Drink and Draw

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Sarah Jane Rozman hosted a Drink and Draw at The Nook on Robinson (2432 E. Robinson St, Orlando, Florida). I host an Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) once a month as well so I decided to stop in to see how this Drink and Draw differed. The biggest difference was that a winner got $$$ for their bar tab! The artists in attendance all were given a theme so all the at produced tied together. Finished pieces were taped to the wall. Since I was working on this sketch, I didn’t follow the rules.

The good thing about this venue was that the Drink and Draw directly followed Tasty Tuesday which is a food truck event that happens each Tuesday in the parking lot behind The Nook. This guarantees that Tuesday nights are going to be pretty crowded. I knew Sarah since she used to work at Art Systems in the print department. Unfortunately the color printer seldom worked so I started getting my prints at RT Art instead.

In 2019 I let ODD lapse since Orlando Urban Sketchers were hosting so many successful sketch events. Unfortunately those outing were almost all on days I was teaching art at Elite Animation Academy or Crealde School of Art. I still try and sketch every night so my best chance to meet fellow artists is to start hosing ODD events again once a month.

The Matador Orlando

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ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) was held at The Matador Orlando (724 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida 32803). The Matador has the best of both worlds: It’s a dark dive with plenty of seating, where you can get an adventurous craft cocktail or just order up your usual drink. The patio is typically jumping after hours, but happy hour is normally chill. It’s almost too easy to order round after round in this well-rounded Ivanhoe watering hole.

Orlando Drink and Draw ventures to a new bar each month to sample beers and sketch. There is no model fee and no instruction. This is just a chance to get out, meet fellow artists and draw. I’m hoping to sketch in Central Florida’s best dive bars, so suggestions are always welcome.

I can acknowledge that the place is indeed “Chill” on a Monday during happy hour. One person sat at the bar talking to the bartender and a couple finally entered as I was finishing the sketch to play a game of pool in the back corner of the room. I love the blood red walls and the Spanish themed, gilded, reverent, bull fighting memorabilia on the walls.

The craft cocktails are unique and must change with the seasons. There was a touch of citrus in each drink I sampled.

Old Fashioned

  • four roses bourbon, sugar, bitters, orange – $10

Gin andd Tonic on Tap

  • half moon gin, jack rudy tonic, orange – $8

Matador Mule

  • rye whiskey, ginger beer, bitters, lime – $9

Seasonal Collins

  • vodka or gin, rotating syrup, soda, lemon – $9

Hemmingway Daiquiri

  • rum, luxardo maraschino, grapefruit, lime – $9

Sunflower

  • gin, st. germain, cointreau, lemon, absinthe rinse – $10

The Guesthouse

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The Guesthouse (1321 N. Mills Ave Orlando, Florida 32803) is in the space formerly used by the Peacock Room. I sketched many times in the Peacock Room since they held artist openings and some of Orlando’s edgier performances. In October they would transform the interior with Hollywood grade Halloween displays.  I quite simply miss that venue.

I hosted ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) at the Guesthouse because I wanted to see how the space had been transformed. The interior has many potted plants and dark walls an ceiling. Round soft orbs create a warm romantic glow. The bar stool are utilitarian but look rather uncomfortable.

Pam Schwartz and I sat at a small side table to sip our drinks. I didn’t order one of the craft cocktails preferring to just sip a beer as I sketched. I was told the Army-Navy, is a gin-based wonder.  Although the place gives off a classy vibe I rather preferred the grungier vibe of the former Peacock Room.

ODD at Lake Eola Wine Company

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ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) is a monthly sketch event I host where I invite artists to go to a different bar each month. There is no model and no instruction, it is just a chance to get out and meet other artists while working on a sketch. I was living near Lake Eola and Eola Wine Company (430 E. Central Blvd Orlando, FL 32801) was just a block from my studio, so this was a convenient location to hang out and sketch.

I ordered a red wine and sketched the length of the bar. It was early in the evening so the place was just starting to fill up. There is a certain refined atmosphere to the place as patrons sip glasses of red wine rather than mugs of beer. Well, they do have beers, but wine is the usual drinks of choice. This was a rare evening where no other artists came out for the night. I think the prospect of downtown parking scares off artists. Regardless, I had fun blocking in my sketch and when done, I simply walked the block or so back to my studio.

The next night, I was interviewed by Pam Schwartz of the Orange County Regional History Center about my experiences in the weeks following the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. Since that night, she tends to join me on many of these types of sketch outings. I tend to keep my head in the sketch for the entire hour or two until it is done, so she can chat with artists or patrons while I work and when I am done, I join the conversations. For me this is the best of both worlds, I get absolute focus and then come up for air and enjoy the company of the artists around me.

Immerse by the Creative City Project 2

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Five blocks of Orange Avenue were closed off downtown allowing five stages to be set up, which would allow over 1,000 performers to showcase their talents in downtown Orlando. One stage was in the park in front of the History Center, the Red Bull Stage was at Pine Street in front of what used to be City Arts Factory, the UCF Stage was on Church Street, EA sponsored a stage down by Jackson Street,  and the Massey Services stage was between Pine Street and Church Street on Orange Avenue, where I stopped to sketch.

Rollins Choir and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra were on stage when I started this sketch, but at that time I was focusing on people in the foreground. Being Present took to the stage and I decided to place them in my sketch. The female singer on guitar took center stage and she was surrounded by percussion, a bass player and a dance company who improvised to her performance. Being Present was followed by All the Light You Cannot See and then The Orlando Ballet.

