Viva La Viola Vixen!

IMG_5257-1

I usually pick what I think is the best picture for the lead photo . . . had a lot of trouble trying to figure out which one to go with this time.  La Viola Vixen, Brisbane’s Burlesque Bombshell, was absolutely gorgeous (even though we all got caught in a serious downpour shortly before the show), and Jeff really outdid himself with the photos.

So there’s probably going to be a few more photos than usual.  I just couldn’t decide between them.

Anyways, buckets and buckets of thanks to Viola Vixen for traveling from NYC (and, even further, Brisbane before that) to model for us.  Thanks also to our generous sponsors Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books; Bill for helping us pick her up at the bus stop and watching the door, Jeff for photos, Russell of the Windup Space for keeping our whistles wet and letting us shove around his furniture, and Viola Van Wilde for helping us show Viola a little bit of Baltimore the next morning before she had to head back to NYC (not to mention offering to put Viola up for the night, even though we didn’t take her up on it and ended up going out to get soused afterward instead:).

IMG_5201-1

IMG_5152-1

IMG_5153-1

Our first contest of the evening was the opposite hand drawing 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 get accused of witchery. We didn’t get any drawings from that one emailed in, but here’s the two winners claiming their spoils.  (Lord knows what Russell actually made them.)

IMG_5381-1

More photos of Viola Vixen….

IMG_5203-1

IMG_5208-1

IMG_5216-1

IMG_5226-1

IMG_5231-1

IMG_5252-1

Here’s some sketches Paul Moscatt sent in….

ViolaFromBrisbane1Sept%2028%202009lessPixels

ViolaLaVixen,DrSketchySeriesSep28,2009

The second contest was the random noun contest where someone in the audience shouts a random noun to be incorporated into the picture.  “Mousetrap” ended up winning out.

ViolaLaVixen,TheMousetrapThemeSep28,2009

The prize was a package of pastel paper from Artist & Craftsman Supply on the corner of North and Howard streets.

IMG_5395-1

IMG_5398-1

Here’s some sketches Brian Dugan sent in . . . he’s got some more up here as well.

The third drawing contest was to illustrate Viola in Times Square since the New York branch was at the moment holding a special guerrilla Dr. Sketchy’s in Times Square (and apparently was dealing with the monsoon we’d tussled with earlier).

Here’s Brian’s sketch from that contest…

…and here’s Paul Moscatt’s…

ViolaLaVixenInTimesSquareSep28,2009

The prize was Miss Mindy’s Sassy Paper Dolls Bonanza by Miss Mindy from Baby Tattoo Books.

IMG_5473-1

IMG_5533-1

IMG_5539-1

IMG_5564-1

The last contest was the best illustration of the most bizarre mode of transportation from Brisbane to Baltimore.  Here’s Brian’s…

The winner received a copy of The Indie Rock Coloring Book from Atomic Books.

Once again Viola Vixen was amazing, even if our livers might have been a little worse for wear the next day.

Our next session is tonight, Monday, October 12th, 7 o’clock at the Windup Space with Paco Fish!

ds26web

Next Dr. Sketchy’s Oct. 12 with Paco Fish!

ds26web

Join us at the Windup Space for more drawing, drinking, and crazy contests on Oct. 12, when Paco Fish of Gilded Lily Burlesque, Charm City’s own boylesque star, will be our fabulously mad muse for the evening! It’s been almost a year since we’ve had this vaudevillianous genius pose for us, so don’t miss this session! As always, doors open at 6 and drawing starts at 7–show up early to get a great seat! We’ll have more crazy drawing contests in which we’ll be giving away more prizes from Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books!

“But, but, but, Aaron and Alexis, I want MORE Paco Fish….3 hours of him posing for my drawing pleasure just isn’t enough!”

Well you’re in luck, cause if there ever was, this is the Month of Paco.  I’m grabbing and pasting this next bit from his Facebook page….take a look…..(At the very least, Alexis and I will be at the Windup Show this Friday and at the Gilded Lily Burlesque show on Halloween)…

 

Back from paradise… into Madness!

Mon at 8:08pm

“Onward,” I cry, “into madness!”

That’s my new battle cry. I spent the last week-and-a-half in Hawaii, getting more sun, fresh air, and exercise in ten days than I had all summer combined. I went surfing, snorkeling, sky-diving, hiking, swimming under waterfalls, swimming in caves, sleeping on the beach, and eating fresh fresh fresh fresh fish and fruit. And I’m feeling revitalized and ready to take on this CRAZY month of October. I have 8 shows in October, featuring 3 new acts, in new venues, with new collaborations. I’m very excited about it. I hope you are too, and I hope you get to see it. So here’s some of what we’ve got. More details will appear in future bulletins as they get confirmed, so please take the time to read each one.

