Gilded Lily – Page 6 – Dr. Sketchy's Baltimore

March 13, 2011

A (Sketchy) Ode to Apollo

Last session with Tony Apollo? Holy Moly, hands down Tony has to be one of the best dynamic models we’ve ever had. The audience knew it too – I haven’t seen a crowd get that rowdy in awhile, and oh, they knew what they wanted. We had a minor communication mishap/traffic issue at the beginning of the night that caused Tony to be a few minutes late through no fault of his own—so Alexis jumped on stage to pose while Tony got ready.

Usually the crowd is tickled pink by this (the two times it’s happened), but not this time. I must have gotten asked at the door 3 times in 5 minutes,

“Where’s Tony?”

“Oh, we’re just running a few minutes late. Alexis is doing a 5-minute pose while he gets ready in back.”

“Are you lying? I came here to draw Tony.”

“I’m not lying! He’s here! Why does everyone think I’m lying?!!”

I’m telling you, I thought I was going to get shivved.

Brian Dugan

Five minutes later, Tony jumped up on stage and we dived into 1- and 2-minute poses.

Brian Dugan

Then we took a ten-minute break. Here’s a couple tweets folks were sending during the breaks—

I’m at @drsketchysbmore and seriously this model is almost to hot to draw. It’s redonculous (@ The Windup Space) http://4sq.com/gGXCqP -annatagonist

The model at @drsketchysbmore is Tony Apollo, who is ridiculously built – it’s like drawing a Street Fighter character. (In a good way.) #fb – fizzbang

When everyone got back from the tinkle break, it was time for the first contest of the evening, the 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 we hate your guts.

As always, the contests are optional. The prize for the two winners was a mystery shot from Russell at the bar, as long as you’re 21, of course.

Brian Dugan

By the way, we’ve been recording video for a bit now to make a Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore documentary at one point—we’re going to post a tiny clip here to see how WordPress handles it. This bit cracked me up, so it sounds like a good candidate.

After that there were three more 5-minute poses.

A quick break followed so folks could get a drink and Tony could get a breather. Next up were the 10-minute poses and the first contest of the evening—Alexis made a few “best incorporation” suggestions from celebrity birthdays and historic events that happened on or around Feb. 28. Justin Bieber’s birthday was the next day but, to our relief, there wasn’t a single Belieber in the audience. Texas was annexed by the U.S., but no one was feeling a Texas-themed contest, either. Finally, Alexis gave up on Wikipedia, channeled her inner dork (which is always a better source of inspiration), and won them over with Battlestar Galactica—since, you know, the whole Apollo thing.

The winners got a gift pack of issues of the zine Smile Hon, You’re in Baltimore from Atomic Books in Hampden, and a 18 x 24 pad of vellum from Artist & Craftsman Supply across the street on the corner of North and Howard, with the first place winner taking their pick. Both of these businesses are part of why we’re able to run Dr. Sketchy’s— without them it would be a lot, lot more difficult. So, if you’re looking for art supplies or books of one sort or another, pay them a visit, they’re awesome.

Brian Dugan

Another break and we’re on to the first 20-minute pose and the next contest where folks wrote the most maddening sentence they could imagine, traded it with a neighbor’s, and then attempted to draw whatever their neighbor had written. The prize was a pair of sexy-as-hell, vintage-style backseamed stockings from our brand new sponsor What Katie Did.

Brian Dugan

Seeing how we’d finally figured out what the crowd wanted, we said screw it and went with the best incorporation of Firefly for final contest of evening. (If you don’t know what it is, go watch it on Netflix’s instant download.) The prize was Miss Mindy’s Sassy Paper Doll Bonanza by Miss Mindy from Baby Tattoo Books, who, if you didn’t know, also runs the LA branch of Dr. Sketchy.

Angelica Temoche

Brian Dugan

Special thanks to Tony Apollo for being one of the best models we’ve ever had! And thanks to our sponsors Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, Baby Tattoo Books, and What Katie Did for donating all the prizes for folks to win, thanks to Russell for the space and for slinging drinks and booze and for so many other things that would be impossible to list them all, thanks to Jeff to the snazzy photos above, and thanks as well to Alexis for posing a little bit and hosting all this bedlam.

Thank you as well Viola Van Wilde and Roma Mafia who, with no notice, emptied the contents of their closets on the floor in order to rush down and pose for all of you in case Tony wasn’t going to be able to make it. I cannot possibly express how much it means to us they were willing to dump dinner in the trash, grab something sparkly, and ride like hell for the Windup. That’s what cool looks like.

