With the T-Rex at Downtown Disney.

Posted on by Thor

A former Disney Feature Animation background painter was having a show at one of the Disney Stores at the Downtown Disney.The invite was wrong however and he wasn’t in the store when I stopped by to say hello. Since I was there, I walked around to find something to sketch. The Marketplace is a hectic place to sketch. Everyone seems to be in a rush to make last minute purchases before they head home. The eye catching Dinosaur bones stop tourists in their tracks for a brief photo opportunity. The Dinosaurs are part of a themed restaurant Called T-Rex Cafe, (1676 Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL) that is always jam packed. They serve adventures rather than ordinary meals. American eats plus animatronic dinosaurs and an underwater aquarium draw crowds in Downtown Disney.

38th Annual Festival of the Masters

Posted on by Thor

From November 8th to November 10th, 130 artists set up tents in Downtown Disney for the 38th Annual Festival of the Masters. The parking lots in front of Downtown Disney were ripped up and fenced off due to construction. The back lot parking lot I usually park in was completely full. I had to loop around and was directed to a staff parking lot beside the cast services building. I had to drive up and down all the isles before I found what must have been the last spot in the lot.

The parking situation didn’t stop people from attending the Art Festival. The crowds were dense. I walked through the festival surveying all the art.  Behind the Circ du Soleil Circus Tent, the view opened up with a grassy knoll overlooking the lake. I relaxed on the grass and started to sketch. An artist sat in front of his tent joking with patrons and showing them prints. When another artist entered his tent, he shouted out to everyone that she was the winner of $1000. He later looked over my shoulder saying, “You’re among friends here.”

One lady had a tent full of dog paintings. Every canvas had a banner across it that said, “No photos.” I understand where she is coming from since I share my work everyday yet want people to know that the image has a copyright, which means, “don’t steal the image”. I place a 10% ghosted copyright banner across every sketch now. It is barely noticeable.  Whenever someone reproduces my work without asking, that copyright banner grows bolder. Policing image theft is difficult in the digital age. The Internet is the wild west of copyright theft. People want music, video and art for free. I love when people use my work, so long as they pay for the rights.I love it even more when people link back to this site to share my work or a particular sketch.

Much later I felt two other people standing behind me. My first thought was that they must be Disney Security intent on stopping me from sketching. It turns out they were former students of mine. This married couple had taken the 2D Animation class together and they were both stellar students. Having graduated, the couple is enjoying the tourist attractions in Orlando. Russ is planning to do an internship at Full Sail. As the sun set, the shadows grew longer. Getting off Disney property was as much of a challenge as getting on.

Great Irish Hooley

Posted on by Thor

Over Labor day weekend, Monday September 2nd, I went to Raglan Road (1640 North Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL) for the Great Irish Hooley. Raglan Road is located on Pleasure Island near Downtown Disney. A Hooley is a unique Irish Festival jam packed with the best of Irish Music and Entertainment outside of Ireland. This sounded to good to be true, so I braved the Disney Tourist crowds to get a sketch.

When I pulled into the Downtown Disney parking lot, it immediately began to rain. I pulled out my iPhone and pulled up the weather radar app. Sure enough the radar showed a small rain cell right over my location. The clouds were moving fast and the radar showed a wide open expanse once the storm passed. The radar updates every five minutes and I waited in the car with the rain pelting loudly on metal. After fifteen minutes the rain slowed and I started over to Raglan Road.

As luck would have it there was an awning that provided perfect cover right across from the pub. The lightning rods on every corner of the pub seemed ready for any strike. The outdoor stage was covered with tarps and I assumed I would be sketching a rained out event. One of the Irish dancers, Daniella, spoke with tourists in front of the pub. She took an interest in my sketch and then spoke with Disney Coworkers who were exploring the parks on their day off. He was leaving his Disney job soon and she expressed regret about having to see so many people always leaving. A manager checked with the bartender, and nerves bristled that she would start telling employees gathered outside the pub what to do. The manager noticed me sketching and walked over. Luckily she just glanced down, said, “Nice” and walked off.

Someone joked with the bartender, saying, “You look lonely. Seven dollars for a Guinness! No wonder you look lonely!”  He ordered a drink anyway. The stage was cleared and Johnny Norton and Justin Murphy began to play. A crowd formed quickly in the street to watch. Declan Masterson followed that act playing lively music for jigs and reels. The dancer, Daniella began doing a jig in front of the band, then people in the audience joined in. This turned out to be an amazing performance by traditional Irish musicians who had been flown in for the four day event. Though off to a soggy start, this turned out to be a hell of a good time. I heard the interior of the pub is absolutely gorgeous so that may warrant a return visit.

House of Blues

Posted on by Thor

I heard that Andy Matchett & the Minx were performing at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney. Traffic on the Disney roads was really backed up. I’ve never seen so many cars on the road, and I worked down there for ten years.

I also heard there would be plenty of robots from Dog Powered Robot. Last year, Dog Powered Robot made a surprise visit with the band at House of Blues. Fisher, the Pomeranian who powers the robot, was unfazed by all the commotion. The stage manager at House of Blues had a fit. There is a “no pet” policy at House of Blues. There wasn’t much she could do since the crowd loved them. You couldn’t exactly have a Dog Powered Robot without the dog.

Even after breaking all the rules, the robots were back, but this time the friendly Blue Pomeranian powered robot wasn’t in the mix. The curtain opened and Andy was bound center stage, being held captive apparently by a robot with a grudge. I didn’t follow events closely, but I believe Lollybot must have saved him. I’m sure her robotic claw could have cut through the ropes. Terry was on her feet shouting, “I love you Lollybot!” She had on her Lollybot t-shirt and was as rabid as any Beatles fan. Andy Matchett & the Minx began playing and confetti canons blasted it’s colors over the crowd. Balloons and beach balls were then surfed over the crowd. People went wild. Balloons were popping everywhere and strobe lights made me dizzy as I worked on the sketch. Then, just about every robot at some point danced on stage. Ninja Noids were up on the balcony level and they wafted large hot dog shaped balloons over the crowd. A large parachute was unrolled over the crowd and Andy jumped down off the stage to join the audience as the dance under the undulating canopy. Oh yea, there was also plenty of hard driving fun rock & roll! An Andy Matchett & the Minx concert is a guaranteed good time.