings."
"Hey Marie-Ange" Hope opened the door with a smile that was just a tad nervous, a silk robe wrapped around her. "Meggan is out tonight, so we should not be disturbed for a while."
"Yes, that would be a very different card." Marie-Ange said, teasingly. "Have you taken any life drawing classes at all at university?" She asked, as she set her art satchel down.
"No, just general art history and a theater class." Hope replied as she quickly cleared some clutter from the table and the couch. "Sorry I did not have the chance to do this earlier. "So no experience with posing really, I am afraid... what did you have in mind?"
"Ah, mostly to accustom you to it, I tend to prefer real sources for cards, rather than body doubles." Marie-Ange said, and then wrinkled her nose just a little. "And it is possible a little bird told me that you perhaps needed to be just a touch more comfortable with casual nudity." She sat down on the couch and took a sketchpad and charcoals from her bag. "Typically I draw some warm-up sketches, and then try to decide on one or a few particular poses. I doubt you are going to be like Quentin, where I get ten poses just from selfies, no?"
"I am afraid not." Hope concurred, putting down a glass of water with some fresh lemon at Marie-Ange's side. "Quentin is... how do I put it... a world on his own. That is the best I can come up with. So, how and where would you like to have me?" One hand played with the tie of her robe, ready to pull it off.
"Quentin Quire is an excellent model and could probably make himself some spending cash modeling for art students, if he so wished." Marie-Ange said, neutrally. "I have found that most of the people with mental powers are good at modeling. I think those of us who spend time inside our own heads, ah, it seems easier to be outside our bodies. Though perhaps not as literally as you might take it." She smiled, and waved a hand. "Where are you most comfortable sitting still for a few minutes at a time? I can work from anywhere with good lighting, you have the more difficult job."
"Uhm..." Hope looked around her, quickly considering her possibilities. "I think the chaise longue might the easiest place to start for me, but after years of meditating and popping out of my body in strange spots most places will do. I also have a large pillow or two if that is something you'd like to use." She moved over to the chaise longue and slipped the robe from her body. "This is the stage I need some direction with though."
"Being nude, or finding a comfortable pose?" Marie-Ange asked. "The second I can assist with. Do not rest your weight on your elbows or wrists, try to relax your spine and neck, and do not worry about fidgeting. The first, that I am not sure what advice to give you. I had a rather abrupt crash course in being comfortable in only my skin."
"Let's start with the second one. I think I will have to find my own way to deal with the first." A faint blush colored her as Hope took a seat and arranged herself on the chaise longue, making sure she was not leaning on an arm and her head and back comfortably on a pillow. "Does this work for you?" She checked, gesturing with her hand at herself. "And may I ask what happened with said crash course?"
Marie-Ange did a few quick sketches to test, and nodded once she had a handful of sketches that looked nothing like Hope - except in the way she was lounging and how she held herself. Everything, and nothing at all at the same time. "Quite a few years ago, I was in Russia for a mission, and the only way that our contact would speak to me and my mentor." It was habit by now not to refer to Remy by name, even around other survivors of M-Day. "Was for us to sit in his hot spring with him. It was Russia, it was ice cold, and no one had a swimsuit on." She gave a wry smile. "And then of course, there were no towels ready for guests, so we had to wait."
"Talk about a crash course indeed. A very chilly one." Hope had to giggle at that. "I am glad me getting used to this is not as... abrupt, I'd say." She quickly moved to flick a hair out her face that had been tickling her nose. "Sorry for that."
She fell silent for another long moment, then asked: "I have been doing a little bit of reading on the tarot and looking at images from several decks. I was curious for which cards you'd hope for me to pose."
"That depends on several things. Any relationships you are part of, your activities at the Hellfire Club, your activities with X-Factor..." Marie-Ange answered as she drew. "From the Rider-Waite deck, the traditional one? That is probably The Lovers, eventually. That card is not just about romantic love, but partnerships. The Thoth deck has a Lust card, and I draw one of those for everyone who is willing to pose for me." She gave Hope a quick nod, and then an amused smile. "Or three or four versions for some people. Quentin would have me draw nothing but, for example. And perhaps given your power, I may draw an entire Nine Paths deck just for you. Most of which is not nude, but it is easier to draw clothes atop a body than remove clothes and try to guess."
"That makes sense." Hope easily agreed. "I think I have seen pictures of the Rider-Waite deck and the Thoth deck, but I cannot remember seeing the Nine Paths deck. The one I think that stuck with me the most is the DruidCraft tarot though. I found the artwork on those quite stunning."
"I use several of that deck as the basis for some of the less, ah, naked, readings for the hellfire courts. The addition of prince and princess lends itself well to the nature of the courts." Marie-Ange said. "More than a few of my decks are custom. So similar suites and cards, but different artwork." She flipped a page in her sketchpad and began drawing in earnest now, layering light charcoal lines to create shadows and depth. "But most of my readings are custom decks, even if they began as one of more common place sets of cards. I find that my power means sometimes I accidentally slip a card from one deck into another. I find baseball cards in readings for Garrison all the time, and somehow, a pair of blank braille playing cards has slipped into readings for Mister Murdock. Which really makes no sense, I do not even own a set of those."