Next session is Monday, March 14th with Little Luna of Gilded Lily Burlesque! Fairy tale theme! One of my favorite costumes of all time! Doors are at 6, start is at 7! Drink tickets for a dollar off a drink if you get there before 7! Little Luna always blows the doors off, so get a good seat! I use lots of exclamation marks!

January 16, 2011January 23, 2011

Lauren Marleaux slams the door on 2010!

Oh, it’s been way, way, way too long since the last Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore session. I’m not sure if having the beautiful Lauren Marleaux of Gilded Lily Burlesque as our last model of the year has made the break any easier to bear, or if it just makes it worse, reminding us of the glories and wonders we once had before this abominable season of runny noses, obligatory office parties, and 3000 “Merry Christmas!” texts from people you never talk to.

Well, buck up, grab what’s left of the eggnog and we’re going to look at some purty pictures and tell tales of events long past.

Before we started the session, Alexis had a pop quiz on the identity of our last three models, with the winners each getting a copy of Bachelor Pad Magazine, which featured an absolutely gorgeous photo spread of Maria Bella, founder of Gilded Lily Burlesque.

For the one- and two-minute poses, Lauren went all steampunky on us, an aesthetic near and dear to my jager-soaked heart.

Caitlin Rose

Everyone took a break, got some whiskey or cocktail or whatever, snuck a smoke, and came back for the five-minute poses. The first was the 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 are meant for a life in the circus and shouldn’t waste time hanging with us. The two winners received a mystery shot from Russell at the bar. There ain’t much point in asking what’s in ’em; his memory has been failing for years and that sort of thing seeps right out a couple minutes after the glass hits the bar. (On reflection, I seem to recall he said they were two Cookies For Santa, so do with that info what you will.)

As always, all contests are optional.

More five-minute poses . . .

Another quick break, and it was time for the ten-minute poses.

The second contest of the evening was the best incorporation of “What will Denise Whiting of Cafe Hon trademark next?” with one winner receiving an acrylic paint set and a second winner a watercolor paint set from our generous sponsor Artist & Craftsman Supply, just across the street on the corner of Howard and North Avenue. They’re open till 8, so if you’re in a hurry to get to Sketchy’s and forget a pad, for God’s sake, get one from over there—they’re good folks.

Ben Karnovski

Caitlin Rose

Ben Karnovski

Next up was the first 20-minute pose with the contest being the best incorporation of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Baltimore-style—resulting in many a Natty Boh reference. The prize was a $15 gift card from Atomic Books, our oldest sponsor (as in, they’ve been with us since the beginning, not, um, that they’re really old). If you like Dr. Sketchy’s (or even if you don’t and you’re reading this for some weird reason, but you love indy comics & books), you’ll love them.

Ben Karnovski

Liz Beetem

A quick break and onto the next 20-minute pose and the random noun contest—somebody shouted out “Gandalf”—with the prize being the Chiodos Bros.’ Alien Xmas from Baby Tattoo Books.

Liz Beetem

At this point, things get a little hazy, honestly. For some reason, Russell was making me and Bill do shots of whiskey with pickle-juice chasers while Alexis, Viola Van Wilde, and Dahlia Derriere ooohed and aaaahed over naughty pin-up magazines. You’d think the guys would be all about that, but no, apparently we were drinking pickle juice for some reason.

Thanks to Lauren Marleaux of Gilded Lily Burlesque for braving the frigid weather to pose for our drawing pleasure. (BTW, a little piece of B’more Sketchy’s trivia: Lauren was not only our last model of 2010; she was our first model of the year, too. Take note, kids—it might come handy in another pop quiz later this year.) Thanks as well to Russell for slinging drink and song and letting us use his amazing space and to our generous sponsors Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books for providing us prizes to doll out—not to mention big ol’ thanks to Maria Bella for getting a hold of a couple copies of Bachelor Pad Magazine (and signing them!) for us to give out too! Thanks to Bill for filming for our documentary and helping with cleanup, thanks too to my parents for getting me a bad-ass video camera for Christmas to help with that documentary. (Yeah, I just thanked my parents in a Dr. Sketchy’s recap, so what? Are sure you don’t need to call yours and thank ’em for something? Don’t get all high and mighty with me—you think I won’t come over there, but I will.)

…thanks to Jeff for the stunning pictures you see above, and to Alexis for MC’ing this big ol’ bobsled of crazy. And last, but definitely not least: thanks to everyone who modeled for us in 2010, and to everyone who attended our sessions in the past year.

Well, it’s almost time for the next Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore, folks. It’s been a long cold winter, but I can’t think of a better way to come back than Nicolette le Faye on Monday, January 24th, one week from now.

