The Other Side of Sketch[y's]

Most of you out there in internet land are aware that I co-produce the Denton chapter of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti- Art School along with the lovely Ms. Vivienne Vermuth; however I won’t be writing to you as the producer, no, instead yours truly will give you the dish on being a featured model! To give you the full impression of my experience it is important to be aware of the things that my production gig usually entails…

1. Heavy lifting

2. Phone calls; lots and lots of phone calls

3. Information relay between the venue and my fellow producer/crew

4. Running errands; lots and lots of errands

5. Promotion, through rain or sleet or…you get the idea…

So you can imagine when my partner in crime booked one of my best mates (the fabulous hoop dancer Syn Tactic) and me for the February MAD Magazine Spy vs. Spy themed show, that I jumped at the opportunity! While modeling may be a lot of fun and games it actually takes quite a lot of planning, especially if you’re catering to the high standard of the Denton Sketchy’s! Syn and I were determined to make it a huge success.

We worked weeks in advance coordinating our opposing ensembles, creating and crafting our own props, making our own spy themed music mix for the show, and practicing pose after pose to get it just right! When you’re honoring one of the best and most prolific publications of all time, let’s just say there’s no room for error!

The session day finally came, and Syn and I spent most of it doing last minuet preparations and bubbling over with excitement! The line-up for the show was a smash; we had chair routines, hoop routines, duets, a very yummy human sketchpad, and the twisty temptress Scarlet Rose Royale perform some burlesque contortion! The modeling was also a blast (pardon the pun); Syn with her dy-no-mite, me with my bomb…we were totally out for each other on that stage, just as the spies would want! Another element that just made the night was the stellar audience that came out to Banter Café. Loads of photographers, sketchers, water colorists, you name the medium they were there that night.

I have tell you though, the best work out of my life was keeping those 20 minuet poses held, and I’m sure Syn (and every other Sketchy’s model) would agree with me. It’s one thing to do photo shoots where you’re constantly moving and shifting but this modeling took me back to my “glory days” as a live figure art model. All in all it was an incredible session, with lots of outstanding feedback and participation, and I loved every minuet of that small, sketchy stage.

xoxo

Vinny