Dahlia Derriere Poe’s it up.

anotheraaron — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:12:32 +0000

On the 26th, for our loosely Halloween-themed session (complete with sugar and pumpkin cookies and assorted chocolaty goodies), we had the pleasure of drawing the lovely Dahlia Derriere, who paid tribute that evening to one of her favorite writers, Edgar Allan Poe.

For the first half of this session, Dahlia was dressed as the titular character in Poe’s short story, The Black Cat. If you just giggled over the fact that I said “titular”, I’m gonna guess you may not have read the story, so for you guys (and the rest of us who can’t remember what we did ten days ago, much less a story we read ten years ago in high school), here’s a little Wikipedia blurb on it: ”The narrator tells us that from an early age he has loved animals. He and his wife have many pets, including a large black cat named Pluto. This cat is especially fond of the narrator and vice versa. Their mutual friendship lasts for several years, until the narrator becomes an alcoholic. One night, after coming home intoxicated, he believes the cat is avoiding him. When he tries to seize it, the panicked cat bites the narrator, and in a fit of rage, he seizes the animal, pulls a pen-knife from his pocket, and deliberately gouges out the cat’s eye. From that moment onward, the cat flees in terror at his master’s approach….”

I don’t want to ruin anything, so I’ll stop there, but it quickly turns into a horror story from there. (I know, it doesn’t seem like it, cause, well, cats are monsters, but trust me, it quickly goes bad. What initially seems like a perfectly understandable pest-control story becomes an “innocent cat turns out to be some sort of disguised demon hell-beast from beyond the veil” sort of tale. This sort of thing happens a lot more often than you’d expect.)

In any case, Dalia Derriere’s tribute to the Master of the Macabre was a lot easier on the eye than a pen-knife.

As always, we start our sessions out with the 1- and 2-minute poses, so here are a few sketches from that set. First up, from Michael Bull:

Next, from Brian Dugan:

And, back to the photos…

Our first contest of the evening was (as it is every Dr. Sketchy’s evening) the non-dominant hand drawing contest, in which we attempt to even the playing field by awarding the two artists with the steadiest hands in the room with a shot from the bar. (At Dr. Sketchy’s, we’re not afraid of “the Fiend Intemperance”.) I don’t think we got any drawings from this contest, so here are some sketches from the other 5-minute poses from anonymous artists who was kind enough to give his/her drawing to Dahlia:

For the second contest, we asked the artists to illustrate the last moments of Poe’s life—which, for those of you who don’t know, were spent right here in Baltimore. The cause of Poe’s death is still a mystery, but check out our artists’ guesses. First up, from Brian Dugan:

And from Stewart White, the 1st place winner of this contest:

For his efforts, Stewart took home a snazzy and wide (or long, depending on how you hold it) pad of hemp paper. Next up, the model’s pick (and maybe the 2nd place winner? we can’t remember anymore), Poe in a cask of amontillado, by Michael Bull:

The 2nd-place winner (whether it was Michael or not) took home a 100% Windpower paper sketchbook. Both sketch pads, by the way, were generously donated to us by Artist & Craftsman Supply on the corner of North Ave and Howard.

For the second half of the evening, Dahlia was the Tell-Tale Heart, and had made for her exquisitely gothic costume a large cameo of an anatomical heart.

Next up was the random noun contest, in which we ask the audience to volunteer a random person, place, or thing—and this time, we threw in a random verb for good measure. So, for this contest, artists competed for a volume of Poe’s short stories in graphic novel form (generously donated by from Atomic Books of Hampden) by incorporating “ghostbusters” and “shooting” into their drawings.

From Michael Bull:

And from the winner, Brian Dugan:

More sketches! First, again from Brian:

And two from Lois Borgenicht:

And from Stewart White:

And another anonymous gift to Dahlia:

And, for the last pose of the evening, we asked each of our artists to write a Poe-esque or otherwise eerie sentence, and then instructed them to pass on their sentence to the person sitting next to them. The artists then incorporated the sentence that was given to them. This contest resulted in some very awesome drawings and and, in one group, a quick game of Mad Libs. Whoever passed on his card to Michael Bull drew a blank, it looks like, but Michael did pretty well with what he was given:

And from Brian Dugan:

And from another generous (and, yes, anonymous) artist:

It’s possible the talented lady who drew this last sketch won, but if she didn’t, she was definitely one of the runners-up. The winner of this last and most bizarre contest of the evening took home Gris Grimly’s Little Jordan Ray’s Muddy Spud from Baby Tattoo Books which is run, along with Dr. Sketchy’s L.A., by the awe-inspiring Bob Self. If, for whatever reason, you’re reading this blog from all the way out in California, definitely check to see if Bob is bringing his Dr. Sketchy’s Roadshow—on tour right now—to a city near you.

