14 Dec 2014

Dr. Sketchy's Bristol :: 'A Fairy Tale in Bristol'



 

Another great afternoon's drawing at Dr Sketchy's Bristol. Today's performers (from top to bottom) Ophelia Wilde, Sir Midnight Blues, and Tabitha Taboo That was the last Dr Sketchy's of the year (obviously) and the next one isn't until Feb (unfortunately) but it'll be in the new venue (excitingly) so I am looking forward to next time (already)! 



6 Dec 2014

Ultraviolent Roller Derby Comic Concept




This project started as a joke, fictionalising a friend and her roller derby exploits, with the intention to produce a little comic filled with blood, guts, and quad skates. 

But despite having worked it all up to rough layout stage and actually completed half a dozen pages, there has always been something getting in the way of me completing it! Following recent events I can't imagine I am going to be able to allocate any significant time to a roller derby project any time soon, so I have reluctantly declared this project complete. 










17 Nov 2014

Lazy Sunday Sketchcrawl :: Bristol City Museum







Yesterday Hattie and I had a lovely afternoon sketching in the Bristol City Museum. Such a beautiful building with a diverse collection of things to draw. I have been to the Bristol City Museum more times than I can count. First when I originally came to Bristol, then during college and uni it was a common place for projects to take me, and now it's still a great place to go if you want to draw some interesting things. Looking forward to next time already!

1 Nov 2014

1st November :: International Self Portrait Day :: 2014


Every year on 1st November artists around the world do a self portrait in their chosen medium: drawing, painting, video, animation, music, origami, sculpture, you name it! I did this on my tablet in front of the bathroom mirror in just under 2 hours, which is a long time for Fifi to sit there waiting for me :P

Process gif, just for fun:


19 Oct 2014

Dr Sketchy's Bristol :: "They Only Come Out At Night"




Just back from yet another brilliant Dr Sketchy's Bristol event, this time the Halloween themed "They Only Come Out At Night". There really was a first class line up this time, featuring (a new favourite of mine) Ana Kiss, a billiant rendition of Marilyn Mansons "Tourniquet" from Dis Charge, and the headline act: world famous (and surprisingly pint sized) Talulah Blue! Organisers Lou Leigh Blue and Screaming Keating are consistently putting on great shows, its a real privilege to have them putting on such great shows. Funny and saucy and doodley, what's not to love?

28 Sept 2014

Roller Derby Tablet Sketches


Hattie and I were lucky enough to get tickets to Bath Roller Derby Girls's first public bout, which was held yesterday. I was spending some of the quiet time before the bout to sketch the skaters and refs doing their warm ups... there are also a couple of sketches of the crowd and the fearsome clog dancers from the half time show! 


A phone doodle that I have been carrying around in my pocket for the last few days, that I finished off in the studio today and decided to share. 

21 Sept 2014

Dr Sketchy's :: "A Night at the Movies"





Another great session at Dr Sketchy Bristol, this time the theme was "A Night at the Movies". Today's models were Miss Angelique DominiqueIvana Vanderfluff and (Hattie's new favourite!) the magnificent Raven Noir

I didn't do as much pencil sketching as usual, because I was trying to make better use of my tablet... Raven's ginormous orange/yellow/red feathery outfit was best captured in big splashy strokes of colour. These were only 2 minute poses, so there was very little else to do but embiggen the brush and make it as quick and messy as possible :)

31 Aug 2014

14 Aug 2014

10 Aug 2014

Bristol Roller Derby B-Team :: Futuristic Uniform Concept


Above: The final concept. I didn't change the existing B Team uniform colours or strip, in the end I focused on adapting it to fit the leotard concept. The pads and skates would be the skater's own, so the concept is really focused on the uniform and the helmet.  Below: Some development tablet doodles of variations of the unform.



Central to the futuristic element of the unifrom concept was that there would be loads of hi-tech features built into the helmets. 










