 Even after he had achieved status as a full Royal Academician , Etty regularly attended life classes ; fellow artist John Constable sarcastically wrote that " Etty [ sets ] an excellent example to the Modles [ sic ] for regularity " . His contemporaries considered this at best peculiar and at worst extremely inappropriate , complaining that for someone in his senior position to attend classes as a student was both unprofessional and unnecessary , and that it damaged the standing of the position of Academician ; there were complaints that he had far outlasted the official student term of 10 years . Etty refused to give up attendance , offering to resign rather than give up his studies , and the Academy grudgingly allowed him to continue to attend classes . He divided his time between the RA 's own life classes and those at nearby St. Martin 's Lane . 