Special thanks to Russell at the Windup Space for the awesome space, drinks, and tunes; and to Bill for manning the door with his manliness; and to Jeff for the photos. And, of course, to the lovely Dahlia Derriere, without whom this tribute to Poe wouldn’t have been possible, and, last but not least, to all of you wonderful artists who joined us that evening—especially all of you who shared your drawings with us (or with Dahlia, who then scanned them in and posted them for us).

Hope to see you all at our next session—tomorrow night! (If you’re reading this on Monday, that’s tonight…) We’re thrilled to have back the luscious Lena Grove of Gilded Lily Burlesque—see you then!

Next Monday: Lena Grove!

anotheraaron — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:34:49 +0000

Next Monday, November the 9th, is our session Lena Grove of Gilded Lily! (You may have caught her co-hosting Glitterama a few weeks ago as well.)

Including next Monday, there are only three sessions left this year! You know what happens then? No more Dr. Sketchy’s until the last Monday in January! It’s going to be pretty horrific, and to be honest, I’m not too sure we’ll survive it. Do you know how long it is from December 14th to late January? It’s like MONTHS. Missing any of the last three could honestly be dangerous to your health.

And what happens if something happens over Christmas to me or Alexis? Like, I dunno, we get picked up for driving with an open container of eggnog while in Honduras and can’t get back into the country? These would be the last three sessions of Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore EVER, not only that, I’m suspecting that the other Dr. Sketchy branches would take this turn of events as a dire omen and cancel THEIR sessions.

‘Course, we’re going to hope for the best and be wary around eggnog, but STILL.

By the way, that super-slick photo of Lena up there is by J. M. Giordano, the genius behind Gutter Magazine. You should check out some of his other brilliant work.

We should have the photos up from Dahlia Derriere in a few days. If you haven’t scanned and emailed in your sketches, please do. Don’t make Alexis come to your house. (On the surface, that may sound fun, but trust me, all you need is Alexis sneaking around your house stealing shit like she’s in some heist movie.)

The Devil you know…

anotheraaron — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:58:20 +0000

(updated 10/27 with additional sketches)

On October 12th we had, for the drawing pleasure of all, the extraordinarily versatile Paco Fish of Gilded Lily Burlesque, host of Vive la Decadance!, organizer of Independent Practice at Load of Fun on Wednesdays, and, well, a bazillion trillion other things. (Not only that, but his Facebook page is a pretty damn good way to find out what’s going on around town any given week if your tastes tend to veer toward vaudeville and burlesque.)

Now, prepare yourself for some sizzling shots of Paco:

We know there are those out there that are like, what, no boobies? But really, we true artists also appreciate the male form. Paco could easily have been in some painting of a religious or mythical scene by one of the old masters. (Well, if they had sequined heart pasties and gold lamé hot pants back in those days.)

The first contest of the night was the opposite hand drawing contest, where if you’re left handed you draw with your right, if you’re right handed you draw with your left, and if you’re ambidextrous you give Aaron five dollars. We don’t have any scans from that contest, but the two winners downed a mystery shot from the bar.

BTW, all of Gilded Lily Burlesque, Paco included, will be performing this coming Saturday, Halloween night at Load of Fun from 10 to midnight. It’s going to be an amazing show, we’re going. Get your tickets here before they sell out.

After the show, check out the Heroes and Villians Costume Ball being thrown a block away by the Windup Space (our wonderful home) and Atomic Books (one of our generous providers of awesome prizes). Seriously, Station North is the place to be for Halloween this year, instead of being crammed in some random Fells Point bar, getting your eye nearly poked out by some girl with fairy wings from Hot Topic, and having to plan your pee trips way before the urge even arrives because it’ll take you forever to shove past half a dozen Michael Jacksons and whatever else the hot costume of the season is, to get on that long-ass bathroom line.

