The Year of the Sketchbook

Posted on by Thor

I spent three days at the Namta Art Materials World International Conference and Trade Show at the Orange County Convention Center. The floor was never really packed, but there was a constant flurry of activity at the Stillman & Birn booth. The line of quality sketchbooks were introduced at last year’s conference and they must have made an impression. The sketchbooks cost a bit more, but people are realizing that artists are willing to pay more for the quality. Paper matters, feel the difference. When Michael Kalman showed a colleague one of the early sketchbook, he was told, “You hit a home run with the paper.”

A person stopping by the Stillman & Birn booth said, “This is the year of the sketchbook, I half expect the easel manufacturers to introduce a new line of sketchbooks.”  This year, Strathmore and Canson both introduced new lines of quality hardbound sketchbooks. These new line of sketchbooks are scheduled to hit stores in July. I went to the Strathmore booth and thumbed through the prototype sketchbooks. A sales manager explained the different lines, paper weights and page surfaces. What really mattered to me wasn’t the numbers or convoluted naming conventions, I wanted to see how the paper held up to lines and washes. I already know that the Stillman & Birn books make my work sing so I’ve developed product loyalty.

Jason Das, an Urban Sketcher from Brooklyn NY was flown to the Convention by Stillman & Birn so he could work the floor looking for sponsors for the Urban Sketching Symposium in July. Jason stopped by the booth and I got a chance to flip through his most recent sketchbook. I get a visceral thrill from seeing artists sketchbooks. There is no pretense of existential artistic concepts, just raw sincere observation. Another artist named Donald Owen Colley was working at the Faber Castell booth. He uses Faber Castell Pitt brush pens to do his drawings in old ledgers. The book he was drawing in was from the 1860s. The pens are good for putting down warm and cool gray tones. I picked up a few Pitt pens and immediately started playing with them. The bold blacks in this sketch were put down with a black Pitt pen. Owen was hit by a car as he was walking in the International Drive area. Florida almost killed him. There were artists painting and sketching in many of the booths. I felt like a kid in a toy store.

Namta

Posted on by Thor

Namta, the Art Materials World International Conference and Trade Show was held right here in Orlando at the Convention Center. I was invited by Michael Kalman to use their line of premium sketchbooks and explain to prospective distributors how I liked using them.  Stillman & Birn, based in New Jersey, produces
premium quality sketchbooks. Their sturdy binding and wide range of
paper weights make them ideal for urban sketching with dry and wet
media. Michael is the nephew of Philip Birn (1911 – 2004), a highly admired
Viennese bookbinder who brought his Old World craftsmanship to New York
City in the 1950s. From his plant at 270 Lafayette Street, Birn
pioneered the concept of the black hardbound sketchbook, which he
marketed throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Michael and business partner Oscar Hernandez relaunched the
Stillman & Birn brand in December of 2010.

I’ve been having a blast test driving these sketchbooks. The paper is thick and rich and accepts watercolor washes on both sides of the pages. Michael explained that a sizing is applied inside the paper as it is made and also on the surface of the sheet. This lets the transparent watercolor washes glow like I’ve never seen before. The books come in five varieties, Alpha, Beta, Gama, Delta and Epsilon. The sketchbook that I take everywhere with me now is the Alpha hardbound sketchbook. It measures 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches and I suspect it will always be in my bag from now on. The paper is 100 lbs or 150 GSM and it has a subtle texture that I like.

The sketch above was done in a new line of sketchbooks that was introduced at the trade show. It is a hardbound Delta series with 180 lb, 270 GSM paper. I’ve never seen a hardbound sketchbook with such a heavy weight, cold press paper. The book is 8 1/4 by 11 3/4 inches, which opens up as a huge spread. This thick paper doesn’t buckle at all with heavy water color washes. The sketchbook is a prototype and the actual sketchbooks will be in stores later this year. At this conference I got to sketch and talk about art with fellow artists and distributors, which made it a pretty sweet gig. It felt good knowing that the sketchbooks that were stuffed full of my sketches, helped sell the product.

Best of Orlando 2012

Posted on by Thor

Press here to Vote! 

The Orlando Weekly “Best of Orlando” poll is active through June 27th. I of course hope you will vote for Analog Artist Digital World as the Best Local Blog. They ask for a name and address, but that wasn’t a big deal. You have to vote in at least 15 categories, and you can’t use the same answer in more than 5 categories. The list is dauntingly large, so I am writing down my votes in this blog post to help you get a jump start. Most of my votes go to places I have sketched. The sketch above was done in Tanquerey’s, which got my vote as the best local dive bar. If I left out any notable local establishments,  then please leave me a comment. You can vote from anywhere in the world, and encourage your friends to vote. The following list is not all inclusive, it is just intended as a jump start. Of course your tastes might vary.

