Thursday, October 1, 2026
Art lovers of all experience levels gathered at Secret Vegan Kitchen in Oceanside for Go Figure Art Hang, a casual figure-drawing event designed to make art accessible, affordable and social.
The Aug. 21 event was created by friends and artists Amanda Camp and Juliana Di Leonardis, who launched Go Figure Art Hang in April at Roots Kava in Port Jefferson. The pair said the idea grew from hearing people discuss the lack of figure-drawing classes that fit busy schedules and budgets.
“We kept hearing people talk about how they were looking for figure-drawing classes that worked with their schedules and were more on the affordable side,” Di Leonardis said. “So, we figured, why not start it ourselves?”
Camp and Di Leonardis both have backgrounds in art. Di Leonardis has a visual arts degree and works as a professional model for art classes, while Camp operates her own art business selling stickers, prints and original artwork.
Working together has allowed them to create a “casual atmosphere so that people don’t feel intimidated or pressured to ask questions,” Di Leonardis said, while also managing the demands of organizing and modeling for each session.
Typically, Di Leonardis begins the events with short poses, often lasting two or three minutes, to help attendees warm up their art skills. As the night progresses, the poses become longer. Participants can also volunteer to model if they are comfortable.
“It’s a no-pressure thing,” Camp said. “People can ask questions. We can give instructions, or you can kind of do it all by yourself.”
The team emphasized that participants do not need previous drawing experience.
“We are all levels,” Camp said. “There’s some very experienced artists that come, there’s in between, and then there’s also people that have never drawn before.”
The pair even encourages beginners to start with simple figures and build from there.
“We always say, ‘it’s not that you can’t draw, it’s that you haven’t started practicing,’” Di Leonardis said.
The casual atmosphere is part of the appeal. Participants can work on figure drawings, experiment with different mediums or bring their own projects. Art supplies, including pastels, inks, pens and markers, are available for attendees to try free of charge.
The partnership with Secret Vegan Kitchen was a natural fit. Camp and Di Leonardis have hosted all of their Go Figure Art Hangs at solely vegan restaurants, and owner Tiffany Gordon said Camp has previously done design work for Secret Vegan Kitchen, which also sells some of her stickers.
“We have the space, and we’ve wanted to open it up to the community,” Gordon said. “It just sounded like a really fun thing to do.”
Gordon said events such as Go Figure Art Hang can give residents a free, welcoming place to meet others with similar interests and create together.
“It’s just sort of a way for people to get together, to bounce ideas off of each other, just be in a space with other people who are into the same things as them and just create a bit more of a sense of community,” she said.
Go Figure Art Hang also has a larger community art project underway. The organizers distributed 200 free 4-by-4 inch mini sketchbooks, encouraging residents to fill them with drawings inspired by everyday life.
The completed sketchbooks will be featured in a mini art show at Secret Vegan Kitchen, with an opening reception scheduled for Oct. 3. The exhibit will remain on display through October.
Camp and Di Leonardis hope the project, like the art hang itself, encourages people to make art without worrying about whether it is perfect.
“Anything is great,” Di Leonardis said. “We’re always saying, draw, do something, put something out there.”