The multi-talented Nicolette—she’s an actress, trapeze artist, burlesque performer, dancer, musician, and costume designer—was a huge hit when she last modeled for us over a year ago, and you can see for yourself why by checking out the photos from that session.

And, if that’s not enough reason to get yourself to The Windup Space on the 24th, then you should know that we’ll be on yet another break until February 28, thanks to a certain Hallmark holiday falling on the second Monday of next month. Hey, don’t get mad at us—the calendar gods have not been on our side as of late, so take it up with them. Or, at least, be sure not to miss our January session.

November 30, 2010

Why, Elle, I do declare.

A nice Southern girl, sporting a pair of cut-off jean-shorts and a flannel tied in a knot, accessorized with a moonshine-filled flask, will get me more verklempt than an auctioneer with a mouth full of peanut butter every time. Elle Devene of Gilded Lily Burlesque was that Southern day-dream made flesh, something that’s all the more beautiful when, if you’re actually from the South, you’re well aware the reality is often marred by an entire can of Aqua Net and enough make-up inexpertly applied to make you wonder if you’re talking to a budding Tammy Faye.

Alexis and I actually spent some our Thanksgiving break with Elle in Asheville, NC, and even hitched a ride back to Baltimore with her. (Though Elle and I are Southern, Alexis, on the other hand, is not. She’s from Long Island and is used to viewing trees as lone, solitary creatures lurking suspiciously around the edges of parking lots. She was quite alarmed to discover that down south they tend to bunch up into groups for safety.)

-Editorial Note from Alexis—Aaron is full of shit. For some reason he thinks the entire state of New York is paved over, even though he’s been there dozens of times now.

We got a bunch of drawings for this session, so let’s get rolling. As always, we started with the 1- and 2-minute poses.

CHALK

Brian Dugan

CHALK

Brian Dugan

Fred Zeleny

After a five minute beer/cigarette/tinkle break, we plowed ahead into the 5-minute poses, the first of which was the old stand-by opposite hand contest, where [deep breath] 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 lay down your pencil and rely on Jesus or something. Of course, all contests are optional, but if you chose to partake, the two winners secured a mystery shot from Russell at the bar.

Brian Dugan

Stewart White

Brian Dugan

John Brewer

Charlotte Bunting Floyd

Stewart White

The first 20 minute contest was the best incorporation of a classic board game, since it happened to be Milton Bradley’s birthday. The prizes were two Bristol pads from Artist & Craftsman Supply, which is right across the street on Howard and North. They’re open till 8, so if you happen to need supplies before a Dr. Sketchy’s, hit ’em up.

Brian Dugan

Craig Hankin

Brian Dugan

Stewart White

The first 20-minute contest was the best depiction of Barack Obama and Elle as Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe on the President’s birthday—we even played an old scratchy recording of Marilyn singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”, which, honestly, I could bare make out a word of. The prize was a vinyl DIY figure of Barack Obama from Atomic Books which is located on the corner of Falls Rd., and the Avenue in Hampden. They were recently named the #1 indy comic book store in the country by Flavorpill—if you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out.

Brian Dugan

Stewart White

Craig Hankin

For the last pose of the evening, we did the old random noun contest where somebody in the audience calls out something random—which, err, turned out to be Mr. T on a unicorn.

No, I have no idea either.

The prize for our talented winner was Little Jordan Ray’s Muddy Spud by Gris Grimly from Baby Tattoo Books, who also runs the L.A. branch of Dr. Sketchy’s.

Fred Zeleny

CHALK

Brian Dugan

Stewart White

Craig Hankin

John Brewer

And with that, like the eventual fate of all good dreams and benders, the night was at an end.

We’d like to thank Elle Devene of Gilded Lily Burlesque for a rocking good evening (and not to mention playing wheel-man for a surprising pleasant 12 hour road trip, most of which was spent either listening to John Waters recordings or cursing out the traffic), to Russell for the use of his wonderful bar AND slinging drinks AND slinging songs, to Jeff for the beautiful photos you just perused, to Alexis for valiantly manning the bridge, and last of all to all the talented folks who emailed us the drawings above or just plain came down last session to sketch Elle.

Next session, THE ONLY SESSION IN DECEMBER, is Monday, December 13, at the Windup Space with Lauren Marleaux of Gilded Lily Burlesque.

The holiday season is upon us, which means we’re down to only one session a month until we can weather our way through to the other side. If you miss us, it’s going to be six weeks till the next one on January 24. Not only that, but one of the February sessions falls on Valentine’s Day and we have no idea what to do about that yet—it’s going to be a long, cold winter and the Sketchy drought is almost upon us. Do yourself a favor, let Lauren pour you one last cup of Sketchy before you head out into that mess.