Food and Drink

Best French……………Chez Vincent

Best Greek…………….Mediterranean Deli

Best Tai…………………Viet Garden

Best Vietnamese…….Viet Garden

Best Barbecue……….4 Rivers Smokehouse

Best Cupcake…………Rhapsodic Bakery

Best Tea house……….Dandelion Communitea Cafe

Best Pub Grub………..Fiddler’s Green

Best Vegan……………..Loving Hut

Best Food Truck……..Big Wheel Food Truck

Best restaurant when someone else is paying…Chez Vincent

Arts and Culture

Best Art Night (recurring)…Mystery Sketch Theater

Best Art Gallery………………Gallery at Avalon Island

Best Arts Advocate…………Parker Sketch 

Best Dance Company………Drip

Best Arts Event/Festival…..Fringe

Best Local Playwright……..Aradhana Tiwari

Best Local Artist……………..Dawn Schreiner

Best Movie Theater………….Enzian

Best Mural………………………Who’s Line is it Anyway?

Best Museum…………………..Mennello Museum

Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist… Tod Caviness

Best Theater Company……….Orlando Shakes

Best Theater Space…………….Jamie Mykins Theater

Music Nightlife

Best Club DJ……………………..DJ Nigel

Best Folk Act…………………….Jubal’s Kin

Best Jazz Act…………………….Monday Night Jazz at the Grand Bohemian

Best Music Club………………..Back Booth

Best Music Festival……………Southern Fried Sundays

Best Mainstream Rock Act…Andy Matchett and the Minx

Best Open Mic………………….Tom and Jerry’s

Best Pop Act……………………..Britt Daley

Best Bar (smoking)…………….Will’s Pub

Best Craft Beer Bar…………….Redlight Redlight

Best Dive Bar…………………….Tanqueray’s

Best Gay Bar………………………Parliament House

Best Pub/Taproom……………….Will’s Pub

Best Sports Bar……………………Sportstown

Local Color

Best Kept Secret………………….The Timucua White House

Best Local Charitable Group…Second Harvest Food Bank

Best Local Cheerleader…………Jeffrey Pfaff

Best Local Website………………The Daily City

Best Local Blog………………….Analog Artist Digital World

Best Local Publication…………..The Orlando Weekly

Best Local Radio Personality….Julie Norris

Best place to take visitors from out of town…Stardust Video & Coffee

Best reason to live in Orlando…Sunny days in Winter

Best reason to leave Orlando…..Sunny days in Summer

Best use of public money………..Fixing Lake Eola Fountain

Best waste of public money…….Speakers around Lake Eola

Goods and Services

Best Adult Entertainment Store…Fairvilla

Best CD Store…………………………Park Avenue Cd’s

Best Comic Book Store……………A Comic Shop

Best Farmers Market……………….Audubon Community Market

Best Garden Center…………………Palmer Feed Store

Best Spa…………………………………Barefoot Spa

Best T-Shirts……………………………Mother Falcon

Best Tattoo/Piercing Parlor……….Black Chapel Tattoo

Best Vinyl Records Store………….Park Avenue Cd’s

Sports and Recreation

Best Billiards Hall……………………Sportstown

Best City Park………………………….Lake Eola

Best Day Trip…………………………..Cocoa Beach

Best Sports Team……………………..Psycho City Derby Girls

Best Place to Bike…………………….West Orange Trail

Best Place to Canoe/Kayak………..Wekiva Springs

Best Sports Complex………………..Amway Arena

Best Yoga Studio………………………Yoga Matrix

Best Zipline……………………………..Zoom Air Adventures

There will be Words

Posted on by Thor

The spoken word competition called “There Will be Words” at Urban Rethink got off to a late start. When I arrived, three authors were talking sports and politics in the lounge area. I listened in for a bit then wandered upstairs to start my sketch. Eight authors went head to head trying to win the votes of three audience members who were picked at random. The judges were picked when three wadded up balls of paper were tossed into the audience. Whoever picked up the paper became a judge. I sketched when Tod Caviness read. I figured I would get a chance to sketch him when he went onto the next round. Surprisingly, he lost in this first round. Eight competitors were reduced to four, then two who battled for the coveted bragging rights. The winner turned out to be Trevor Fraser the author seated in the blue chair. It was a fun night with some really quirky stories. I’m hooked.

Library Garden

Posted on by Thor

I heard there was to be a paper flower making workshop at the Peacock Room (1321 North Mills Avenue). I arrived right after work which is early by nightlife standards. One room was full of paintings by Cameron Moore. He is a Full Sail instructor. The work was representational with a touch of the surreal. Skeletal horses were juxtaposed against dense forest scenes. There were some futuristic cityscapes and human figures were covered in patterns reminiscent of New Zealand tattoos.

