Drinking and Drawing at the Thursty Topher.

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ODD2 was held at the Thirsty Topher on Alden Road in the artsy warehouse district which is part of Ivanhoe Village. This bar along with the Fringe Festival offices next door and many other art studios will be facing the wrecking ball this fall. In there place, a high rise condominium will be constructed.

All told, about 8 artists stopped out to drink and draw. When I arrived, Gay Geiger was already at work sketching the beer she had selected. She had just changed jobs and sketching seemed a good way to celebrate. I ordered a Southern Tier beer which was dark and had a citrus aftertaste. Carlos Basabe, an artist I hadn’t met before, joined me at the bar.

Artists sketched each other, shared their work and sketched the bar scene.

I introduced myself to each artist as they arrived, but I didn’t have any agenda for the evening other than drinking and drawing.  The bartender, Sam knew of me from a past sketch I had done. She introduced me to Viking Blod which is a meed made from honey and it is delicious and strong. That became my drink of choice for the night.  lt is made with honey and the honey combs which are buried underground for at least a year to ferment. Meed is apparently one of the oldest liquors in the world. lt really tastes like life blood, and it packs a punch.

After quite a few drinks, several artist recruited an unsuspecting patron to join in and do a sketch. He drew a character called a Cactopus.  It rules the land and sea. On land it is a water conserving Cacti and at sea it is an octopus. It’s side kick was an angry looking spider-fly and they were joined by a tumble bunny. Carlos began sketching the characters as we all joked about the characters. After a few Viking’s Blod and a Southern Tier, it seemed like a glorious idea.

The next Orlando Drink and Draw will be September 7th at Redlight Redlight (2810 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL) from 6pm to whenever. Carlos gave me some ideas for some artistic socializing and I’ll arrange to try one of these ideas at the next ODD.

Sketching swans and ducks at Lake Eola.

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This is the last sketch I did at the First Orlando Sketch Tour. Instructor Kelly Medford and touring artist Gay Geiger set out to sketch the black swans and ducks. It had been threatening to rain all day, so it was nice to have a moment to enjoy a break in the weather. I decided to only use line in the foreground of the sketch. The far shore and city scape I left as bold blocks of watercolor. Since I had just done a demonstration on watercolor of the pagoda using no line, I was loosened up to try the same technique here. By verbalizing my thoughts as an instructor, I ended up learning something new. This is a technique I should be using more often. It is far more experimental and leaves much more room for discovery during the process. I am very much a creature of habit however so change comes slowly. Eight artists came out for the sketch tour and I had a blast collaborating with Kelly Medford sharing our sketching techniques. I hosted a second Sketch Tour at the Orlando Fringe and will probably host another one in September or October as the Florida heat dies down.

The Orlando Sketch Tour explores color.

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At the First Orlando Sketch Tour we were chased inside Panera Bread thanks to impending rain. Kelly Medford and myself made the best of it and the restaurant became our classroom. Here we introduced everyone to the watercolor pallets we had supplied each artist with. We asked everyone to make a color wheel and then to make a light watery wash of each color along side a dark, syrupy wash of the same color. When working on location, I seldom have the time to mix colors, so I mix color washes on the sketch to find the colors and values needed. A sketch always starts out light and then I keep adding pigments to build up the darks. Trying to cover the whole surface except for a few white spots is the first objective.

On this day, students from Elite Animation Academy came out to join the Sketch Tour artists.  My wife Terry also came out to show her support. She is in the center of the sketch in the pink cowboy boots reading a magazine. Her signature sketch is a smiley face and she can finish that in five seconds. Shelby brought her daughter on the tour and together they discovered color and how to compose a sketch. That seems like the perfect way for a family to spend time together. My Elite Urban Sketching students were well into their studies so I let them sketch in peace offering just a few suggestions if they needed help. Between the eight or so Sketch Tour artists and the four Elite Animation students, we pretty much filled up the front room at Panera Bread. A little rain never stops an Urban Sketcher.

A sketch demonstration from the First Orlando Sketch Tour.

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I hosted the first Orlando Sketch Tour along with plein air painter Kelly Medford from Rome Italy on March 1st and 2nd. We decided to hold the Sketch Tour at Lake Eola and we gathered with about six other artists near the Japanese Pagoda at the North East corner of the park.

