More art from DS:X

DS stalwart John Nagridge checks in with some sweet black-background sketches from the last session.

Much better photos...

...of Christopher and Jessica, from July's session, courtesy Agnes Domanska. Jessica is part of the local fire-breathing performance troupe Fire Fabulon. Read all about them in Sarah "Sparkly Devil" Klein's Metro Times article from last year.

Having your cake and sketches too

So anyway: What could make three hours of drinking and socializing and drawing beautiful costumed burlesque dancers and digging DJ T63's eclectic mix even better? My wife found something - cake! One of the members of her Greek dancing group had a birthday and she called to ask if she should bring the leftover half-a-cake. Um... yeah? Cake? Hells yeah! So that's where that came from.

Got some art to share from last night's session, from regular Jim Anderson:



...two from Sketchy newbie Francis Vallejo:



...and two more from another first-timer, Kathy Bailey:



More, more! Send more art, everyone. And remember, if you have art or photos you'd like to display at the Belmont for next month's session please let me know!

Dr Sketchy X-travaganza!!

The tenth installment of DS:MCD was a smash hit! More new folks, plenty of familiar faces, two fantastic models, one great DJ - and cake!!! More to come on the evening's goings-on, but I wanted to thank everyone for coming out, especially DJ T-63 and of course Christopher and Jessica. Hopefully someone got better photos than I did (send art, everyone!), but here's a taste for now.

Also, more on Dr. Sketchy Detroit's anniversary plans to come, too!

Meanwhile, take a look at what ol' Sparkly Devil's been up to!

Dr. Sketchy July, and beyond!

Hi again art monkeys,

First off, don't be alarmed by the new email address. I've finally got my official Hatch-sponsored account put together (Hatch sponsors Dr. Sketchy in Hamtramck/Detroit - check out our web site to see more of what we're up to around town).

Second: We are 100% go for this Thursday (July 26) at the Belmont, 7-10pm. We've got a live DJ lined up and of course the amazing Christopher from the Causing a Scene burlesque troupe modeling, along with the intriguingly-named Jessica Rabbit - two models, no waiting, still only $5 to get in and draw! (Consider it a make-up for missing a session in June.)

Lastly: Be sure to keep THURSDAY, AUGUST 23 open! It's Dr. Sketchy:Motor City Division's one year anniversary, and there are some fabulous doings in the works! More details to come, but for now...

CALL FOR ART!!

One thing I'm arranging for the anniversary is to hang art created during past Dr. Sketchy sessions on the walls at the Belmont. They have monthly art shows there, and making Sketchy sketches their next exhibit seems like a natural since they've become our adopted home.

So I urge you all to go thru your sketchbooks and photo files and (cheaply) frame up your best stuff to be part of the show. You don't need to get it to me this Thursday necessarily (though that'd be nice), but if you have something to contribute, let me know. It'll have to be hung before Aug. 23 (I'll get a more definite deadline to you all shortly) and I can arrange to pick it up from you if necessary.

See you this Thursday at 7pm!

DR. SKETCHY X!

Hey all, sorry to be out of touch...

The next Dr. Sketchy Detroit is scheduled and coming up fast! We'll be doing our thing Thursday, July 26, 7-10pm at the Belmont. Christopher at Causing A Scene has volunteered to pose for us, and you for sure don't want to miss that! Plus, he's going to try to recruit another model, a woman he called "Jessica Rabbit." Jeepahs!

See you all there!

...and more Muana

More Muana drawings from last week's DS.

First a great sketch by regular John Nagridge (who recently rekindled my interest in block printing at a workshop he conducted)


Next a dramatic profile from Kyle Oren.


Here's a nice gesture sketch by Suzanne Baumann...


...and a Suzanne/Jerry Dombrowski team-up drawing that came out pretty amazing, I think!


Lastly, a couple by me, graphite stick style.



Thanks, everyone, for sending work in. Always room for more, keep 'em coming.

More Muana

Doug sent some of his always-awesome collage-sketches from the other night.


Check out the Chris Ware-looking rendition of DS regular Michelangelo!

Ho hum, another night at Dr. Sketchy

It might not look too animated in that first picture, but things were hoppin' the other night. For one thing, lots of new folks: the guy in red and the woman on the right were both first-time sketchers. The latter won a bag full of goodies after impressing the Swag Faerie with one of her lovely drawings.


In fact, I think Brian in this next photo was a newbie too. He showed up late and proceeded to knock out these great color pastel drawings. Sheesh!


There we are, sawing away at the sketchpads. Except the woman on the far right, who spent the evening making jewelry (!!!).

Thanks much to Agnes for the photos!

Why do I even worry?