Wait, where were we? Oh, drooling over Paco’s very Baroque sexiness…

From an angelic Cupid to a glam-tastic Jesus Christ, to whom MJ apparently lent his glove.

Here’s a couple sketches….the first is from Mike Hasson….he gave us a couple sketches to scan in, unfortunately a few of them were larger than our scanner, so you’ll notice some cropping. If we get some better copies, we’ll come back later and replace them.

…and this one is from Brian Dugan….

Next was the random noun contest, in which we ask the audience to call out the first person, place, or thing that comes to mind, the most interesting of which we ask them to then incorporate into their drawings. Thus, for this session, “Best incorporation of an iPhone app,” the prize for which was Kings of the Road by Ragnar from Baby Tattoo Books.

Here’s an entry by Brian Dugan…

Paul Moscatt…

Mike Hasson…

The third contest, since it happened to coincidentally be Aleister Crowley’s birthday, was the best interpretation of Aleister Crowley, which unfortunately diverged into a ten minute lesson on who Aleister Crowley was.

Sad, sad, sad. (Maybe we’ve read too much Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, etc. though.)

The prize was the Color Ink Book Volume 3 by Brothers Washburn from Atomic Books, who by the way has revamped their website, which looks pretty slick.

Kurt Aspland’s entry for this contest:

And Mike Hasson’s depiction of Paco… as He Who Shall Not Be Named?

And from Paul Moscatt:

Special thanks to Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books for being our generous sponsors and providing prizes for all of you to win. Not only that, but thanks are owed to Russell of the Windup Space for slinging drinks, Bill for holding down the door and filming video for the eventual Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore documentary, and Jeff for the fabulous photos through out this post. And a ton of thanks, of course, for our supernaturally spectacular muse of the evening, Paco Fish!

Our next Dr. Sketchy’s is October 26th….TONIGHT with Dahlia Derriere in a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe!

Viva La Viola Vixen!

anotheraaron — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:58:59 +0000

I usually pick what I think is the best picture for the lead photo . . . had a lot of trouble trying to figure out which one to go with this time. La Viola Vixen, Brisbane’s Burlesque Bombshell, was absolutely gorgeous (even though we all got caught in a serious downpour shortly before the show), and Jeff really outdid himself with the photos.

So there’s probably going to be a few more photos than usual. I just couldn’t decide between them.

Anyways, buckets and buckets of thanks to Viola Vixen for traveling from NYC (and, even further, Brisbane before that) to model for us. Thanks also to our generous sponsors Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books; Bill for helping us pick her up at the bus stop and watching the door, Jeff for photos, Russell of the Windup Space for keeping our whistles wet and letting us shove around his furniture, and Viola Van Wilde for helping us show Viola a little bit of Baltimore the next morning before she had to head back to NYC (not to mention offering to put Viola up for the night, even though we didn’t take her up on it and ended up going out to get soused afterward instead:).

Our first contest of the evening was the opposite hand drawing contest, where if you’re right-handed you draw with your left, if you’re left-handed you draw with your right, and if you’re ambidextrous you get accused of witchery. We didn’t get any drawings from that one emailed in, but here’s the two winners claiming their spoils. (Lord knows what Russell actually made them.)

More photos of Viola Vixen….

Here’s some sketches Paul Moscatt sent in….

The second contest was the random noun contest where someone in the audience shouts a random noun to be incorporated into the picture. “Mousetrap” ended up winning out.

The prize was a package of pastel paper from Artist & Craftsman Supply on the corner of North and Howard streets.

Here’s some sketches Brian Dugan sent in . . . he’s got some more up here as well.

The third drawing contest was to illustrate Viola in Times Square since the New York branch was at the moment holding a special guerrilla Dr. Sketchy’s in Times Square (and apparently was dealing with the monsoon we’d tussled with earlier).

Here’s Brian’s sketch from that contest…

…and here’s Paul Moscatt’s…

The prize was Miss Mindy’s Sassy Paper Dolls Bonanza by Miss Mindy from Baby Tattoo Books.