Kelly and I tag teamed, offering advice to get everyone warmed up and ready to start sketching. All skill levels were encouraged to participate, so we each offered one on one instructions to each student to bring them up to speed. We started off the day with blind contour drawings with artists sketching each other without glancing at the sketch. Then we did quick gestures again without looking at the page. I did several watercolor sketches to demonstrate value studies. I painted the Red Pagoda since it was in view.

The clouds moved in and we went to find cover at a lake side restaurant. I didn’t sketch at that location. Instead I did thumbnail sketches for each student showing them how I might compose the scene they were sketching. Kelly and I covered a lot of material that weekend and hopefully we encouraged the artists present to take a sketch book with them to document their next vacation. If just one artist from the Sketch Tour catches the sketching bug, then I’ve done my job.

I’m planning to host an Orlando Sketch Tour quarterly. The second Sketch Tour was held at the Orlando Fringe Festival which offers endless sketch opportunities. I’ve just started hosting Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) events every month, so over time I should meet more local artists who love to sketch. Last year, the Orlando Weekly claimed I was Orlando’s best Urban Sketcher. Since I’m the only Urban Sketcher, that title doesn’t have much panache. I want to meet others who are as passionate about art as I am.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 8th and 9th.

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Saturday August 8, 2015

6:15pm to 10pm $150 Orlando’s Taste of the Nation. Orlando World Center Marriott

8701 World Center Dr., Orlando FL. Orlando’s Taste of the Nation® for No Kid Hungry brings together the
area’s top chefs who donate their time, talent and passion to end
childhood hunger in Central Florida. Along with culinary delights,
guests have the opportunity to sample select wines, cocktails and
premium beers and enjoy silent and live auctions and entertainment.
Every dollar raised fights hunger and homelessness in the Central
Florida. Local beneficiaries include Coalition for the Homeless of
Central Florida and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Participating Restaurants:

4Rivers Smokehouse and The Coop

A Land Remembered at Rosen Shingle Creek

Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort

B Resort and Spa and American Q

B.B. King’s Blues Club

Black Fire Bull

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine

Cafe Tu Tu Tango

Cala Bella Restaurant at Rosen Shingle Creek

Capa at Four Seasons Resort Orlando

The Capital Grille Orlando and Millenia

Cress Restaurant

Cuba Libre

Dragonfly Robata Sushi & Grill

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop

Empress Sissi Cake & Pastry Specialties

Fresh Point

Fulton’s Crab House, Downtown Disney

Highball and Harvest at Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

Itta Bena

JJ’s Grille

JW Marriott

K Restaurant and Wine Bar

Lafayette’s Music Room

Marlow’s Tavern

MOOR at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center

Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Palms Resort

Opa Orlando

Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside

Orlando World Center Marriott

Red Wing Restaurant

Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

Seasons 52 Fresh Grill

SeaWorld Orlando

Second Harvest Food Bank – Culinary Training Program

Soco Thornton Park

Symphony Pastries

Tapa Toro Tapas Bar

Three2OH Ice Cream

TR Fire Grill

Universal Orlando Resort

Urban Tide Hyatt Regency

The Whiskey

Yak and Yeti Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

8pm to 2am $10 at the door. The Scene II” Alternative HipHop Music  and Art Festival. Venue 578, 578 North Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL. “The Scene” is an Awesome Interactive Art and Music event in Downtown Orlando that celebrates ALL elements of alternative Hip Hop. Featuring local bands – MC’s – Spoken Word Artists – B-Boys/Girls and more, all under one roof with many entertaining surprises in between! Witness LIVE graffiti and art demo’s on the patio from some of Central Florida’s best artists! There will be over two dozen vendors and designers throughout the venue! Our goal for ‘The Scene 2015’ is to create consumer awareness in Orlando’s Alternative Hip Hop scene. By connecting local bands and artists with local businesses, we help merge and familiarize each other’s fan bases. Together we are a Cultural Marketplace.

Performances By: Phraydoe Peans and The Family Gang – AmIam – Kallahann The Coolest – Bezz Believe – Chico Money – Trini Elav8 – MC Freak – Afrodeeeshzzz – Twan D – Overlordz – Shaman Treez – Andrew Ramos – Fp The Freshman – Mehsi – Colby Stiltz – Split Soul – International Rob – Rogue Mob – Nosis – Mehsi – Identified Truth – GanK Green Gang – Darkchocolate Blackwell – Crescendo Merc – Infy Nite TraxX – International Rob – Deuce Deuce – Colby Stiltz – Jrue Smith -Red Sky – Lu berra And Josh Dollars – Kerryspace – Pudgeylocs – Quest 4 Life – SIRE – Boogs malone – StillTeamGreen – OG SHINOBI NINJA.

