Paige Pumphrey, a.k.a. “Paigey”, is a Baltimore-bred, Brooklyn-based artist whose work, whether you know it or not, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen. Take this Charm City Roller Girls poster . . .
or this . . .
I’m not going to paste up her entire portfolio here, tempting as it is, so go check out her blog. There’s some pretty neat stuff.
This was our first ever Artstar session of Dr. Sketchy’s Baltimore. Other cities do them all the time, sessions themed to honor a specific artist’s work, sometimes with the artist attending, and in some rare cases, much to our collective luck, actually modeling.
And Paigey was awesome.
Let’s stop dilly-dallying and get to the goods.
The 1- and 2-minute poses . . .
Brian Dugan
Brian Dugan
Brian Dugan
We took a quick break for a cocktail (in some people’s cases, their first, since Baltimore traffic sucked a little more than average that afternoon—apparently Mathew McConaughey and a film crew were gallivanting around downtown mucking up rush hour) and then it was time for the 5-minute poses, the first of which was the good ol’ opposite-hand contest, our thinly-veiled attempt to get rudely talented folks snockered so the rest of us don’t look bad. If you don’t know what the opposite-hand contest is, well, if you’re right-handed you draw with . . . actually, I have faith in you. You already know what it is, don’t you? See, you and me, we’re like THIS [points at his eyes then yours]. We don’t even need to talk about the opposite-hand contest. If you DON’T know the rules, well, all you need to know is there was some drankin’ when all was said and done.
Three more 5-minute poses.
Brian Dugan
Next up were the ten-minute poses, after everyone had a break to peruse Paigey’s merch table manned by the very amusing Fenny & Meredith while Paigey changed costumes. The first was another contest, ye ol’ random noun contest, which somehow ended up being “submarine” after the crowd steadfastly (and thankfully) rejected Justin Bieber for at least the second time in three months. There always seems to be one fan of the Beeb in the crowd—but just one. The two winners each received two packs of Fabriano Tiziano gold color paper and their choice of either a box of Holbein soft pastels or a box of Fimo modeling clay from Artist & Craftsman Supply, the art supply shop luring just down the street at the corner of North and Howard. If you need a pad for Sketchy’s, for God’s sake, go in there, they’re pretty damn neat.
Brian Dugan
Brian Dugan
After a break it was 20-minute pose time. Paigey was getting a brand new tattoo the next day, so tattoo suggestions became the theme with the winner getting their pick of either an issue of Retro Lovely or Bachelor Pad magazine (with the runner-up receiving the other) from Atomic Books on the corner of the Avenue & Falls Road in Hampden—if you like books or comics, and have lived in Baltimore more than six months, you lose ten points if you haven’t been there yet.
Brian Dugan
The last pose of the evening was another 20-minute with the contest being “Paigey vs. the Utz Girl” (suggested enthusiastically by Fenny at the merch table, making me choke on my beer) with the winner carting off Miss Mindy’s Sassy Paper Doll Bonanza by Miss Mindy from Baby Tattoo Books who also runs the LA branch of Dr. Sketchy’s. Check ’em out when you get that movie deal and move west.
Brian Dugan
Many thanks to Paige Pumphrey for coming down from Brooklyn to model for us; thanks as well to her two friends Fenny and Meredith for keeping me amused while they ran Paigey’s merch table next to my lonely door post; thank you to our sponsors Atomic Books, Artist & Craftsman Supply, and Baby Tattoo Books; thanks to Russell for slinging drinks and letting Dr. Sketchy’s use his amazing space; thanks to Jeff Schock for the cool pictures you see above; and thanks to Alexis for being our MC.
Our next session is Monday, May 23rd at the Windup Space with Roma Mafia of Sticky Buns Burlesque!
Doors at 6, start at 7! Drinks are a dollar off before 7 o’clock!  You can double-fist ’em folks, that’s what God gave you two kidneys for. We won’t judge.
Dr. Sketchy's Baltimore 