The other room was full of fluorescent flowers. It stopped me in my tracks. The female bartender asked if she could help me. She thought I was looking for someone. I was just looking for a sketch. Rob Leaman was the artist who created the huge flowers in what he called,  the library garden.  Rob arrived with fluorescent paper and some Elmer’s glue.A woman in a black and white dress stopped in. The white of her dress glowed light blue. He began demonstrating how he creates the smaller flowers by folding the paper.  Then five women showed up all at once and Rob showed them the intricacies in every fold. My digital tablet flashed a warning letting me know my battery was low. I looked around for an outlet but couldn’t find one. This is the advantage of a paper sketchbook it never complains. Moments later the screen flashed off. The sketch was done.

Emotions Dance

Posted on by Thor

Emotions Dance performed at the Fringe outdoor stage. I waited at The Daily City tent until they arrived. I finally saw a dancer stretching her legs using the temporary containment fencing as a ballet barre. Larissa Humiston, the dance companies founder gave the dancers a quick pep talk, and then it was time for the show. Larissa explained to the audience that the first dance piece was about a failed relationship. Amanda Miller and Courtney Coad were the dancers. As always the modern dance  was beautifully choreographed and full of emotion. I sketched Cortney when she turned her back to her partner and Amanda lay prostrate in desolation. I ended up sketching Amanda a second time as she stood gripping a curtain prior to another dance routine.

As I was finishing up my sketch, Amanda Miller and Jovan Davis asked to see what I was working on. Jovan seemed to be a real fan of my work. He bubbled with excitement. Terry joined in and said jokingly to the couple, “Back away from the artist.” She steered the conversation for a few minutes till I considered the sketch done. Amanda then explained to me that she became over heated during one of the dance routines. By now Larissa had joined the conversation and she said to Amanda, “Yea, I saw that look on your face.” Even with a few dry heaves, the show went on. No one in the audience, including myself, had any idea. The Emotions Dancers always perform “all out”.

Larissa has begun to organize dance workshops with world renowned dancers at Turning Point dance studios. This dance company continues to astound me.

Pepe

Posted on by Thor

Pepe made an appearance on the outdoor stage at Fringe. Pepe is flamboyant and colorful. His spiky red Mohawk could be spotted from across the lawn. He spoke with a thick rich Spanish accent calling everyone, mommies and poppies. Logan Donahoo joined Pepe to talk about the Fringe show he was directing called, Cannibal! The Musical. Pepe is always funny. He made fun of the fact that he had been reduced to performing on the outdoor stage.

Ruby Darling, dressed in a Star Trek uniform got on stage to promote Skill Focus Burlesque. She performed a sultry dance number and the uniform went flying. She then told Pepe she had a superpower. A male performer got on stage with her and she said in a commanding voice, “Take off your clothes.” He complied. Pepe perked up and shouted his glee. Women in the audience screamed and laughed. Skill Focus burlesque had been called to perform at the Fringe at the last minute when another show canceled. For this reason, they weren’t even in the printed program. They had to rely on word of mouth and a little skin to promote their show.

I went to a performance of Hysteria Repeats Itself! Mike Maples was in the cast and the executive producer, Kelly Rands introduced himself when Terry and I entered the Blue venue. I knew that Hysteria would be a series of fast paced skits, so for once, I left the sketchbook closed. This was the first night’s performance and unfortunately there were fewer than ten people in the audience. Much of the show was political satire. The performance was funny and intelligently written. Several Sondheim show tunes were given new lyrics that were fun and fast paced. Terry was laughing loudly. Later Mike commented that her loud laughter made up for the size of the audience. The next performance was sold out which made perfect sense.

On the Nose

Posted on by Thor

As people filed into the Fringe Green Venue at the Rep Theater, Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell began to set up a movie screen. Mark walked off stage through a doorway and Sabrina followed with the screen. The screen slammed into the door frame stopping her. Together they struggled to set up the screen which was missing parts and seemed to resist their every effort. The screen crashed closed so loudly that I jumped in my seat. Finally with it set up and the audience in their seats, the film rolled. It was projected about four feet too high. Only a sliver of the image was on the top of the screen, but it lined up perfectly with the fabric screen already hanging at the back of the stage. Embarrassed, they put the home movie screen away.

On the Nose was part physical comedy and part documentary. The production took assumptions about clowns and turned them on their heads. Directed by Elena Day, the show redefined what a clown means world wide. In America, a clown is quickly associated with birthday parties with screaming children and twisted balloon animals. In Europe however, clowns are considered artists and are a respected form of adult entertainment. This reminds me of how animation is considered as children’s fair in America, yet in Europe, it is a serious form of entertainment.