8pm to 10pm Free. Jupiter Groove. The Copper Rocket Pub 106 Lake Ave, Maitland, Florida. Jupiter Groove will be at the all new The Copper Rocket Pub!



Sunday August 9, 2015

10am to 10pm Nerd Fest. Weekend Pass – $50. the biggest and best annual multi-day nerd party!

Part music festival, part family reunion, all fun!

Dates are August 7-10, 2015!

Aug 7 and 10 are FREE and at The Geek Easy

Aug 8 and 9 are ($27 each day or $50 for the weekend) at the Orlando Science Center

All ticket sales go directly to benefit the Orlando Science Center to support science and education!

Noon to 4:30pm Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

9pm to Midnight Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Back to the Toyota Dealership for scheduled maintenance.

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My Prius was due for its 40,000 mile maintenance check up. I got a letter in the mail last week that let me know that a digital title was on file with the Florida department of motor vehicles. The car was finally paid off. I haven’t had a single issue to date, but I figure everything will go haywire once there aren’t any other expenses.

The Toyota dealership is close to my home and the place is brand spanking new. There is a commissary and comfy chairs for people waiting for repairs. One costumer snoozed while his girlfriend surfed the web. I only needed an oil change, but the technicians checked everything.  The sales rep, Jay Morales, let me know that there was some wear and tear on my tires. When I park on the street, I tend to scrape the tire against the curb to get as close to the curb as I can. I’ve scrapped the front passenger side hub cap and scuffed up the rubber quite well. Since all the scrapes are on the passenger side of the car it is easy for me to ignore the damage. They have back-up cameras on some cars now. I need hub cap cameras that show me how close the tires are to the curb.

Judging from my sketch, I’d say that my wait at the dealership was about an hour. My synthetic oil was changed and my tires were rotated along with a multi point inspection. My sales rep saw me sketching and he told me that his girlfriend Melanie Daniels had done a series of paintings called “Movement in Time.” The paintings depict a view of the landscape as it streams by, as if viewed from a fast moving car. I thought I would find her paintings online, but my search only lead me to find that Melanie Daniels was the character Tippi Hendren played in Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Birds.

Purple Pride immediately siezes Orlando.

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I was going to Falcon Bar (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL) or Mystery Sketch Theater which has a cos-play model taking poses for artists once a month. Streets were blocked off and I found myself walking besides runners in a 5K race. Everyone was wearing purple tee shirts. I heard an announcer and walked towards the noise. A finish line was set up on the East side of Lake Eola Park on Washington Street.

A Food Truck Bazaar were set up beyond the finish line and hungry runners lined up for food. I sketched the purple Orlando Soccer truck. Soccer has been promoted with a vengeance and   Orlando City Soccer Club logos, murals and stickers are all over town. Lion heads appear everywhere. The renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium is now packed for every game. I haven’t figured out who to contact yet about sketching a game. I feel I need to report on a team that has quickly become as known as the Orlando Magic basketball team. With the US team doing better in the international soccer competitions, the fan base keeps growing.

Mark Baratelli of the Daily City had organized all the food trucks. He showed me a paper that he now publishes that shows where to find each food truck bazaar all around Central Florida.  I admire the marketing prowess of the Orlando City Soccer Club and Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit. After I finished my sketch I walked over to the Falcon Bar to squeeze a few more sketches into my day.

Meditative Painting Class at the the Crystal Healing Spa

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I asked artist Veronika Rose if I could sketch her meditative painting class at the Crystal Healing Spa (717 Executive Dr, Winter Park, Florida).  Veronica studied meditation with Alex Grey in New York City and she is bringing his visionary meditation practices to Orlando.

The class invitation asked, “Have you always wanted to paint- but didn’t know where to start?”

July 15th was the evening of the new moon, Veronika taught a beginning acrylic and watercolor painting class from 6:30-9pm. Everyone wrote their  intentions of what they want to manifest during
the New Moon. They opened themselves up to receiving their deepest
desires. Veronica had everyone write their intentions on slips of paper which were then folded and placed on the floor. That evening, Veronika promised to burn the slips of paper to release the energy into the universe. A bottle of Florida water was passed around and we sprinkled some on our hands for purification.

