Showing posts with label vaudeville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vaudeville. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

the changing man

Here's just a little (it's all relative) something I knocked up in my sketchbook.
The story of the drawing goes a bit like this...
Sometime back in May I went to my friend, and Dr Sketchy partner, Lara Gothique's fabulous vaudeville extravaganza (I do love that word, extravaganza. In fact, I love both of those words; vaudeville and extravaganza) called Cupid Stunts. I sketched the whole show that evening. I came away with a load of drawings. Over twenty quick sketches.
One of the fabulous artistes that night was a Victorian strong man called Sir Leopold Aleksander. I got a good handful of sketches of him. They were pretty much all as below - simple line drawings.
Over the last couple of weeks, as I have been living a life of sobriety, I seem to have a bit more time on my hands in the evenings. Time to do the things I've wanted to do for ages but not got around to because wine got in the way. Time to go back through my sketchbooks and rework some of those quick sketches that needed a bit of the AJ treatment. So that's what I did with the, now, tattooed gentleman above, and, at some point, will do with the sketch below. Sure, they don't exactly look like the Victorian gent, but that's what happens when you a) sketch in the dark and b) complete the illustration using only your memory and a lot of imagination. And, that's what I love about drawing.
Thanks to Sir Leopold for the use of his body(?!)
Thanks to Lara for her fabulous show.
And thanks to Go Sober For October for giving me the headspace to draw instead of drink wine! 
If you can spare a bob or two please donate to my sobriety challenge. I am raising money for MacMillan Cancer Support. The most worthiest of causes. You can do that HERE.
And if you'd like to see a vaudeville extravaganza, and are in Sheffield next weekend (a long shot, perhaps), Lara is putting on another. Check it out HERE. Take your sketchbook!

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

cupid stunts

On Saturday night I went to sketch a Vaudeville extravaganza in the gorgeous Art Deco Library Theatre in Sheffield, called 'The Velvet Burlesque presents Cupid Stunts'. The show was all down to the sheer hard work and creativity of my Dr Sketchy partner, Burlesque teacher and performer, Lara Gothique.

I sketched the whole show, from beginning to end.
I sketched from before the doors opened...
 To the audience members arriving...
Some of them dressed to the nines...
 I sketched all the amazing acts. From fabulous Burlesque...
to a Victorian strongman.
And, I also sketched all those unexpected moments, that didn't go quite to plan, in between... 
 Plus, I sketched the audience's reaction to those moments...
 
I've wanted to sketch a whole show like this for a while. It's fast furious drawing. These are just a fraction of the sketches I made. Not bad for, basically, drawing in the dark.
 
Next time I'd like to venture backstage and draw the build up to the show too. Really get amongst the sequins and feathers. What do you think, Lara?