The last contest was the best illustration of the most bizarre mode of transportation from Brisbane to Baltimore. Here’s Brian’s…

The winner received a copy of The Indie Rock Coloring Book from Atomic Books.

Once again Viola Vixen was amazing, even if our livers might have been a little worse for wear the next day.

Our next session is tonight, Monday, October 12th, 7 o’clock at the Windup Space with Paco Fish!

Next Dr. Sketchy’s Oct. 12 with Paco Fish!

anotheraaron — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:05:48 +0000

Join us at the Windup Space for more drawing, drinking, and crazy contests on Oct. 12, when Paco Fish of Gilded Lily Burlesque, Charm City’s own boylesque star, will be our fabulously mad muse for the evening! It’s been almost a year since we’ve had this vaudevillianous genius pose for us, so don’t miss this session! As always, doors open at 6 and drawing starts at 7–show up early to get a great seat! We’ll have more crazy drawing contests in which we’ll be giving away more prizes from Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books!

“But, but, but, Aaron and Alexis, I want MORE Paco Fish….3 hours of him posing for my drawing pleasure just isn’t enough!”

Well you’re in luck, cause if there ever was, this is the Month of Paco. I’m grabbing and pasting this next bit from his Facebook page….take a look…..(At the very least, Alexis and I will be at the Windup Show this Friday and at the Gilded Lily Burlesque show on Halloween)…

Back from paradise… into Madness!

Mon at 8:08pm

“Onward,” I cry, “into madness!”

That’s my new battle cry. I spent the last week-and-a-half in Hawaii, getting more sun, fresh air, and exercise in ten days than I had all summer combined. I went surfing, snorkeling, sky-diving, hiking, swimming under waterfalls, swimming in caves, sleeping on the beach, and eating fresh fresh fresh fresh fish and fruit. And I’m feeling revitalized and ready to take on this CRAZY month of October. I have 8 shows in October, featuring 3 new acts, in new venues, with new collaborations. I’m very excited about it. I hope you are too, and I hope you get to see it. So here’s some of what we’ve got. More details will appear in future bulletins as they get confirmed, so please take the time to read each one.

I love you! I can’t wait to perform for you again!

-PaXOXO

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
6:00 PM
Independent Practice at the LOF/t
120 W. North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-952-6070

Price: $5 suggested donation

Independent Practice
Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month

Join us in Independent Practice, where we are all students and teachers hooping, stilt-walking, juggling, poi, acroyoga, dancing or whatever you want to practice! No experience necessary!

6:00 PM at the LOF/t
120 W. North Ave. (corner of Howard)

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Make ‘Em Laugh! Make ‘Em Cry! – 9:00 PM

Windup Space
12 W. North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21201
US

Price: $10

Ariel and Paco Fish present a comedy, burlesque, and belly dance spectacular. Featuring new and original acts from local DC and Baltimore professional performers.

Starring:

Hilary (http://shakra.tribalgrove.com)
Na’la (http://shakra.tribalgrove.com)
Poppy La Rouge
Stache
Zarifa
DJ Woman

and your hosts:

Paco Fish (http://www.pacofish.net)
Ariel (http://www.arielbellydance.com)

Doors at 9 PM
Show Starts at 10 PM

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Tassels of Terror at the Canal Club – Doors at 8, show at 9
The Canal Club
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
US

Price: $10

Richmond Varietease: Richmond’s monthly variety burlesque show presents TASSELS OF TERROR!!!

starring: Eyrie Twylite, Boo Boo Darlin, Dolli Holiday, Paco Fish, & hosted by Magnolia Jackson Pickett Burnside!

Monday, October 12th, 2009
Dr. Sketchy’s at the WindUp Space – Doors at 6, drawing at 7
Windup Space
12 W. North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21201
US

Price: $7

Dr. Sketchy’s is a chain of cabaret life-drawing sessions that circles the globe from Hollywood to New Zealand. Started by Molly Crabapple in 2005, Dr. Sketchy’s is a little bit burlesque, a little bit art studio, and a little bit hair of the dog. Maybe the whole dog.

The models can be burlesque dancers, trapeze artists, drag queens, roller-derby girls, your hot next door neighbor, off-duty cops, and ex-KGB stenographers. It’s a whole grab bag of fun. Well, without the grabbing.