Every time we do a Sketchy session, I fret, "this'll be the night no one shows up! I shoulda promoted better! I suck! Wah!" But no need to panic - we had lots of regulars and a number of new faces too, including one woman who'd only come to see the band later that night and ended up borrowing a sketchbook to join us. If last night is the house we get when I don't promote the thing until last minute, what'll happen when I start advertising? I won't have room for everybody!

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for DS:9. Muana was a lot of fun to draw, and somehow the polka dot dress and sailor outfit she wore early in the evening went really well with the silver stars and crepe paper hanging around the Belmont - suddenly it felt like V-J Day in Hamtramck (although the Tom Waites music was sort of incongruous...)!

So send those drawings my way so we can share them with the world (photos too, so you won't have to endure too many of my grainy snapshots!)

Number 9? Number 9?

Yeah, Dr. Sketchy number nine! Where does the time go? If I knew I wouldn't be so late with this blog update, would I?

Nevertheless, we are a go for the Belmont tomorrow, Thursday, May 31, from 7-10pm! Our model is the wonderful Muana, who Fringe festival participants will remember as our grindhouse poster model (see Suzanne's contest-winning drawing below). She's really excited about it too, and promises to bring along a few different costumes to get us just as enthused.

Since I'm so late with the updates this time around, I'm offering a special deal: first-timers who show up at the Belmont tomorrow night get in FREE! Bring a new friend along, or if you've been lurking on this blog and biding your time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to sample this Dr. Sketchy strangeness, here's your chance to check it out at no cost to you. If you can find a better deal on drawing a burlesque dancer at a bar, I'll give you five pounds of coffee (and if you get that reference, you're not only local, you're old!).

See you there!

Fringe? More? Yes!

Some typically lovely drawings by DS stalwart Suzanne Baumann.



And more photos: Green Brain Comics grand poobahs Katie and Dan share a sketchbook - aww!

Did I mention the clown? We had a clown! Dig it, his name is Orange Whip:

More from the Fringe

Yers Trooly. That's about as swanky as I get, folks. Sadly, the flash kinda washed out my hand-painted mermaid tie (thanks Ann!). Plus, dig the tres-Frenchie Ryan on the right there. Photo by Jim Anderson.


Jim makes the case that he should win a prize from Swag Faerie Katherine.

A flattering portrait couldn't hurt...



"Come with me if you want to live!" Art by me.


Michelangelo's lovely sketch of Anna, in his trusty moleskine. Photo by Jim.

More to come...

"Are you Dr. Sketchy?"

Well, what can I say when someone asks me that, as a few did last night at the Fringe Festival? (The good doctor's reputation precedes him.) I just say, "yes, yes I am!" But aren't we all? It's sort of a Spartacus thing. "I am Dr. Sketchy!" "No, I'M Dr. Sketchy!" "No, I'M Dr. ..." Or to paraphrase Devo, "we're ALL Dr. Sketchy!"

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, the Fringe Festival! Well, the session last night was sparsely attended (change of seasons illnesses claimed a few members, and almost knocked out our Swag Faerie toward the end of the night) but those who made it were most enthusiastic, and we attracted the attention of a number of curious folks who might join us in the future. Plus, we had a special guest appearance by Dan and Katie, proprietors of Green Brain Comics, one of DS's sponsors. (Only 20 days and change until Free Comic Book Day, everyone!)

We also had a constantly revolving cast of exotic models, from a 1920's flapper-looking hottie to a bright orange clown. Even Causing A Scene's Christopher himself graced our impromptu stage/pedestal. Eventually we all got punchy enough that a few of us took turns up there too, including my wife! Thanks to Dick Blick in Dearborn we had some free sketchbooks to hand our to three or four innocent bystanders who ended up joining the 10 or so of us regulars in our sketching. Afterwards, a few of us took in the art gallery, some experimental animated short films, and a full-on Causing A Scene performance featuring a kick-ass hula hooper, and giant walking spider-looking monster and a gaggle of other sexy, scantily-clad folks shakin' their respective thangs.


More art and photos as they come in, but here's a few from me for now. (Stupidly, I didn't get everyone's names, so if you were there and can help, please let me know!)

Close to the fringe!

Yes, we're getting closer to the date - Friday the 13th, and Dr. Sketchy's appearance at the Fringe Festival at the Music Hall in downtown Detroit.

I went early last week to scope out the location, and chatted with Christopher of CAS, and we've got some interesting ideas about working the models and sketchers into the Hall's cabaret/café/piano bar area that should make for some great drawing opportunities, as well as giving the visitors something fun to look at. I'm assembling prize packages full of novel goodies from Dick Blick, Green Brain and other sources, and I've picked the brains of Molly Crabapple and her minions for contest ideas (more suggestion always welcome!). Music Hall is even plugging us on the web site now. All is in readiness!

