Life Drawing Weekend, Part 2

[continued from previous post]

Kika

Patrick

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Kika

Check out Dalvero Academy on Instagram to see work of other artists, too!
#DalveroDrawingSocial &
#DalveroLifeDrawing

Life Drawing Weekend, Part 1

I had the best time this weekend during the 2-day life drawing workshop with Dalvero Academy, after Friday night's "aperitif" of a Drawing Social event that Veronica Lawlor and Margaret Hurst, founders of Dalvero, hosted at the Brooklyn studio.

Follow Dalvero Academy on Facebook to find out when the next month's Drawing Social is announced - everyone is invited to come and draw! 
 
Check out Dalvero Academy on Instagram to see work of other artists, too!
#DalveroDrawingSocial &
#DalveroLifeDrawing

Here are some selected drawings from Friday night and the weekend. We worked with 4 incredible models: Kendall on Friday, Patrick and Goldie on Saturday, and Kika on Sunday.

Kika

Goldie

Kika

Patrick

Goldie

2-handed drawing of Goldie

Goldie

Goldie

Kendall (Drawing Social evening)

Kendall (Drawing Social evening)

Goldie

Kendall (Drawing Social evening)

Kendall (Drawing Social evening)

Part 2 is in the next post >

Mayflower II Restoration in Mystic Seaport

The Museum of America and the Sea at Mystic Seaport is restoring Mayflower II, the 57-year-old wooden ship, a faithful replica of the 17th century Mayflower that brought Pilgrims to the New World. The original didn't survive. Mayflower II was built in Great Britain and then gifted to the United States; it symbolizes collaboration of Great Britain and the United States during the WWII.

Mayflower II is expected to be fully restored in time for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival, in 2020.

Meeting the Wampanoag People. Without their help, the Pilgrims wouldn't have survived the first winter in the New World.

We visited Mayflower II this winter and early spring with Dalvero Academy, at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. It is much smaller than the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, and it has a cheerful personality. Presently, during restoration, there are only two masts on the ship. I look forward to seeing it fully rigged in Plymouth, where Mayflower II will spend the summer. 

Nudes at The Society of Illustrators

Another fun drawing experience at The Society Of Illustrators, this time the Tuesday Sketch Night, with two nude models.

Veronica Lawlor and Margaret Hurst were drawing there as well, so keep an eye on One Drawing a Day blog to see their beautiful art from this evening!

Scooter LaForge Fashion

Last Thursday, April 2nd, I went to the Society of Illustrators for their weekly Thursday Sketch Night, hosted by fashion illustrator Bil Donovan, and it happened to be "An Evening with Scooter LaForge", modeled by Arielle Harp and Kendall Weber (aka Sailor Moon). Scooter was on the model stand as well, for one pose. Here he is!

Scooter LaForge

We were told to look out for next week's Jimmy Fallon show with Madonna's performance: Scooter LaForge is dressing her back-up dancers, and this was a sneak peak of the clothing he's creating. I was so excited to draw, and my favorite accessory was this huge blue eye ball on a stick, covered with glittering spangles. I loved the graphics and shapes of Scooter's mish-mash-scribbly-patched-layered-torn-glittered-leather-plad aesthetics, which Ronnie (Veronica Lawlor) described as "gritty funkiness of the 1980s East Village". Check out her drawings in this eloquent post.  Also, look for Despina Geordiadis and Greg Betza posts with drawings of the event as well. At the end of the night, as Scooter, Sailor Moon, Ronnie and I were stuck on the subway platform waiting for the F for forever, we talked about our love of Picasso and Matisse, among other things. Scooter was holding a big black trash bag. With costumes. Just like that.

Anelle Miller, Executive Director of the Society of Illustrators, on the Model Stand

Drawing Music :: Synaesthesia Social Workshop with Veronica Lawlor

Jamie Orfanella and Leo Schott

This past Sunday I had a fun opportunity to drive up to Scranton, PA, with my mentors & dear friends who founded Dalvero Academy, Veronica Lawlor and Margaret Hurst, to draw live music at a weekly happening called Synaesthesia Social, organized by a talented artist, teacher and delightfully rambunctious guy Ted Michalowski. 

Thumbnail of Jamie Orfanella playing didgeridoo

Veronica taught a drawing workshop for the first part of the day, setting pace for both, music and drawing. The 5 musician were incredible as individuals and as a band. It's worth noting the unorthodox mix of instruments: theremin vox, gong, upright bass, jazz drums, didgeridoos, flutes, trumpets and other wind instruments with mysterious origins and names, bagpipes, saxophone, and a plethora of digital gadgets. I felt right at home with such variety of instruments,  having myself brought a full bag of mixed media. We were kindred spirits with musicians in that regard.

Music

During the workshop, Veronica urged us to draw the auditory landscape, rather than render musicians' likenesses. She introduced the language of marks, lines, shapes and color, pacing, mood, proportion-all the things that make up Design. And since the music was more of a sublime stream of consciousness, it felt natural to let go...

Thumbnail of Leo Schott playing the bagpipe

Experiences like this are outside of time and space. I didn't notice how the day went by, in one breath. It was beautiful. 

Doug Smith

Jamie Orfanella on didgeridoo

Jamie Orfanella

Jamie Orfanella Doug Smith and Leo Schott

Jason Smeltzer on Theremin vox

Jamie Orfanella

Tyler Dempsey (drums)

Jason Smeltzer's hands on theremin vox and the band

Doug Smith (bass), Jamie Orfanella (trumpet), Leo Schott (sax), Tyler Dempsey (drums)

Jamie Orfanella

Jamie Orfanella's beautiful trumpet solo