Dr. Sketchy’s – Baltimore is Charm City’s local branch run by Alexis de la Rosa and Aaron Bush, hon. This means that not only can you attend a lasciviously decadent life drawing session on the second Monday of every month, you could also get mugged, shot at by the police, lose your house in a shady real estate deal, or install a questionable statue at the local train station. Dr. Sketchy’s is responsible for none of that, by the way.

Join us at The Windup Space for more drawing, drinking, and crazy contests on October 12th, when our fabulous muse for the evening will be Paco Fish!

Saturday, October 17th, 2009
Glitterama! 7 at the Creative Alliance – 7:00 & 10:00
The Creative Alliance
3134 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21224
US
410-276-1651

Price: $15 / $12 members

The King of Kitsch, your well-greased host, Greggy Glitterati, brings you both the beauteous and the nutty in an evening of wonderment. The luscious Lena Grove of Gilded Lily. The titillating boylesque of Paco Fish. The socially-conscious puppetry of Sibelius and The Cause Company. Comedic burlesque babe, Ms. Shortstax. The death-defying trapeze of Nicollete Le Fay. Ms Malibu, the fiery mistress of Tiny Hats! The Living Balloons of the immaculate Poptarts! And laying the beats beneath the bumps, DJ Wachsentush!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
6:00 PM
Independent Practice at the LOF/t

Baltimore, MD

Price: $5 suggested donation

Independent Practice
Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month

Join us in Independent Practice, where we are all students and teachers hooping, stilt-walking, juggling, poi, acroyoga, dancing or whatever you want to practice! No experience necessary!

6:00 PM at the LOF/t
120 W. North Ave. (corner of Howard)

Friday, October 23rd, 2009
Belly Horror at the Birchmere – doors at 6, show at 7:30
Birchmere
3701 Mt. Vernon Ave
Alexandria, VA 22305
US
(703) 549-7500

Price: $29.50

You’re invited to the darker side of dance for The Belly Horror Show a night of scintillating, sinister performance and a weekend of devilish delight. The Belly Horror Show local and national stars bring you a fusion of belly dance and is
proud to be at our new venue The Birchmere, featuring monsters from under the bed and beyond…

Belly Horror 2009 Performers:
Anaar (CA)
Ariel (DC)
Asharah (DC)
Belladonna (DC)
Beth of Dakini (HI)
Desert Sin (NY)
Elizabeth (FL)
Eugenia (MA)
Fierce Fusion (GA)
Mavi (DC)
Shakra (DC)
Super Kate (CA)
Hosted by Paco Fish (MD)

Saturday, October 31st, 2009
Gilded Lily Burlesque Halloween Show at the LOF/t – 9:00 PM
The LOF/t
120 W. North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21218
US

Price: $10

Get Spooky with Gilded Lily Burlesque’s Halloween Show. There will still be plenty of time to trick, treat, terrorize, or tremble, at the Station North Halloween Block Party before and afterwards!

Photos from Sept. 14th with Elle Devene!

anotheraaron — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:58:12 +0000

Saying Elle Devene was stunning is an understatement. During the break I must have heard three different folk comment that they were positively, undeniably in love. Lord knows, whatever secret pull Elle had (and I don’t think it was that much of a secret), it certainly came through in the sketches and photos.

As always, we’d like to thank our generous sponsors, Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books went above and beyond with the contest prizes. If you haven’t figured it out by now, everyone involved with Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore, from the sponsors, to the Windup Space, to Bill and Jeff, are doing this so we can bring this unique life drawing experience to you all twice a month, so if you’re looking to buy a pencil or book or a beer, please consider hitting them up. Anyways, special thanks to the sponsors, to Russell of the Windup for preventing us from getting thirsty and letting us use his absolutely amazing venue for all this, Jeff for the amazing photographic work, Bill for policing the door against drunk sailors and bear attacks, and to Elle Devene of Gilded Lily Burlesque for being her drop-dead gorgeous self.

Here’s some great sketches Pierrette Montone sent in…

I love the face on that last one.

