Beefy’s Brilliant Burlesque Bonanza!
Fun, high-speed life-drawing practice with tassels on!
Article Transcript
If you are looking to hone your live caricature skills and get the chance to try out different media and experiment with your levels of exaggeration, all without the pressure of a paying client to please, Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School could be just the ticket.
Usually, my weekends are spent at the local supermarket being dragged up and down the aisles by my long-suffering wife (unless I have the much welcome excuse of a booking that is). But now every other month, I spend my Saturday afternoons in the company of tattooed beauties, twirling their tassels and shaking their hips to 50s-inspired rockabilly tracks.
Dr. Sketchy’s was founded in 2005 by artists Molly Crabapple and A.V. Phibes, in a dive bar in Brooklyn, New York. Run solely by Molly Crabapple (and her cadre of awesome helpers) since early ‘06, Dr. Sketchy’s has grown into a truly global phenomenon. Every month, over 3,500 artists gather in nearly a hundred different cities (including New York, Hollywood, Sao Paolo, London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo and my hometown of Nottingham, UK) to sketch glamorous, subcultural models and compete in drawing contests in an atmosphere of artistic mayhem.
The compère for the Nottingham events is organiser and performer Scarlett Daggers. Her welcoming style, seamed stockings, and sharp wit puts everyone at ease as drawing boards are set up and pencils are sharpened.
The opportunity to network with local creative folk is not to be underestimated and is an added bonus of these happenings. Amongst the gathered crowd is fellow Nottingham Dr Sketchy branch organiser, Charlotte Thomson. Charlotte is fast becoming the best known boudoir and burlesque illustrator in the UK and is an active member of Nottingham’s creative arts scene.
Having always had a fascination with 40s and 50s culture, she had been drawing lots of pin-up girls, which caught the attention of burlesque performers in the UK and US, including Scarlett Daggers.
The pair decided they had been to enough dull life-drawing classes for their liking and agreed to spice things up in Nottingham. “It’s raised the profile of my own art & illustration business and it gives me a constant opportunity to flex my drawing muscles at our own events” says Charlotte. “We’ve also made links with local organisations (art-related and otherwise,) which has allowed us to do fun one-off events and network with fab people.”
The first Dr. Sketchy performer today at the Nottingham Glee comedy club is the delectable Vendetta Vain. The Glasgowbased artist and model glides on stage with shocking green hair and tassels to match. The crowd greets her with whoops and hollers–and that’s just the female contingent! That is what is so great about these events– here is a real mix of people in the audience, from young art students to older hobbyists, first-timers to seasoned pros. The atmosphere is fun and laid back, not dark and seedy.
Vendetta performs her “Creature from the Black Lagoon” routine, described (and quite rightly so) as a “strip-teasing, bump n’ grinding, tassel twirling B-movie monster.’”
She is accompanied by a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack supplied by the DJ, Johnny Bull - guitarist for local psychobilly/rock ‘n’ roll band, the Speed Kings. I recognise a few of the tracks–Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, intertwined with more obscure, punk-influenced stuff to tap your feet to. I am pretty sure the Nottingham Sketchy crew could make a healthy profit from selling compilation CDs on the side!
Once the performance is over and the wolf whistles have subsided, Ms. Vain settles in to her pose–a short five minutes to warm everyone up. Working at speed like this is still tough, even after working as a live caricature artist for more than 15 years.
I like to use watercolours at Dr. Sketchy events–I can keep things loose and quick that way. When I started drawing caricatures on the sunny beaches of Greece way back in 1995, I used to use watercolours. The heat helped them to dry as quickly as I worked. It’s funny because I can’t ever imagine myself doing that now! A Dixon Markette and a grey marker are my weapons of choice for live gigs these days.
The rest of the afternoon sees performances by the red hot Daquairi Dusk (described as “the burlesque love-child of Gypsy Rose Lee and Nikki Sixx”) and the graceful Cherry Loco who “epitomises vaudevillian poise and genderbending, epicene elegance.”
It is a fantastic afternoon of drawing, music and tease. There are some amazing pieces of work created by the gathered crowd, and prizes are awarded to the model’s favourites. I didn’t win–this time–but I did get to have my photo taken with Vendetta, which was prize enough! After the event, people gather at the downstairs bar, showing their creations to each other and gaining valuable feedback.
Dr Sketchy’s really has become a highlight of my calendar. If you are looking for a fun, laid back and entertaining afternoon of alternative life drawing, get yourself to an event – there’s bound to be one near you, and if there isn’t, why not organize one yourself!?
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