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Next Monday, Day of the Dead with Nona Narcisse!

Photo of Nona Narcisse ©2010 by Joseph Crachiola – www.crachiola.com.

Hide your children and lock your windows, folks, it’s the “Day of the Dead” themed session of Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore with New Orleans native Nona Narcisse!

Is it even possible to top last year’s Halloween session? You bet your ass it is. I will bet the life of Jeff’s first born that you have NEVER gotten the opportunity to draw anything like this. Ever. And if you lie and say you have, I swear to God Alexis will smack the sass right out of you. RIGHT. OUT. You’ll have to catch the Circulator to Mt. Vernon to find it.

Alexis and I have traveled all over the country, and sometimes out of it, over the last three years catching every burlesque performance we could. I say this without the slightest bit of exaggeration or hyperbole – Nona Narcisse is one of the best performers we’ve ever seen. She very well may have my favorite routine of all time too, period. When you see her Day of the Dead routine & costume, you are going to collectively lose your beautiful, artistic minds. To be honest, I’m kind of scared. You may not be able handle this much sexy, this much gorgeousness, this much bone-chilling terror.

The next day you’ll be telling your half-cousin in Boise, “Yeah, it was the best Dr. Sketchy’s ever! Nona was the best model I’ve ever drawn! It was amazing! Well – right until those idiot Dr. Sketchy folks meddled with forces they didn’t understand and accidentally summoned the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead, onto the stage and she bit off Russell’s head! Dude, it was awesome! Shame about the Windup Space going out like that though.”

If you ever pay attention to anything I ever write, heed this: 1) bring your “A” game, Nona is one of a kind, 2) if you’re on heart medication, for God’s sake take it beforehand, 3) don’t tell your loved ones where you’re going. If we accidentally open a gate to Hell in Russell’s bar, it’s better for them to think you were the victim of some random serial killer instead of being devoured alive by some Aztec god.

There will be delicious Flying Dog beer, delicious Flying Dog beer prizes(!), a pretty rocking prize you can win from Atomic Books, and a book from Baby Tattoo too!

Doors will be at 6, goddamn awesome drawing at 7! This very well might be the best session we ever do – don’t be late! Show up early and stake a claim on your seat.

Obligatory Disclaimers : Neither Dr. Sketchy’s nor its affiliates are any shape or form responsible if your drawings come alive at some later date and eat your children.

$8 at the door, and you must be 18+ to attend, and 21+ to drink. No photography or messy paints (watercolors are fine).

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Dahlia Derriere Does Desert Dames

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

Holy Moly.  I really need to try harder to do some drawing myself at Sketchy’s once the door slows down and the poses get longer.  You don’t get opportunities to draw folks like Dahlia Derriere, or any of our other models, that often.  If Dahlia doesn’t inspire your pencil, well, maybe you should put your time into something else.  I honestly can’t think of anything else to say besides that, so let’s just jump right into the 1- and 2-minute poses brought to you not by one, but TWO photographers, Jen Swanson and Jeff Schock. Dahlia’s first look for this desert-themed evening: a Vegas showgirl.

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Jeff Lance

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Stewart White

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Stewart White

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Stewart White

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

Stewart White

Jeff Lance

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Jeff Lance

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Stewart White

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

A quick break for folks to empty their bladders and fill their glasses (pints of Flying Dog Beer for 3 bucks!) and then Dahlia took the stage again, this time as a cowgirl, for the 5-minute poses. As always, the first of these was the infamous opposite hand contest, where if you’re right handed you draw with your left, if you’re left handed you have to draw with your right, and if you’re ambidextrous, you have to do it with a beer balanced on your head.  The two winners got a mystery shot from Russell at the bar.

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Gnarly Artly

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

Tim Kelly

Gnarly Artly

Ann Marie Brokmeier

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

Tim Kelly

Jeff Lance

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Tim Kelly

Gnarly Artly

Fred Zeleny

Tom Symonds

Jeff Lance

Another break and it was time for the 10-minute poses and another contest, this time a tribute to Johnny Cash, since it was the anniversary of his death. The prize was Rubber Duck by Karen Hsiao from Baby Tattoo Books.  No photos for this these two poses, but here are some sketches.

Tim Kelly

Gnarly Artly

Jeff Lance

Jeff Lance

Next was a pair of 20-minute poses, another contest, and a seriously ambitious pose from Dahlia, who wore a heavy shamadan on her head as part of her belly dancer look. Since it was the day before Molly Crabapple’s birthday, we went with a birthday theme for this last contest.  The prize was Viva’s Pinups: Bullet Bras and Backseat Betties, a stunning collection of pinup photography by Viva Van Story, who contributed the photo for the flyer for this session. This absolutely amazing prize was generously donated by Atomic Books, which was recently confirmed as Baltimore’s “Best Independent Bookstore” by both City Paper and the CP Readers Poll.

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

Gnarly Artly

Fred Zeleny

Jeff Lance

(Photo by Jeff Schock)

(Photo by Jen Swanson)

Tim Kelly

Gnarly Artly

Charlotte Bunting Floyd

Jeff Lance

Ann Marie Brokmeier

Special thanks to Dahlia Derriere for being our fantastic model; thanks to our sponsors: Atomic Books, Flying Dog Brewery, and Baby Tattoo Books; thanks to Jen Swanson and Jeff Schock for the photos above; thanks to Russell for slinging songs and booze; and thanks to Alexis for driving the microphone.