I love you! I can’t wait to perform for you again!

-PaXOXO

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
6:00 PM
Independent Practice at the LOF/t

120 W. North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-952-6070

Price: $5 suggested donation

Independent Practice
Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month

Join us in Independent Practice, where we are all students and teachers hooping, stilt-walking, juggling, poi, acroyoga, dancing or whatever you want to practice! No experience necessary!

6:00 PM at the LOF/t
120 W. North Ave. (corner of Howard)

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Make ‘Em Laugh! Make ‘Em Cry! – 9:00 PM

 

Windup Space
12 W. North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21201
US

Price: $10

Ariel and Paco Fish present a comedy, burlesque, and belly dance spectacular. Featuring new and original acts from local DC and Baltimore professional performers.

Starring:

Hilary (http://shakra.tribalgrove.com)
Na’la (http://shakra.tribalgrove.com)
Poppy La Rouge
Stache
Zarifa
DJ Woman

and your hosts:

Paco Fish (http://www.pacofish.net)
Ariel (http://www.arielbellydance.com)

Doors at 9 PM
Show Starts at 10 PM

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Tassels of Terror at the Canal Club – Doors at 8, show at 9

The Canal Club
1545 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219
US

Price: $10

Richmond Varietease: Richmond’s monthly variety burlesque show presents TASSELS OF TERROR!!!

starring: Eyrie Twylite, Boo Boo Darlin, Dolli Holiday, Paco Fish, & hosted by Magnolia Jackson Pickett Burnside!

Monday, October 12th, 2009
Dr. Sketchy’s at the WindUp Space – Doors at 6, drawing at 7

Windup Space
12 W. North Ave
Baltimore, MD 21201
US

Price: $7

Dr. Sketchy’s is a chain of cabaret life-drawing sessions that circles the globe from Hollywood to New Zealand. Started by Molly Crabapple in 2005, Dr. Sketchy’s is a little bit burlesque, a little bit art studio, and a little bit hair of the dog. Maybe the whole dog.

The models can be burlesque dancers, trapeze artists, drag queens, roller-derby girls, your hot next door neighbor, off-duty cops, and ex-KGB stenographers. It’s a whole grab bag of fun. Well, without the grabbing.

Dr. Sketchy’s – Baltimore is Charm City’s local branch run by Alexis de la Rosa and Aaron Bush, hon. This means that not only can you attend a lasciviously decadent life drawing session on the second Monday of every month, you could also get mugged, shot at by the police, lose your house in a shady real estate deal, or install a questionable statue at the local train station. Dr. Sketchy’s is responsible for none of that, by the way.

Join us at The Windup Space for more drawing, drinking, and crazy contests on October 12th, when our fabulous muse for the evening will be Paco Fish!

Saturday, October 17th, 2009
Glitterama! 7 at the Creative Alliance – 7:00 & 10:00

The Creative Alliance
3134 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21224
US
410-276-1651

Price: $15 / $12 members

The King of Kitsch, your well-greased host, Greggy Glitterati, brings you both the beauteous and the nutty in an evening of wonderment. The luscious Lena Grove of Gilded Lily. The titillating boylesque of Paco Fish. The socially-conscious puppetry of Sibelius and The Cause Company. Comedic burlesque babe, Ms. Shortstax. The death-defying trapeze of Nicollete Le Fay. Ms Malibu, the fiery mistress of Tiny Hats! The Living Balloons of the immaculate Poptarts! And laying the beats beneath the bumps, DJ Wachsentush!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
6:00 PM
Independent Practice at the LOF/t

Baltimore, MD

Price: $5 suggested donation

Independent Practice
Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month

Join us in Independent Practice, where we are all students and teachers hooping, stilt-walking, juggling, poi, acroyoga, dancing or whatever you want to practice! No experience necessary!

