Your friendly blogger, R.L. Gibson, works almost primarily in figurative context.  My subject matter may not always be a face, but you can pretty much guarantee that there will be a body part of some sort.  And, although I am known for the Pieces of Me series–all of which feature me, I have gotten to the point in my career where I simply cannot take another picture of me, my family or my friends–or even my acquaintances for that matter.

My esteemed collegue, Arizona-based artist and photographer Jerry Portelli (pictured left), has been shoving me out of my comfort zone lately.  He introduced me to Model Mayhem–an online resource, primarily for models, that offers photographers and artists a way to connect to models near them.  For the models, it is an online “go see.”  For you, as an artist, you get to pour over their profile and previous work to find just what inspires you.

I have had several models agree to TFP or Trade for Prints in lieu of cash.  They build their portfolio, and I have money to eat.  Model Mayhem is free to join, but you must be approved.  The process isn’t automated.  You must fit into a member category and the requirements for that category.  Here are a few highlights from their site:

General Requirements

Bio Requirements You are asked to provide a short bio as part of your application. Please provide details about your experience, goals, reasons for being on MM, or any other relevant information. Please err on the side of providing more info rather than less. Also, don’t make it sound like a personal ad.

Must Be In A Member Category
Your profile must clearly fit into one of the member categories listed upon sign up:

You Must Be You  We do not allow profiles to be set up or managed by people other than the profile owner. Passwords and login information should always be kept private. You Must Be 16   Members must be 16 years of age or older. Members under 18 are not allowed to display photos that we deem too provocative or revealing. Unless you’re 18 or over you may not display any level of nudity/sheer (that includes “implied” nudity), depictions of bondage or any image that is sexual in nature.           Provide 4 Different Photos (or more!)   At least four different photos are required for all accounts. No duplicates, re-crops, or manipulations of the same image. Members are expected to maintain a minimum of four relevant photos at all times. Quality Images Required  They want quality images on Model Mayhem. Your photos must be judged to be of sufficient quality. This means that you should not submit webcam shots, mirror shots, poorly exposed photos, too grainy, too much compression, arm’s-length self portraits, personal snapshots, etc.   Make Your Photos Big Enough   MM recommends that your photos be 600-800 pixels on the longest side. Anything less than 200×300 pixels or so is typically too small to see. Images wider than 800 pixels will be resized. No Fakes  They take copyright laws very seriously. If your photos or profile appear to be the work of someone else, you will be denied.     No Pornography Pornographic material is not allowed on this site. This includes photos, linking to such sites or networking, or referencing adult work in your bio or portfolio.

Photographer Requirements

 Show A Model Photographers must have at least 4 different photos specifically of adult human models. Children, cars, landscapes, animals, etc do not count.    Show Variety Please provide at least 2 different models or 2 different locations.

Artist/Painter Requirements

 Use Models Please focus your submissions on art that utilizes models (human) rather than just landscapes, etc.      Original Only Artwork must be original only. No copies of existing artwork.