Tony grew up in Beautiful Paris near the Arc the Triomphe, but had a rather unusual upbringing as Drawing became forbidden for him and ended up with a Graphic design business and was Drawing people in Montmartre on sunny days.

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Before the Millenium Tony enjoyed an amazing untutored class at Clissold School in Stoke Newington London and was highly impressed, all about it was just impressive and became a model for him for the next 25 years,

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In 2003 after spending 10 years, all day, everyday, building, rebuilding, renovating and modernizing (grand design style) his own 10 bedrooms House, to which he added another 5 and 2 floors, which became extremely demanding. to help himself get through this period of time, he decided to go back to his lifetime hobby of Drawing People. He then, thanks to his Lovely Neighbours re-discovered Life Drawing where a few friends and neighbours would meet weekly and draw a model. When this stopped he tried to find a new class and ended up in an abomination of a class in Hoxton/Shoreditch Campus...This is when he begun to understand that there weren't many classes left, to go to, in London. In fact only 10 or 12 for unemplyed people and about the same amount costing £15 to £20 a class. Classes were didappearing fast, one after the next, due to Arts funding cuts even if Life models were only paid £3/h while Art teachers were paid up to £20/h.

Tony and most of the class students felt there was a problem here as life models looked too sad/depressed and teachers so out of order in a curriculum way. Artists had to follow so many rules/restrictions imposed by teachers and draw so uninspiring, underpaid models, that they jthey started talking and going to the pub to chat about it. Tony took them to the pub and debated about it. Classes were closing down everywhere by the minute, due to cuts in Arts funding, due to post millennium Architectural expenses, leading to pre-Olympics priorities...

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 One of those Artists attendees was very succesfull Nils, you might know, from Bethnal green smallest ever, 4x3m venues, for Life Drawing with a nude model not that easy to find in a pack of 20/30 sketchers, this went on for about 10 years.

 

Now back to 2004, Tony, came to the conclusion that something had to be done about the end of Life Drawing Classes and so he decided to do whatever it would take to save them. 

 Before year 2000 he worked from full to part time at Jessops camera shops where he went from beginner compact camera sales person to Product Manager and trainer, he witnessed the complete replacement of film cameras by the DIgital ones and what completely changed. Changes were impossible to stop and the same was happening to Art/Life Drawing classes at about the same time...

How did he came about to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time (10 years)?

He decided that Rules had to be changed as well as cost for classes  and so, even if he would lose money for a while he lowered their price by 2/3, from £12 to £4 in Central as well as outside London, that he ran by himself.  Tony used to do Arm wrestling competition in it's young age and so he could transport heavy loads of equpment to up to 12 venues/classes a week across London until he hurt one of his achille's hill/tendon around 2012 so he simply had to Stop, didn't and so had to slow down. From 2004 crowds came down to his classes from everywhere not just to draw but to feel specia/better and he didn't enough chairs, floor space to accomodate all or enough models to draw from.

Non intentionally he gave it a go at offering them X3 the normal national wage at the time or £3/£3.20, so £10/h. Within days artists could draw all sorts of people, ages, physics and this was the factor that changed everything in the UK but also other English or French speaking countries. With plenty of tins of elbow grease he finally managed to give the Art/Life Drawing a New  existence for possibly many more thousands of years. For him it isn't only an Art but a Psychology behind it, that can help people and World get through the worst times...

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Tony, from 2006 was free to come up/influence with new ideas as much as he wished and so he did without even ever checking on other classes, instead he would ask his students/people what they wanted.

This is how Gesture Life Drawing started with Dancers, jugglers, Circus people, Burlesque Life Drawing for even happier, for Fun classes where so he could also bring students to places where nudity wasn't permitted then with extra humour, class and Sparkle. He introduced Groups of models, Model elections, Drawing appreciation after the class, going for a drink after every class, Life Drawing at the Office, changed Hen and stag Life drawing made to a truly educational and funny experience, outdoors sessions in Parks, who took ages to agree then, public soho squares, underground in the Tube, Life Drawing on Tele with celebs, Radio/press interviews about it like BBC radio4,  Drawing each other at the Pub that lead to Doodle Bars and Drink and Draw, the use of 100+ pubs to allow for more affordable classes, First Life Drawing experiences on Airbnb, First Life Drawing theater with Sketchy Theatre and later Sketchy Cinema, simply bringing People Drawing/Life Drawing where no one has draw before, etc... even the word Drop in classes truly became drop in anytime, as it wasn't before... Some also asked for Erotic style Life drawing but that didn't go very far as a few nasty competitors decided to spread rumors until they developped it themselves. So much more could have been done with a bit of funding/writing help but trying to change the establishment could simply not help the cause.

Tony now wants to help internationally, his Network has now become his family as he only has a brother left alive somewhere in France who also loves Drawing/Painting.

If you think he deverves, any support or donations please use our Happy Donation button on our home page.

If anyone ask you if he is married with loads of kids, simply learn that he is in a nearly 30 years relationship, feels like 35, straight, which isn't always that easy when working with thousands of nude models regularly, only straight Alpha men like himself would understand. He Loves Drawin, People and Drawing People.

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Tony is simply and only here on Earth, to help and improve things for everyone, did, and always will.

 

He especially prioritizes on Beginners, models, Artists and  Friendly Art teachers who can actually draw. Not those who applied years after years to enter established Art schools until they gave away.

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Tony was once accepted in a well known Art schools when he took his portfolio case full of his Artworks, not because of them but because he spent weeks also building his portfolio case that really impressed them more, he loves Carpentry/furniture making. They took it away, disappeared, 1/2 hour later came back and gave the good news with this kind of smile... :)

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You can find 100's of his drawings/Artworks on Flickr at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVHh2bB or find his own patronage group here you could join from £5/month on our group page in exchange for services like more Free/near Free classes or Artistic Building, renovating services, French lessons...

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This photo was taken when he was cycling up and down the Gorges du Verdon in stunning france in 2005, still cycling and can't wait to travel again... Tell us about you area, city, country :)...

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LDN Team