The first contest, as always, was the “opposite hand” contest. If you’re left handed, draw with your right, if you’re right handed, draw with your left, and if you’re ambidexterous draw with your mouth, foot, ear . . . usually that last bit is just meant as a joke, but this fellow actually did it. I’m not sure, but I think he ended up being one of the two winners too (the prize being a free mystery shot).

More photos…

Mike May sent in these sketches . . . the first drawing in the first sketch (and also the photo above) is from the “someone in the crowd yell out a random noun” contest, which turned out to be “plumber”. And yes, we’re just going to let that one go without comment. The prize was a life-drawing book The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study by Kimon Nicolaides donated to us by one of our awesome and regular art monkeys, Kurt Aspland.

The prizes for the third contest, donated by Atomic Books, were Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austin and Ben H. Winters. The contest was “What do you think the cover will look like for the next classic with monsters added?” which is why Elle has a rattlesnake tale in the second sketch.

Here’s a few of Brian Dugan’s sketches—be sure to check out his gallery to see more.

He took home Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with that “Canterbury Tales from the Crypt” sketch, too.

The sketch above was from an earlier contest, in which we asked our artists, “What’s the most inappropriate setting for a burlesque performer?”, the prize of which was a signed copy or Ragnar’s Symptomatica from Baby Tattoo Books.

Here’s a couple more photos of lovely Elle before we wrap everything up…

Don’t forget, Elle Devene and the rest of Gilded Lily Burlesque will be performing at Load of Fun Halloween night. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you as it gets closer.

Our next session is Sept. 28th, 7 o’clock (doors at 6) at the Windup Space, with Viola Vixen—all the way from Brisbane, Australia . . . she’s in the States for the NYC Burlesque Festival and is coming all the way down here for the evening just to pose for you.

And, just between you and us, you should know how cool our own Viola is—that is, Viola Van Wilde of Gilded Lily Burlesque—she’s graciously putting up Viola Vixen for the night, because, well, she’s just cool like that. Don’t tell her we said that though, we don’t want her to know we think she’s that awesome because we have, you know, our own cool image and whatnot to maintain… ;-p

See you on Monday!

Viola Vixen from Brisbane, Australia next Monday!

anotheraaron — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:55:31 +0000

Next Monday, September 28th, Viola Vixen will be posing for your drawing pleasure! All the way from Brisbane, Australia, Viola is in the states for NYC Burlesque Festival, and because she’s made out of AWESOME, she’s shooting down to Baltimore for the evening – even after her father said, “Baltimore? What?! Isn’t that where The Wire was filmed?? Oh my God, you’re going to DIEEEE!!”

That’s paraphrased of course.

7′oclock, doors at 6. If we’re not slammed to the gills, I’ll be mightily surprised, I’d get there early if you can.

By the way, that simply amazing photo is by Nick West. Also, if you’re interested in following Viola Vixen on Twitter, you can follow her at @LaViolaVixen.

Girls against boys.

anotheraaron — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:24:51 +0000

So, something that’s been frustrating me lately: even though the attendance at our sessions is more or less evenly split between men and women—sometimes the girls actually outnumber the guys, which surprises some of our friends who assume that it’s only guys who want to draw our models—since late spring, the artists who’ve been sending us sketches have been men. Annie Wu ended that trend last month, but still, she was the lone female artist who shared her drawings with us. What gives, ladies?

This time around, the lovely Lily Stark White has been the one woman to send us her drawings:

We also had some people find us through two blogs, both by women, so we’re going to return the favor—even if they didn’t send us their sketches themselves. (To be fair, this past session I relied too much on the reminder cards I handed out to solicit sketches from folks and forgot to actually remind everyone while on stage.) Check out Bridget (Vaughn)’s Art Blog and Kristin Nohe’s Suburbs blog for their awesome drawings of Deviana.

And, lastly, here’s a sketch of Deviana from our door guy, Bill:

Obviously, Bill’s a guy, though he whines like a 4-year-old girl about how we never post his sketches, even though we link to his blog on our front page. So there you go, Bill—I ended this post about how we don’t get enough sketches from women with your unmistakeably male drawing.

Anyway—sketches. We love getting them—from everyone.