Interviews with female clowns were particularly insightful. It had been considered “unfeminine”  for women to be funny. When Mark and Sabrina did a pie routine, a young boy in the audience shouted out his pleasure since he wanted to see a pie in the face. Sabrina leaned forward and said to Mark, “Pie me.” The implied sexual connotations made it funny for adults, and the young boy was squirming and delirious with anticipation.

Sabrina put on an electronic helmet and was given a quiz to see if she could identify clowns. Ronald McDonald flashed on the screen. She guessed, “Clown” and she reacted to an electric shock given by Mark’s remote control. Stephen Colbert flashed and she guessed, “Not a clown” shock again. He is a clown. The red nose was considered, the smallest mask by many of the clowns interviewed. This show was lively and very enlightening. Send in the clowns.

I’m Saving It for Paul!

Posted on by Thor

Nicole Antonia Carson wrote and directed, I’m Saving it for Paul. I was surprised that the venue was in an outdoor tent behind the Shakes. In the opening scene, the make shift curtain opened and Martha (played by Robyn Scriver) was making out with her fiance Max (Anthony R. Smith). She wouldn’t “do it” because she was saving “it” for Paul, of the beetles. Earlier in the day I had seen Robyn in the Shakes lobby and thought, “OMG there is a movie star!” I had seen Robyn perform in the Banks Helfrich film, The AH of Life. I didn’t scream & shout. The play was promoted on the Lawn of Fabulousness when a pack of girls ran through the crowd screaming loudly. I half expected to see the Beetles running ahead of them.

Martha’s sole obsession is to meet Paul back stage. She is helped in this quest by Aunt Sadie (Tabitha Rox).  Sadie is responsible for the call girls who go back stage and she promised to bring along Martha. The call girl in black that I sketched was Loretta (Melissa Cooper). She was all legs and her ongoing gag was that she stuffed her bra. Martha’s every dream comes true when she meets Paul McCartney (John Reid Adams). The actor really was a dead ringer for Paul and he did an awesome job with the British accent.

This was an enjoyable light hearted comedy about the screaming fans and groupies of the Fab Four. Who could not like a play about a woman who just wants to get laid?

Connected: An Interactive Experience

Posted on by Thor

Connected: An Interactive Experience was sold out. Aradhana Tiwari directed the show, and Holly Harris was the choreographer. I had a ticket but unfortunately didn’t have one for Terry. Jimmy Moore decided I could start sketching the space early so long as I used my artists stool. I picked a seat in the second row and saved a seat for Terry. All the seats in the theater had been set up with audio ear buds. This was a huge undertaking to set up in the 15 minutes or so before the house opened. Wired had to be duck taped to the floor and each audio connection tested. Terry and I were going to share a set of ear buds. The cast circled up in the center of the black box theater. Cole NeSmith said, “We are asking the audience to take chances, and I hope we all step up to take those chances with them.” He climbed into a three foot square box and he shouted to me, “Don’t look Thomas!” The stage manager shouted, “One minute to house open!” People shouted back, “Thank you one!”

The audience rushed in, and sure enough every seat was taken.  An announcer or guide, addressed everyone asking them to raise their hands if they could hear him. Everyone raised their hands, but I was sketching, my hands were busy. The show began with an isolated spotlight on the box, center stage. A light emanated from a hole at the top of the box. Two dancers circled and interacted with the mysterious box and then Cole, as Jacob was pulled out. Jacob’s mouth was taped shut and he wore sunglasses and earphones. Jacob was shut himself off  emotionally from the world around him.
As he faced moments from his past that caused him to isolate
himself, he was awakened to deeper levels of intimacy in his current
reality. The Guide invited each audience member on a
unique, introspective journey into their own past. This illuminating process of discovery welcomed the
audience into introspective and interactive moments that were
risky, challenging, humorous and healing.

Jacob was in several scenes in which his hurtful past was dredged up. He was usually focused on some small undefined task as others argued and interacted around him. His mom berated him constantly. The small boy was meek and introspective but the elder Jacob shouted, “NO! Stop!” Everyone  in the audience had been given point lights. They were asked to illuminate the light if someone had said hurtful things that forever stayed with them. The room was aglow with point lights. Terry shifted and my ear bud fell out. As I fumbled it back in my ear, the guide said, “See you are not alone, we all face the same fears and challenges.” Dancers walked on diagonals occasionally freezing in their hectic life as Jacob studied them. Audience members were invited to pose on pedestals along with Jacob. Long colorful paper ribbons were handed out to the audience and they were unfurled from person to person. A black light illuminated the ribbons and they glowed brightly in the dark room as dancers pulled them back in. Like Jacob, I was focused on a task. Sketching in the darkened theater was a challenge. With my earpiece constantly popping out, I gave up on it and sketched furiously. Without the guide, I was observing but very much isolated from the emotional involvement of the show. The performance rushed by and I struggled in the dark to catch a moment.