Dr. Sketchy's Part Two

There were two 20 minute poses at the end of the set, both of which I did in pastels. I like long poses- if I can get my work to "click" early on, I really enjoy working into a piece for a long time. When I can't get something to work from the start, it feels more like fighting an uphill battle to drag my art into something mediocre, but I'm loathe to abandon something and be stuck with a shorter length piece. Both of these clicked in an enjoyable way, though.

The second piece was a challenge to interpret The Windup Space, which is the name of the bar where it was held. I was not to only person to come up with putting a turn-crank into the model, but I WAS the only one to add a tag that said "For a good time turn crank". This piece made it up to the stage too, but it was model's choice and she went with another one.

I leave for Puerto Rico on Sunday, armed with a new vellum sketchbook, chalk nupastels, watercolor pens, and markers. I am full of pleasant fantasies involving the beach and exciting plants and doing naaathing but art for a week. Mmf.

Dr. Sketchy's Scantily Clad Lady Emporium

I went out to Baltimore's Dr. Sketchy's (if you are unaware of this phenomenon, Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School has your answers) on Monday night. I have mixed reviews- on the one hand, I missed life drawing, I like gimicky shit like this, and drinking accompanies drawing as it does stretching and MST3King in the rest of my life. On the other, the only thing more pretentious than hipsters are ARTISTIC hipsters, the mc really didn't impress (I have high standards from circus work, but still), and the soundtrack to the evening was pulled directly out of a Wed Anderson film. The Darjeeling Limited, to be specific.

Still, I got some good marker practice in, and I'm groping my way to understanding shading with prismas. I forgot my beloved chalk pastels in Pennsylvania, but Heather lent me her pastels and I went to crazy town and back with them.
There were contests, one of which was to draw the model in spaaaace. This next one got me in the running for the prize, but I didn't win anything that night. It was nifty getting picked the hang out on stage and get cheered for, though. More my scene than being an audience member.

They also did the opposite hand drawing, which I understand is a staple of Dr. Sketchy's fun time. I did it in charcoal, and carefully specified some elements to make it obvious.

One of my quickie warm ups I liked. I shyly started out with my faithful charcoal before I went media crazy.
They also did two 20 minute poses I threw some real work into, but I'll save 'em for tomorrow because this is already the Art Blog Post That Ate Texas.

New art toys!

My shading is getting better, thanks to the FIVE BRAND NEW GREY MARKERS I laid hands on at Art Things in Maryland yesterday. Funny story- this art store has known me since I was two years old and living in England, because my aunt did a goku birthday card for me that was up as a how-to in the shop for yeeeears. I've been making pilgrimages to there ever since, but I don't think they've seen me since age 16, so the owner got a bit of a shock when I walked in yesterday.

Other stuff from the sketchitybook includes a rough for a graphic short I've been tossing around in my mind for ages. I tend to get it in my head whenever I find myself romantically entangled that I should start illustrating my relationships-I used art to process everything else, why not that? It'd be damn good reading, if nothing else.

This particular one was a reflection on falling into love for brief periods at a time- weekends, weeks- as tends to happen when you travel (or when I travel, at least). For the first time recently I fell with a lot of awareness as I was falling, like Alice floating down the rabbithole and examining the objects on the walls as she descended.


Enough for today- more on all that tomorrow as the ideas germinate.

Tits and Tentacles

No scanner access until today, so y'all get my Tits and Tentacles picture, plus some sketches from yesterday. I'm struggling to figure out how to shade using prisma grey markers, but I think this picture was a breakthrough for me. Still working on it, though.


Disembodied caaat head. I feel like I'm copping Heather's style, just because of the media. I learn marker shading so slowly, but progress is beginning to happen.

That's me pushing nasty reality away from my happy bubble above, btw.

Too Much Coffee

Another in my series of "this is what I've been up to while traveling" comics. The aforementioned coffee (which was DELICIOUS) is actually responsible for three other comics aside from this one because I couldn't sleep for the LIFE of me that night.

I am slowly learned how to shade with some amount of skill. I brought my set of greyscale brush pens with my on vacation, and they're getting a workout.

That's my "going to a nice restaurant better femme up" look, btw. I didn't actually own any girly heels until about a month ago when my friend Dan gave me a pair of his for my birthday. Dan's a rockstar like that.

Reading Bubble

I need to work on my shading, but the comic journal idea is good practice. I could really use some greyscale prismas making my life easier, but c'est la vie.

James is the reason for this one- James and his stupidly good reading suggestions.

More travel comics

More comics from my travels! On my flight from Seattle to Chicago, I had this awesome, involved conversation with Muriel Anderson about performance, music, events management, and the range of emotions that accompanies it all. She let me put my ukulele on top of her guitar in the overhead baggage bin and emailed me the sheet music for a cello and guitar composition she had written. It was really inspiring for me as a performer.

Grey brush pens and a range of white prismas are my heart when it comes to comics. Swear ta god. Also, the first appearance of my nape piercing in a self portrait!

VACATION.

I'm back in Baltimore, which means a veritable fuckload of journal comics from my travels and the craziness of coming back to my high school hometown. Last night I drank a bunch of coffee and inked a mess of them, so more to come on a semi-regular basis.