Don’t forget, we’ll have the lovely Elle Devene of Gilded Lily Burlesque posing for us this Monday night at the Windup Space—and check out Gilded Lily’s show with the Baltimore Improv Group tonight at the Creative Alliance. Hope you have your tickets already, since they’re probably selling out as I type this. Couldn’t get tickets? Then check out the Xotic fashion show at the Windup Space tonight instead.

And then there’s Hampden Fest tomorrow. Stop by Atomic Books and say hi to Benn, who’s given us a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies *and* Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters to give away on Monday.

Oh, and 2nd Saturdays in Station North is tomorrow, too! Lots of fun—and free—performances!

Whatever you do this weekend, have fun, and see you on Monday!

—Alexis

Sword swinging and sketching with Deviana Fox!

anotheraaron — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:40:32 +0000

Goodness gracious, Deviana Fox had swords.

Maybe it’s my geek stamp showing, but good gravy, there are few things more fun to draw than a sexy lady with dual scimitars.

Yeah, she had TWO scimitars.

We were hoping for trouble, maybe the crazy pillow lady who tried to steal my beer a few sessions ago would make a second run at the front door, but alas, it was not to be and the session was blissfully peaceful. I can’t help but wonder though if the REASON it was blissfully peaceful was the presence of a scimitar wielding lady with a bullet belt overlooking the crowd at all times.

Bill certainly seemed better behaved.

These awesome photos are by Jeff by the way, which we are eternally grateful for, and while we’re at it, many thanks go to Bill holding down the door, Russell holding down the bar, our gracious sponsors Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books for the awesome prizes to give away, and the Windup Space for hosting us even though it’s kinda like thanking Russell twice, but he deserves it.

Well, everyone deserves to get thanked twice, so, to avoid just copying and pasting that paragraph again right here so everyone gets thanked twice, lets say everyone gets THREE thanks and move on to some more pictures of the amazing Deviana.

Yep, that’s right, not only did Deviana have two swords, she was balancing them all over the place WHILE posing. I had to keep tapping Bill on the shoulder while ran the door to say, “Oh my God, Bill, look what she’s doing now!”

Anyway, let’s get to some drawings and contests.

This next one was sent to us by Mike May. Check out his website, some amazing stuff there. I think there’s another drawing by him further on in the blog as well.

Next is a sketch by Paul Moscatt who’s got some great work on his site too.

Mike Hasson did these next two, sending us the second one later when he got home. I love that top left one.

The first contest was the opposite hand drawing contest where, if you’re right-handed you draw with your left, and if you’re left-handed you draw with your right, and if you’re ambidextrous you buy the house a round. Two winners were picked, and awarded evil-looking shots for their trouble if they were of age, and if they weren’t, they were able to designate someone of age to take their place on the chopping block.

One of the contests was the best incorporation of Highlander into your sketch. Here’s one of the entries by Brian Dugan (who didn’t win this contest, but did win another one later on). The prize was a stunning steel art portfolio case donated by Don of Artist & Craftsman Supply, which if you didn’t know already, is on the corner of North & Howard, pretty much across the street from Windup, give or take a block.

Another sketch from Brian Dugan, this one for the “random noun” contest where folks in the audience shout out random nouns and we pick the one that sounds the most bizarre or amusing. The noun this time around was “Disney World.” The prize was Ragnar’s Izzy’s Very Important Job from Baby Tattoo Books, which is so cool they run their own Dr. Sketchy’s out in L.A., if you’re ever out that way.

Here’s some more photos of Deviana…

Ahh, here’s the sketch Brian Dugan for the final contest incorporating Debbie Gibson and Caligula, who, apparently share August 31st as their birthday. Who knew?

The prize was a copy of Scarlett Takes Manhattan by Dr. Sketchy’s founder Molly Crabapple and John Leavitt, who both signed it for the lucky winner when Alexis and I were in NYC last. Here’s the cover page, graciously scanned by Brian and mailed to us.

Yes, you read that correctly, apparently Molly is accusing Brian Dugan of giving John Leavitt syphillis. And no, Molly and John were completely sober when they signed this, why do you ask?

Our next session is September 14th with Elle Devene!

What’s going on this week?

anotheraaron — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:46:25 +0000

All sorts of interesting things going on this week, check them out.

Thursday has not only a Dunny release party at Atomic Books but a art opening at Skyloft Gallery with a performance by Deviana Fox who modeled for us last session (the photos for that will go up tomorrow).

