There is this cool thing in Brooklyn (and around the world, now) called Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. You basically go to a cafe, pay a modest fee, and sit down in front of a stage where a model or two comes out and poses for you. But it’s not your typical life-drawing class model doing boring poses. These models dress up in fun costumes and there is always a theme, and sometimes as the session goes on, the clothes come off. The people who attend the anti-art school may purchase food and beverages and beer and compete for prizes and free booze. It’s pretty sweet. Molly Crabapple started Dr. Sketchy’s, and she and her cohort introduce the models and provide some humorous entertainment in the breaks.
I went today for the first time. I had heard about it a year ago and wanted to go ever since. Here’s one of my sketches from today, of the model Little Brooklyn, a burlesque performance artist who regularly does shows in the East Village. I thought she looked familiar, but just now looking through the pictures on her site, I realized I had seen her perform a Halloween burlesque show a couple months after I first moved to New York City. She had an awesome spider hand puppet and she acted as though she was stuck on its web and completely terrified. She seems to like the animals though, because today she was half-dressed in a gorilla suit. Oh, and those things on her nipples are red, sequined pasties (to match her awesome red glitter lipstick) so this image is Safe For Work.
There I am in the green shirt!
I definitely want to go again. It’s a great exercise for people like me who need a little push sometimes to get creative.
Tags: Dr. Sketchy's, Little Brooklyn
