The Doctor Is In... Dr.Sketchy That Is!

Live figure drawing can teach you important artistic fundamentals such as perspective, problem-solving, and proportion; but who would have thought it could teach you to have fun!
With Pabst cans in her hair and a pump-action shotgun at her hip, our figure model for the evening wasn't the typical voluptuous nudist that you're used to drawing in art class, but that's exactly the point! Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School is pretty unconventional, what I would call an "underground figure drawing cult," but cult in a good way, like a cult classic horror film, which has probably at one time been a theme for the late-night artists' gathering. Fun is the name of the game at the Anaheim chapter of Dr. Sketchy's which I attended one Sunday evening at Rothick Art Haus. With a charismatic master of ceremonies and even a small wet bar, they were well prepared for Rothick's guests to have a wonderful time. This was no stuffy hibby jibby art function, this was a party! With pink yard flamingos, cute girls, and drawing contests!
Although guns and booze might not be your thing, the native Texan in me felt right at home and I tuned into the house iPod while rocking out some classy figure drawings of our "trailer trash queen." I think this place will now be my home for three hours every other weekend, and if you're at all artistically inclined and live in Orange County, you should do the same.

If you don't live in California, there is hope for you yet. Started in 2005 by Illustrator Molly Crabapple, the life drawing parties have expanded to an international franchise with branches in sixteen different countries including England, Japan, and Australia; they even had a Dr. Sketchy's burlesque drawing event at SXSW this year! With a friendly environment conducive to creativity, Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School is a revolution in art education, and should be enjoyed by all willing to have a good time. You can find a location closest to you here. And you can keep up with Dr. Sketchy's Anaheim here.


I started this drawing at Rothick with the Trailer Park Queen theme and finished it with lots of little details back in the studio. Click the picture for the larger image that shows the lawn gnome holding a condom.

Monsters, Tremors, and Demons, OH MY!

I had attended the very first Monsterpalooza back in 2009, and after easily making my way around the show, I didn't expect to wait in line for over an hour to get into Monsterpalooza 2011. The Fire Marshall threatened to shut the event down while the line wrapped around the side of the Burbank Marriot Convention Center. Ghouls dressed as zombies and swamp monsters were just as frustrated as the humans awaiting entry, but we made the best of the beautiful day and soaked up the sun (vampires excluded, they grabbed shady spots).The annual show features amazing vendors, FX artists, cinema makeup artists, horror movie actors, and even has a museum where you can tour through an all-star lineup of movie creatures and sculptures. An amazing sculptor and painter, Tim Gore had a booth this year adorned by eyeballs and human teeth, while artist Jason Hite showcased his illuminated and intricate sculptures that give me bad dreams of when robots take over the earth and harvest humans for their organs. Oh we all know it won't happen, right? *awkward chuckle*

I would suggest anyone that enjoys creepy artistry and horror flicks to check out Monsterpalooza next year. They're convinced they will have it at the same venue. *cough* let's hope not *cough*

Here's a drawing I finished a few weeks ago that I felt would be perfect in accompanying a few photos I took at Monsterpalooza . He's cuddly, ain't he?

 

A real Graboid!!! YEEHAW!!

Sketching : Full Cooperation Necessary

Why is it so hard to force myself to sketch when it is the single most helpful exercise for my art? If you feel like you have to twist your own arm to sit down and commit time to sketching, you are NOT alone!
I discovered last night I get so lost in sketching that I lose track of time. I am trying my hardest to look at it as a much needed escape, but it is tough to convince myself of this when I end up restricting my sleep to three hours a night and wake up early for the day j.o.b.
I've been thinking of ways to fix this, to work around the agony of the initial commitment to sketch. The best way I've found to do this, is "don't put it off." 
At the first moment of idle time, don't think about it, just grab your ipod, your sketchbook, and GO. Once you get the creative flow going, you will most likely have finished your sketch sesh before you realize that a few hours have gone by and you didn't waste time dragging your feet. Next thing you know, scheduled bedtime! VOILA!


Here is a sketch I was working on last night. I'm calling it 'Warrior' for a concept of a small oil painting I want to experiment with. You'll notice that many of my drawings, sketches especially, do not have a whole lot of line work in them. I have trouble seeing forms in lines, I interpret shadows as shapes and block everything in that way to get proper proportions. Haven't quite figured out why my brain works this way, or if I will or should "correct" this; it seems peculiar to me but it is the way my eyes have always interpreted things.