Friday is double-booked as well with a Gilded Lily Burlesque/Baltimore Improv show at Creative Alliance AND a fashion show party at Windup put on by Katia Basloma, also a former Dr. Sketchy’s model.

All the info is below . . . if you can’t find something fun to do this week, you’re not trying. (And don’t forget Dr. Sketchy’s is this coming Monday as well, September 21st with Elle Devene of Gilded Lily Burlesque.)

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Art in the City 2009

Opening reception: Sept. 10, 5 – 11 p.m.
The SkyLoft Gallery
3701 Bank St.
Baltimore, MD 21224
www.artinthecity2009.com

Art in the City began in the fall of 2007 as “Friends of SkyLoft Galleries” with its curator Jeff Martin and host Eric Fondersmith. What was once an internal art show, quickly became a city wide interest and the name changed in 2008 to “Art in the City.”

The first year brought over 200 guests, and surprisingly last year over 1000 guests came to the exhibition. This year we are expecting well over 2000 guests and vendors between September 9th and October 25th. With two levels and five galleries open for entertainment and exhibition space, this show is geared up to be the best year for art within the Baltimore’s Highlandtown area! Some guests have called this exhibition“…Baltimore’s mini indoor Artscape ” with its quality art displays and entertainment line up.

This year’s event will be hosted by Maryland’s own Lizz Robbins, with special guest Miss Maryland 2009 Nicole Ortiz. Performances by harpist Cheryl Roeske, and dancer Naimah (a.k.a. Deviana Fox) plus other performers TBA.

This annual show is for all artists who wish to sell their work or services in any media. It also offers vendors selling crafts and services a large audience to network with all within one rustic creative space. All art at this event will be for sale and a portion of all art sales will be donated to the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center . Our goal this year will be to raise $5,000.00 for this charity to help Cancer Research.

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Catch & Release! Trading Party
Dunny Series 2009

Thursday, September 10, 7 p.m.
Atomic Books
3620 Falls Rd. (Hampden)

To celebrate the release of Dunny Series 2009, we’ll be hosting a Catch & Release Trading Party. All series welcome. Prizes! Refreshments! More!
Huh? Wassa Dunny?

Friday, Sept 11, 2009

Gilded Lily and Baltimore Improv Groups’

Back to School: Burlesque ~ Comedy Romp!

Fri Sep 11 8pm.
$15, $12 mbrs.
Baltimore’s glossy, sassy burlesque Lilies: Maria Bella, Lena Grove, Viola van Wilde, Little Luna, Lucille Lingerhans von Spankenstein, boylesque host Paco Fish and his attache Lauren Marleaux are looking for their shortest uniforms! On their first date Gilded Lily and the high-energy laughsters of Baltimore Improv Group have a darling detention together spicing their trademark naughty, silly ways with a bit of unorthodox reading, writin’, arithmetic. Wear your school colors loud and proud, or your uniform, for a free popcorn at the bar!

General public, click here for tickets!
Members, click here for tickets!

Friday, Sept 11, 2009

Flip & Fly Present: Xotic

9 p.m. @ The Windup Space
12 W. North Ave.

Hosted by Flip & Fly (past model Katia B.’s fashion company).

Feast your eyes on a fabulous fashion show, Bollywood dancers, belly dancers, and other performances. Enjoy light fare mideterranian style buffet, drink specials, and music by Baltimore’s finest DJs Mikie Love and Jacob Gude.

Dahlia Derriere Poe’s it up.

Next Monday: Lena Grove!

The Devil you know…

Viva La Viola Vixen!

Next Dr. Sketchy’s Oct. 12 with Paco Fish!

Back from paradise… into Madness!

Photos from Sept. 14th with Elle Devene!

Viola Vixen from Brisbane, Australia next Monday!

Girls against boys.

Sword swinging and sketching with Deviana Fox!

What’s going on this week?

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Art in the City 2009

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Catch & Release! Trading Party Dunny Series 2009

Friday, Sept 11, 2009

Gilded Lily and Baltimore Improv Groups’

Friday, Sept 11, 2009

Flip & Fly Present: Xotic

Catch & Release! Trading Party
Dunny Series 2009