The class began with a guided meditation and creativity exercises to help bridge the right and left brain hemispheres.
This relaxed, cozy class began with everyone laying on the floor with pillows and blankets for a
visionary journey. The Shamanic journey began with closed eyes and 7 deep breaths of imagined rainbow light. Everyone imagined an orange ball of energy in their abdomen which was about the size of a golf ball. That light moved up towards their heads and then shot out into the universe. I sketched Veronica as she held that energy in her head. The others were all lying on the floor. On student imagined her hair tangled in the stars. Veronica shook a rattle as she lead the artist on the shaman journey. Her meditative place was a quiet and gorgeous garden. Everyone was silent for 30 minutes as they traveled within. They get into a flow where we tapped into
their creative potential together. The energy of each group is special
and unique and each class will vary depending on the energy of the
group. Veronica did hands on energy work where she placed a hand over each artist’s navel and forehead. This apparently helps release creative energy. I know that I only tap into a fraction of my own creative potential so I’m trying to understand what I observed that day.

They painted to understand their dreams and potential, releasing creative blocks and limiting belief systems. They learned how to get into a creative flow. How to put ideas to canvas. I believe that anytime I sketch, I get lost in a meditative state. All other thought become secondary as I focus on nothing but what appears on the page. Veronica demonstrated a watercolor technique in which she put large moist washes on a page and then she daubed the surface with crumpled cellophane which created an intricate abstract pattern. Afterwards, she looked for shapes and she outlined them, creating fanciful beasts an creatures. Some artists tried this approach with great results while others used acrylic paint on canvas.

The cost of the meditative workshop was $30. Supplies were included. Artists were provided with a 16″x20″ canvas to create upon as well as watercolor paper. Artists didn’t need to have any previous painting experience. Artists brought images or ideas to re-create, a positive attitude and clothes that they didn’t mind getting messy.

Elite Lakeside Sketch Outing.

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My Elite Animation Academy (8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL) class always finds a way to get students sketching out in the community. On this balmy day we made our way to a small lake near the Academy. The goal was for students to sketch the scene and do drawings of the many ducks who call the lake home. We found a spot under a shady tree and got to work.

The ducks were on the far side of the lake but eventually they became curious and they swam towards us. I’m sure they figured that we must have food. We didn’t have any. The days lesson included looking for simple shapes. That is why the hedge across the lake became a perfect circle. I’m always fascinated by south paws. An artist who is a leftie has to twist their wrist in a unique way to see what they are drawing as they put lines on the page.

I can’t always find events for the students to draw although the high school sports field often offers games and practices to sketch. Being an artist is much like training as an athlete. Every day we need to exercise our eye to hand coordination. If one day is missed, the artist quickly becomes rusty. A former Disney colleague named Sam Ewing started a blog called Rusty Pliers and the title is starting to make sense. While working in the bustling studio we were tools with a defined purpose. When the studio closed, it became easy to become rusty. We had to re-invent ourselves to discover a new purpose for our skills. Part of what keeps me productive is to always look forward and never look back.

Maxine’s is a geat place to experience art.

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I met with Maxine Earhart at Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL) to figure out the logistics of mounting a show. We sat at the end of the bar to talk and I stayed for diner and a sketch.

Hanging on the walls was intricate and sensual collages by local artist, Maura Lucchese. Images of lovers and beautiful women were created with thousands of cuttings from magazines. Lettering mingled among the scraps relay hidden meanings to the bold images. Maura was unloading her show along with her friend, Kelly Herzberger on the day that I loaded my show in.

It was fun getting to meet an artist as we attempted to avoid crashing into each other going in and out of the restaurant’s front door.  Maura and Kelly also came to the opening of my show which shows that artists do support each other in Orlando. I was a bit intimidated that Maura sold several pieces in her show. Nothing sold from my show, but Kirt and Maxine ultimately coveted several of my sketches done in their restaurant for their collection.


Maxine’s has great food and there are often live performers as well to compliment the dining experience. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 5pm to 10pm. Saturday 10am to 10pm and Sunday 10am to 10pm. Reservations are a must because this place always gets packed. Come out and enjoy the Max Scene. It is a place where I’m always able to get a fun sketch. I’ve heard that one of my Maxine’s sketches might be used on fashionable women’s scarves. The details haven’t been ironed out yet.