2 Aug 2014

BettieSUICIDE


I started this doodle of a lady after watching Bettie Page Reveals All and although the sketch was not intended to be a likeness of Bettie Page the haircut certainly was... ;) I decided to call her BettieSUICIDE as all the tattoos and style are so clearly influenced by my work on my Sketch of the Set of the Day project. 


I started the doodle on my tablet, and had it going on for a week or so just dabbing on it here and there. The process gif shows all the different stages that she went through, most of them totally obscured in the final version. 



28 Jul 2014

Dr Sketchy's Bristol Birthday Party






Dr Sketchy's celebrated their first anniversary by hosting a burlesque meets circus extravaganza! The whole event was terrific, with tasty canapés, great music and brilliant pole dancing beforehand, and featuring a great range of  models during the event. To make room for the aerial acts the venue had changed from the Stag & Hounds to the Pink Kitten Dance School, but this proved to be a real boon for me; it was a bright sunny day,  and the studio was lit by a single window beaming sunlight straight onto where the models were arranged. The colours and tonal range were absolutely ideal!

The circus act was a magnificent aerial performer named Tabitha T Ease who posed in some jaw dropping positions, the one drawback being that her full length loose fitting jumpsuit left way too much anatomy to the imagination ;) still managed to get some great sketches of her posing in a suspended hoop. 

The burlesque double act of BarryIsland DragKing and Flossie Smalls was good fun, portraying a grubby builder and a bored housewife for their set. Flossie was stunning and in the brief time that she was posing she demonstrated a gorgeous range of poses, I would love to have been able to spend more time drawing her. I think that the little digital sketch of Flossie with the touches of colour is my favourite drawing of the whole afternoon.

The final act was Missy Malone, delivering a classic burlesque routine for the afternoon's big finish. Again my one regret was that we didn't get to spend more time drawing her. To have 4x 5 minutes poses whilst she was wearing a full length black dress was good fun, but not much life drawing was going on :S My digital sketch of her final 20 minute pose was my second favourite sketch of the afternoon; I had to move to stand on the opposite side of the room than I had been sitting, which gives it a unique perspective compared to the rest of my sketches, and 20 minutes was plenty to get to grips with my tablet.

Safe to say I am looking forward to next time already!

28 Jun 2014

Bristol Alternative & Burlesque Fair


I forgot that when they're not posing at Dr Sketchy's, burlesque models tend to move around quite a lot :S

Today I ended up abandoning any attempt to quickly sketch the models whilst they were performing, and just sat and enjoyed the show. In between acts I had fun doodling other audience members and people browsing the market stalls. Some absolutely amazing performances, most notably Beau Rocks who really is a living breathing Vargas girl. Such personality and stage presence, I just wish she had sat still for 5 - 10 minutes... probably would have spoiled the act for the rest of the audience, but I would have been grateful :P

Dr Sketchy's Bristol Celebrates a year of glamour, burlesque, and crazy kitsch!


To celebrate their 1st birthday, Dr Sketchy Bristol are hosting a Burlesque/Circus/Glamour Extravaganza 27th July. Am I looking forward to it? Well here are tickets #1 and #2 for me and Hattie :)

Dr. Sketchy’s is the setting for life drawing classes with a difference. Fusing classic drawing techniques with contemporary trends and styles, it allows artists to express themselves in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Since its foundation in New York City in 2005 by Ms Molly Crabapple, Dr. Sketchy’s has wasted no time in spreading its creative vibe all over the world, and gaining credibility in each city it dwells.

Over the past year Bristol has hosted seven Dr Sketchy ‘sell out’ sessions in which talented artists have been inspired by Circus performers, burlesque artist, drag queens, singers and even ‘Alfred’ popped down from the museum for a session.

Each class is a three-hour, fun-filled session featuring fantastic costumes and the opportunity to see live performances from some great name on the UK's alternative cabaret scene.
Unlike most art classes, silence is not mandatory and you can enjoy a drink from the bar while listening to there groovy psychedelic soundtrack as you sketch.

Here's a selection of my sketches from recent events, I can't wait to update with new sketches after the next event! Burlesque + Circus + Sketching = Happy Adam