"Then where do they come from? Just from lying around the mansion?" Hope wondered idly. "I saw a few of the decks had interchangeable card, depending on the person. Most of them kept the kings and queens, but you could swap the knights for princesses or the jacks for maids, I think it was. They also had other options for a number of cards for the... what did they call it again... the Greater Arcana?"
"Major and Minor Arcana, most of the time. Not all decks use the same terms, but usually do, it makes my life easier." Marie-Ange answered. "I use several custom decks as well. A bit of Rider-Waite here, a bit of druidic there, a touch of a santeria themed deck. It very much depends on the person and the purpose." She frowned at her paper and then flipped to a new page. "The deck I use most for Emma is chess themed, of course. No Arcana, just chess pieces."
"That makes sense with Ms. Frost being the White Queen." Hope agreed with a smile. "What about people like Doug, Jubilee or Wade?" She quickly named her teachers that she knew were close to Marie-Ange. "Do they also have certain decks associated with them? And is this still okay, by the way?" She made a quick movement with her hand, indicating her body draped over the chaise.
"It is fine. If you need to move, or cover up, I have enough to work with for a preliminary sketch of this pose." Marie-Ange answered, and quickly flipped her sketchbook to hand over to Hope. "I think for anything less relaxed, it would be worth using one of the sunrooms, the light is better, but for a first drawing, this is perfectly fine."
While Hope was looking at the sketches, Marie-Ange picked through her bag for a few of her day-to-day cards that she had drawn. "I do not always have an entire deck for people, though I do have a technology one for Doug that almost never works out accurately. " And when it did, it was usually because bad things were about to happen. "Most of the time I just have a few cards for each person. Amanda is the Magician, and I have maybe a dozen cards for her in various styles." The card she had on hand, the card she almost always used for Amanda was clearly inspired by a Clash album cover.
"Sounds like there is a whole lot more to this tarot thing then I suspected... Wow, I like it." Hope commented after she'd shrugged her robe back on, paging through the sketchbook. "Though I am not entirely sure I recognize myself, but..." A faint blush rose as she studied the final drawing a bit closer.
"No one looks at themselves naked, not really." Marie-Ange said. "Not in the same way an artist would. When you look at yourself in a mirror, it distorts perspective. Even a perfectly flat mirror." The cards she had drawn of herself were always from a photograph. "The complexity of my readings is even more so though, because I make it up as I go on. I have thrown out all the rules, mostly."
"I think I would call what you do 'going far above normal tarot readings'." Hope gently closed the sketchbook, handing it back to Marie-Ange. "So it does not surprise me that the normal rules do not reply anymore. I did like the drawing though and if you'd like me to, I would certainly not mind posing for you again."
"Yes, I would appreciate it." Marie-Ange said, once she had set some tissue paper in the sketchpad to protect the drawing. "Having more than one pose is helpful." Plus there were any number of potential cards to draw. Really she was going to have to track down Julian eventually too, and perhaps remind him that he had Obligations. "And it becomes easier the more you do it, like any number of things done with clothes off."
"Which is a good thing, considering certain circles I now move in." Hope grinned. "And I have to say, I strongly prefer it above the strip club option I believe you once mentioned."
"Oh, you are nowhere near ready for that." Marie-Ange said, with a smile. "And strip clubs are... sleazy. It would be burlesque for you. All the nudity, but artistic." She couldn't quite hold back her teasing grin.
Hope had to smile to herself. "I believe they call it 'the art of the tease', do they not? At one of the previous events at the Club there was a performance that was quite... interesting. I have to admit I enjoyed it... watching I mean."
"You should ask Doug about some of the burlesque shows that are themed to movies and television shows." Marie-Ange suggested. "I would not be surprised if there was one for your show with the girl and her dragons. Or several."
Hope had to laugh a bit. "I remember googling and finding some clip with Christina Aguilara, but I'll ask him. You want to let me know when you need me again or should I let you know when I am available?"
"I think both - my schedule is so erratic, and yours is not much better, it is easier to just each say when we have time, and coordinate." Marie-Ange explained. "Eventually I am going to have to draw all of Emma's court. Not nude, necessarily, but together. I have half a deck just for the Hellfire Club and it is incomplete and that bothers me."
"That I can do... I will app you my schedule as soon as I have some more clarity. And if you want to draw us together... perhaps some event might be the best way to accomplish that..."
"Yes, although I suspect I am going to have to demand someone tape Mr. Keller's mouth shut for me. He is a lovely man, but goodness he can be an arse."
"Oh, that I can handle. Julian-management was one of my responsibilities when I worked for him." Hope replied with a grin as she opened the door. "Or I will sic Tandy on him. I hope you have a good day, Marie-Ange and good luck with working out the drawings."
