Golden Body Painting at Nude Nite.

Posted on by Thor

If you missed Nude Nite here in Orlando this Valentines Day, keep in mind that it will also be happening on March 3-5 in Tampa Florida. The sketch opportunities are clearly limitless. On my second night going to the venue, I decided to focus on Base Orlando body painters. I know Lori Babson Jessup, the body painter in the foreground from sketching dancers in town. Spiraling filigree were painted in Lori’s cleavage making it hard not to look there. Base Orlando is a group of Body painters who gather regularly and paint their models with a given theme. A recent Base Orlando event had a steampunk theme. It was clear the steampunk inspired Lori’s body painting on this Nude Nite. The model had golden chain mail on her shoulders and breasts and gears interconnected on her  legs.

Lori had an assistant to help with the work. Photographers would move in for their shots and the disperse like waves crashing against the shore. Some couples were concerned about the paint, perhaps because of the scene in Goldfinger in which a gorgeous woman died because she was painted head to toe in gold paint. Lori would reassure people that the paint water based theater paint that. completely non-toxic. Lori would at times stand on the platform with the model and other times she stood below on the floor. One time she was on the platform and so focused on her painting, that g almost tumbled off the platform. She laughed and then curtsied to the assembled crowd. “Thanks folks, I’ll be here all night.” As if the slip was all part of the act.

With my sketch done, to was tempted to try another, but I was exhausted. t had been teaching an Urban sketching Workshop all day with Kelly Medford at the Mennello Museum. We had 14 students and it was such a gorgeous day. Nudc Nite was the icing on the cake of a perfect day.

Corsets and Cuties Halloween Burlesque

Posted on by Thor

Corsets and Cuties will be performing a Halloween Burlesque show at Gods and Monsters, 5250 International Drive; Suite E8, Orlando, Florida, on 

Friday, October 23 at 10:00pm.

The She-Devils of Corsets and Cuties dare you to step out of your comfort zone and feast your eyes on the flesh of the damned.

If you have seen the Cuties perform before, you know to expect the
unexpected. However, the voluptuous beauties are bringing a touch of
the macabre to the stage. Demons, Zombies, and Vampires will titillate
your fancy. But be careful. You may leave your heart behind.

This sketch is from a Corsets and Cuties performance at a BASE Orlando body painting showcase.

In this performance, Barbie Rhinestone shyly took to the stage and sat in the chair. She was in trench coat and she seemed surprised to be surrounded by an audience. Babs shouted from the crowd, “You go girl!  The music kicked in and Barbie made a shy half hearted attempt at shaking her shoulders. The crowds wild, encouragement got her to stand up and use her hips a bit. Then garments were discarded with a sensual flourish while her bright pink hair whipped free. Corsets and Cuties performances are always outlandish and hilarious. 

 
Advance tickets. 
Tickets are $15 at the door.
18+
Please park on the south side of Artegon Mall. Gods & Monsters is located directly behind Sheplers.

Corsets and Cuties bring belly laughs to burlesque at Fringe.

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Double Tree Productions presents Corsets and Cuties a Burlesque Cabaret in the Black Venue (The Venue) at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. I went to one of their earlier shows at 10:30pm to sketch. What Babs and her troupe do is make burlesque fun and classy in equal measure. A three foot long sausage with balls on the male dancer might not be classy, but it is laugh out loud fun. He also did a number to the song Kriptonite in superman pajamas. When he stripped behind his long red cape, the women in the audience went crazy. He did turn around but kept part of the cape covering his midsection at all times just like the drapery in a Michelangelo.

I love the Three Belly dancers who performed a James Bond themed belly dance.  Theirs is a graceful class act. I wanted to catch their graceful gestures but my sketch was already crowded with performers. Their was a magical effect created by the blue footlights that I would have loved to catch. Sometimes I wish my right hand could move a whole lot faster (for sketching).

The number about the history of the brazier featured Babs in a costume that had impossibly large pillowy breasts. Jaimz wore a German Tirolean costume and the routine has to be seen to be believed. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. The big reveal would often happen with a performer’s back to the audience and these performers understand the art of the tease. Performers walked out into the audience and dollar bills would be stuffed into crevices. As the whole troupe took their final bow, a fist full of dollars rained down on the stage. The show is sponsored by Premier Couples Superstore. Every evenings show is different so there are always surprises.

Drip Fairy Body Paint Jam

Posted on by Thor

0n August 1st, I went to Drip (8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Orlando, Fl, right behind Senor Frogs and Denny’s) to sketch the Body Painting Party after the Drip show.  Painters and models began around 7pm. They gathered in the back stage dressing room and storage area. With eight body painters and just as many models, it was going to get tight. The body painters were, Mandi Ilene,
Lori Babson Jessup,
Tanisha Morgan,
Tracy Purple, and
Cody Saults. All the body painters hat gathered to celebrate Mandi’s birthday.

Jessica Mariko, the founder of Drip welcomed me when I arrived and she went into the dressing room to be sure that models and the artists were all OK with my sketching them.  The painters had a three hour window to get a jump on their body paint creations before guests would get to see their work immediately after the Drip dance show. I focused my attention on the model directly in front of me who was already painted white from head to toe and covered in glitter. She became a stark silhouette in front of the light on the wall. An intricate pattern spiraled around her gluts.

Other models got undressed and periodically, everyone would shout “Nipples!”, followed by laughter. Pasties and thongs would be seamlessly painted to hide any anatomy that was required by social code. An urban graffiti painting shouted “Unity!” I was seated in the only chair in the, closet-room. Often my view was obstructed by models bare backs. It seems ironic that I spent much of my time trying to look past the nudity to see the figures I had started to draw.

The sketch was pretty much done when I saw Terry enter the dressing area. I stood to go meet her. She should have lead me out by the ear, but she seemed delighted to be backstage among the chaos. We got a drink at the bar and soon the Drip dancers were pouring free beer into the open mouths of guests. The live rock band began to play and the hip urban dance began. The dancers spilled drinks on each other and their relationships became clear as they moved among the crowd and teased one another.

The show follows a story line of love and betrayal. The main characters are blue and yellow as hinted at by their Drip rags covering their hair, and the paint they get covered in. When the couple embraced, their colors mixed to become green. I was wearing my Drip T-shirt which was already stained from past shows. In previous shows, paint filled water balloons had been handed to guests. Now the cast took charge, exploding the balloons by hand all over the audience. There might have been incidents in past shows where balloons had hit people in the face. The new approach guarantees everyone gets wet and messy without the dodge ball angst. Even so, a burst of paint in my face managed to loosen a lens in my glasses and it popped out as I sipped a drink later. DRIP is an in-your-face explosion of color and movement backed by a live
rock band, all in an industrial dive bar. You may get wet … you may get
messy … you WILL have an awesome time.

Mark Your Calendar! Shows are every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9pm. What are you waiting for? This is the most fun you can have with a date, loved one, or friends in Orlando.
Tickets for the show available at www.ilovedrip.com.