Next session is Monday, September 26th with Valeria Voxx!

Get there early or I’ll drink all the beer.

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Cherchez la Femme

As I write this, we sit in the midst of the great Dr. Sketchy’s drought of 2011.  Our last session, which seems a lifetime ago on July 25th, with Femme 6, was our last hurrah before we entered these dark times, and unfortunately it’s still over a week before Dahlia Derriere brings back the rain on September 12th.  I don’t know what you’re doing to pass the time—keying paddle boats in the Inner Harbor?  Attacking vicars with long-tailed cats?  Watching Weeds on Netflix?

I don’t know.  (I’m hoping it’s better than what we’re up to—we’re somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland, the wireless is spotty at best, and Alexis just killed a narwhal with a 12-gauge and it’s a MESS.)

Whatever nightmare is going on with you, block it out, pop a Quaalude, stick a chair under the door handle and let’s reminisce on that last day before screeching cats and before Alexis went all fucking Ahab.

Oh Femme 6, we miss you.

Shawn Adomanis

Shawn Adomanis

Now, if you were in Baltimore and had a lick of sense, you attended Femme 6’s Poetry and Pasties at Mobtown Theater on August 14th.  Apparently the thirsty horde who showed up drank ’em out of beer before the intermission started, forcing a late-Sunday-night beer run—which to me sounds like the definition of a rousing success if there ever was one.

If you want to know a little bit more about the multi-talented Femme 6, especially why she’s called that, check out her art manifesto here.

Anyway, after a quick break that night we rolled into the 5-minute poses, the first of which was the illustrious opposite-hand 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 . . . uh . . . ummm . . . damnit.

The two winners received a mystery shot from Russell at the bar—FYI, he no longer empties the beer mats into them.  We put our foot down.  Don’t worry, we got your back.

@annmariebrok

Fred Zeleny

Jason Haza

Shawn Adomanis

@annmariebrok

We took a quick break, and hot diggity damn, it was time for Femme 6’s performance, which you can see an itty-bitty bit of here.  If you want to see more, you’ll have to go to one of her shows.

Here’re a few stills . . .

Ten-minute pose time, the first of which was a “best incorporation of an ’80’s cartoon.” The winner’s reward for remembering obscure kids’ shows from twenty years ago? A copy of Mark Schultz: Various Drawings Vol. 5 from Atomic Books in Hampden. BTW, seriously, click the link and check out this book; it’s full of some really fantastic pulp-style sketches. It hurt so bad to give that book away, we ended up going back to Atomic and picking up a copy for ourselves.

Shawn Adomanis

Fred Zeleny

@annmariebrok

Seeks Corey

Another break for folks to fill up on Flying Dog beer specials, smoke, call someone on the phone and argue—whatever it is they needed to do—and then it was time for the 20-minute poses.

For this pose, we asked the crowd to incorporate a Stanley Kubrick film into their drawings, since the next day would have been the director’s birthday.

Shawn Adomanis

Fred Zeleny

Craig Hankin

Seeks Corey

The winner took home a copy of Miss Mindy’s Sassy Paper Doll Bonanza, courtesy of Baby Tattoo Books, who also runs the L.A. Dr. Sketchy’s, so if there’s a trip out there in your future, definitely check them out. The second 20-minute pose was simply stunning, and simply a contest-free pose.

Fred Zeleny

Craig Hankin

Charlotte Bunting Floyd

And that was a wrap, and unfortunately the start of the horrible dark period we are in now.

Thanks to Femme 6 for a jaw-dropping session and performance; thanks to our generous sponsors Atomic Books, Flying Dog Brewery, and Baby Tattoo Books; thanks to Russell for slinging drinks and songs; thanks to Jeff for the eye-popping photos above; thanks to Stiger for helping set up and man the door so I don’t go whole-hog crazy; and thanks to Alexis for hosting the whole shebang.

We’ll be back on September 12th, when lovely pin-up model/belly dancer Dahlia Derriere returns to Dr. Sketchy’s to pose for your drawing pleasure in a desert-themed evening. Doors open at 6, and drawing starts at 7, but really, show up early for a good seat. A drink or three before we get started will make those first post-break drawings not look too bad, too.

“Oh, Aaron, I don’t know how I’ll survive until the next Dr. Sketchy’s!  What do I do now??”

I’m glad you asked, for there are a few oases before Dahlia Derriere rescues us.  First off, there’s the Gilded Lily School of Burlesque Showcase at The Windup Space this Saturday (which, sppppptttt, we’ll be celebrating Alexis’s birthday at as well). Then, on Friday the 9th, Sticky Buns Burlesque presents an Evening of Variety at Illusions, a gorgeous magic bar that is itself well worth a trip to [gasp] Federal Hill.

That should help ya.  What else?  Well, somewhere in there, there’s, umm, some sort of race car thing, and then, uh…

Oh, you’re screwed, you’re never going to make it to the 12th.

(Photo of Dahlia Derriere courtesy of Viva Van Story)