6:00 PM at the LOF/t
120 W. North Ave. (corner of Howard)

Friday, October 23rd, 2009
Belly Horror at the Birchmere – doors at 6, show at 7:30

Birchmere
3701 Mt. Vernon Ave
Alexandria, VA 22305
US
(703) 549-7500

Price: $29.50

You’re invited to the darker side of dance for The Belly Horror Show a night of scintillating, sinister performance and a weekend of devilish delight. The Belly Horror Show local and national stars bring you a fusion of belly dance and is
proud to be at our new venue The Birchmere, featuring monsters from under the bed and beyond…

Belly Horror 2009 Performers:
Anaar (CA)
Ariel (DC)
Asharah (DC)
Belladonna (DC)
Beth of Dakini (HI)
Desert Sin (NY)
Elizabeth (FL)
Eugenia (MA)
Fierce Fusion (GA)
Mavi (DC)
Shakra (DC)
Super Kate (CA)
Hosted by Paco Fish (MD)

Saturday, October 31st, 2009
Gilded Lily Burlesque Halloween Show at the LOF/t – 9:00 PM

The LOF/t
120 W. North Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21218
US

Price: $10

Get Spooky with Gilded Lily Burlesque’s Halloween Show. There will still be plenty of time to trick, treat, terrorize, or tremble, at the Station North Halloween Block Party before and afterwards!

Photos from Sept. 14th with Elle Devene!

IMG_4916-1

Saying Elle Devene was stunning is an understatement.  During the break I must have heard three different folk comment that they were positively, undeniably in love.  Lord knows, whatever secret pull Elle had (and I don’t think it was that much of a secret), it certainly came through in the sketches and photos.

IMG_4806-1

As always, we’d like to thank our generous sponsors, Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books went above and beyond with the contest prizes.  If you haven’t figured it out by now, everyone involved with Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore, from the sponsors, to the Windup Space, to Bill and Jeff, are doing this so we can bring this unique life drawing experience to you all twice a month, so if you’re looking to buy a pencil or book or a beer, please consider hitting them up.  Anyways, special thanks to the sponsors, to Russell of the Windup for preventing us from getting thirsty and letting us use his absolutely amazing venue for all this, Jeff for the amazing photographic work, Bill for policing the door against drunk sailors and bear attacks, and to Elle Devene of Gilded Lily Burlesque for being her drop-dead gorgeous self.

IMG_4813-1

IMG_4844-1

IMG_4857-1

Here’s some great sketches Pierrette Montone sent in…

ellesketch1

ellesketch2

ellesketch3

I love the face on that last one.

The first contest, as always, was the “opposite hand” contest.  If you’re left handed, draw with your right, if you’re right handed, draw with your left, and if you’re ambidexterous draw with your mouth, foot, ear . . . usually that last bit is just meant as a joke, but this fellow actually did it.  I’m not sure, but I think he ended up being one of the two winners too (the prize being a free mystery shot).

IMG_4920-1

More photos…

IMG_4900-1

IMG_4860-1

IMG_5002-1

Mike May sent in these sketches . . . the first drawing in the first sketch (and also the photo above) is from the “someone in the crowd yell out a random noun” contest, which turned out to be “plumber”.  And yes, we’re just going to let that one go without comment.  The prize was a life-drawing book The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study by Kimon Nicolaides donated to us by one of our awesome and regular art monkeys, Kurt Aspland.

mail

mail-1

The prizes for the third contest, donated by Atomic Books, were Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austin and Ben H. Winters.  The contest was “What do you think the cover will look like for the next classic with monsters added?” which is why Elle has a rattlesnake tale in the second sketch.

IMG_5101-1

IMG_5092-1

Here’s a few of Brian Dugan’s sketches—be sure to check out his gallery to see more.

He took home Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with that “Canterbury Tales from the Crypt” sketch, too. 🙂

The sketch above was from an earlier contest, in which we asked our artists, “What’s the most inappropriate setting for a burlesque performer?”, the prize of which was a signed copy or Ragnar’s Symptomatica from Baby Tattoo Books.

Here’s a couple more photos of lovely Elle before we wrap everything up…

IMG_4957-1

IMG_4903-1

IMG_5127-1

Don’t forget, Elle Devene and the rest of Gilded Lily Burlesque will be performing at Load of Fun Halloween night.  Don’t worry, we’ll remind you as it gets closer. 🙂

Our next session is Sept. 28th, 7 o’clock (doors at 6) at the Windup Space,  with Viola Vixen—all the way from Brisbane, Australia . . . she’s in the States for the NYC Burlesque Festival and is coming all the way down here for the evening just to pose for you.

ds25full

And, just between you and us, you should know how cool our own Viola is—that is, Viola Van Wilde of Gilded Lily Burlesque—she’s graciously putting up Viola Vixen for the night, because, well, she’s just cool like that.  Don’t tell her we said that though, we don’t want her to know we think she’s that awesome because we have, you know, our own cool image and whatnot to maintain… ;-p

See you on Monday!