I've received several email and verbal responses from sketchers who want to participate- thanks for the replies, all - and now I'm wondering about logistics. I'll be emailing everyone again today to discuss meeting at the hall and proceeding in together, and possible carpooling from Hamtramck or elsewhere to avoid parking hassles downtown. If you haven't contacted me and want to participate, or if you want to come but can't make it until after 7pm, email me in the next few days or respond to this post.

Photo of Christopher by the amazing (and invaluable, to us Metro Times shlubs) Cybelle Codish.

Dr. Sketchy VIII: Voyage to the Fringe!

Okay, art monkeys, it's official: Thanks to the brilliantly thoughtful Christopher of Causing A Scene, Dr. Sketchy is going to be a part of the upcoming Fringe Festival at the Music Hall in Detroit, Friday, April 13 (ooo...) from 7-10pm!

The Fringe Festival is a balls-out, no-holds-barred, 30-straight-hours arts event, featuring a crazy array of music, dance, performance, film, mixed media and visual art (read all about it at the Fringe Festival web site), so this'll be a DS session like nothing you've experienced. Right now the plan is to have three fantastic dancer/models from CAS posing simultaneously in different locations, so you can migrate around and draw your hearts out. Contests will be extra challenging, and prizes will be extra awesome, I promise. DS participants will not just be spectators, you're considered to be part of the show ("Don't be part of a scene," they say,"cause one!"), and as such anyone who comes to draw gets a discount on admission to the entire event - only $15 to get in, $20 off the original ticket price! The Fringe Festival starts at 7pm Friday and runs 'til 1:30am Sunday. Presumably coffee and Red Bull will be available on site...

BUT - in order to get the discount you need to know the super-secret code word to tell the guy at the door! So I'm asking anyone who's interested in comig to CONTACT ME FIRST and make a reservation. Once I have a head count, I'll fill everyone in on the logistics. I'm meeting next week to finalize plans with the organizers, so I'll keep y'all posted.

Your figure drawing fingers are itching already, aren't they? Stay Tuned!

Faerie wings and other things

Two more works of art from our latest session. These beautiful sketchbook collages come from DS newbie Doug Blanchard. Thanks Doug, see you at the next session!



Here's another great color image from DS regular Jim Anderson, too. Whew, we're not worthy...

Cheers and jeers!

Cheers for Hatch founder Chris Schneider, for shooting this swell photo of Xaina, as seen from outside the cafe thru their big front window. No wonder trucks were slowing down as they passed!

BUT- jeers from Dr. Sketchy:MCD's first official detractor!! Shortly after the Hatched event was written up in the local paper, the Citizen, with a prominent photo of Xaina included, the café received a letter from one Mary O. of Hamtramck, neatly handwritten on an index card:

"I was very ashamed and hurt to see the burlesque woman posing in such an indecent, shameful pose. I thought your place was an old fashioned coffee place. Let's keep Hamtramck a decent place."

She also called the café a couple days later to complain. She got profuse apologies from the owners and turned out to be a sweet old lady, apparently, and she promised to stop in for a drink some time (yep, she's never even been to the café...) so it's all good.

Still - complaint letter! I'm just childish enough to be a little giddy about it!

"Professor Scratchy" strikes again!

(I overheard a woman at the Café 1923 trying to remember the name of Dr. Sketchy who called it that. I almost want to change the name but Molly C. would disown me...)

Sorry so late with this update, but: a belated "thanks so much" to the throngs who turned out for the DS session we held last weekend at the Hatched! opening. It was not only a blast (or, as they say, a blowout) for those who attended, it was a big hit with local media too (model Xaina ended up featured in full color on the back page of the local paper along with a few sketchers) and a great draw for passers-by and point of interest for the folks who came to see the art. It was so packed in the café during DS that the fastest way from the front of the place to the back room where the DJ, classical guitarist and free munchies were, was going outside, out the front door and back in through the side door! We even had a little girl, maybe 4 years old, sketching, giving special attention to the big fairy wings sprouting from Xaina's back! The whole event did what it was supposed to do - put the arts collective Hatch on the mental maps of our fellow Hamtramckans and Detroiters.



More interesting news for DS coming up next month - yet another new venue, and yet another art event going on around us while we sketch, this time even bigger than Hatched! It's all pretty hush-hush, y'unnerstand, until the details are worked out, but... stay tuned!

Art above by John Nagridge (John's drawing is silver pen on black paper, I think!) and Matt Feazell. Send more art, y'all!