The artists who had come out to my ODD event (Orlando Drink and Draw) stood on a cement planter so we could see over the now standing and shoulder to shoulder crowd. The Orlando Ballet performed dances with a hip urban edge which perfectly fit in with the vibe of the night. Dancers were paired off with men and women partners and by the end of the choreography boys were dancing with boys and women were dancing with women. When they walked off the dance floor hand in hand the crowd whooped its approval. It reminded me of the “Keep Dancing” movement that swept Orlando after the Pulse Nightclub massacre.

After the Ballet left the stage the crowd dissipated and we decided to informally share our work for the evening and then disband ourselves. Perhaps a few years ago I would have stayed until 11pm to finish another sketch but I was all sketched out. I just needed to get home to crash. With so much to see and do, Immerse can be overwhelming, but in a good way.

Immerse 2018 by the Creative City Project

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The Creative City Project was started in 2012 by Cole Nesmith as a way for people in Orlando to discover the amazing talent that is to be found in the City Beautiful. The first year was small being produced with very little budget but the event has grown through the years. It is one of the signature Orlando events that I enjoy sketching each year. For the past five years the idea has been to present all this talent in one night, but this year the event has expanded to fill two evenings.

This year I co-hosted ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) on the first evening of Immerse. I set the meeting location at the former City Arts Factory which is a landmark familiar to most artists. On that Pine Street block, the Red Bull truck was set up along with a bar to get the party started. I had already done 5 drawings that day of Story Corps interviewing people at the Orlando Public Library, so my parking spot had been found much earlier in the day. I thought I might be “Sketched Out” for the day but once I felt the energy of the event I had to put my pen to the page. Noga Grosman arrived and we considered the idea of getting a spot in an Orange Avenue bar and watching the event unfold from a bar stool. Other artist hadn’t arrived yet, so I started this sketch and she sketched one of the five stages set up throughout downtown. Another artist had messaged that he might arrive about an hour late, so we both got busy sketching while we waited. A member of the Red Bull staff expressed an interest in buying this sketch and we will see if that pans out.

A rap artist took to the Red Bull Stage and did a mic check for about half an hour. He then broke into an improvised rap in which he picked people out of the crowd and used their fashion sense as a spring board for his lyrics. I started to think that no other Urban Sketchers would show up, so I branched off to sketch at another stage. Immerse would be in full swing from 5pm to 11pm, so the night was young.

Joysticks Arcade Lounge and Retro Bar in Downtown Orlando

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ODD 26 (Orlando Drink and Draw) was held at Joysticks Arcade Lounge and Retro Bar (69 E Pine St, Orlando, Florida 32801). Orlando Drink and Draw ventures to a new bar or restaurant each month to sample beers and sketch. There is no model fee and no instruction. This is just a chance to get out, meet fellow artists and draw. I’m hoping to sketch in Central Florida’s best and most unique dive bars, so suggestions are always welcome.

Joysticks is a gaming bar with retro video arcade machines as well as a full bar. I like the references to Little Shop of Horrors, Star Wars, Jaws, Ghost Busters and there is a Game of Thrones sword throne that is great for photo opportunities. Retro arcade games are scattered throughout and there are themes nooks for friends to gather. The place is a visual fest for the eyes and working digitally allowed me to push the extreme colored lighting in the sketch. Four or five artists stopped out and we sat at the round tables to sketch this unique space. Joysticks is the self proclaimed most popular arcade bar in Orlando, Florida. They have a wide selection of specialize drinks, craft beers, and retro
arcade games.

The joy of ODD is that I always get to meet several new artists and flip through their sketchbooks. Most people feel the eyes are a window to the soul, but for artists it is their sketchbooks.

Orlando Drink and Draw at Thai Island

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Orlando Drink and Draw  (ODD) ventures to a new bar or restaurant each month to sample
beers and sketch. There is no model fee and no instruction. This is just
a chance to get out, meet fellow artists and draw. I’m hoping to sketch
in Central Florida’s best dive bars, so suggestions are always welcome.

Wendy Wallenberg suggested we go to Thai Island (2522 S Semoran Blvd, Orlando, FL 32822. Thai Island is a casual spot for familiar and country-style regional Thai dishes in a quaint setting. About four artists showed up and sketched while sampling the dishes. I had a spring roll with the accompanying sauces on the table was good but didn’t  order a full meal. 

Artist Orit Reuben stopped out and worked in pastels which was a colorful alternative the watercolor sketches I do each day.

ODD 17 at Dexter’s in Winter Park

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Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) invites artists to go to a new bar or restaurant each month to sample food and drink and sketch. I was living in Winter Park at the time so I decided to go to Dexter’s (558 W New England Ave Suite 100, Winter Park, FL 32789). My roommate went to this place religiously. There are often bands that perform but on this evening it was quiet. I usually go to ODD events a little early so that I get a good jump on my sketch before I start socializing with other artists. I ordered a beer and got to work.

As I was finishing the sketch, I realized that I had not seen any artists enter. The door was at the right of my sketch so I was looking towards the entrance and should have noticed and welcome any artists. I decided to put extra time into the watercolor on the sketch to pass the time but decided after a while that no one was going to show up. I  paid, packed up and walked back to my car. 

On the drive back to my studio, I got a text, “Where are you?” from an artist. I explained that no one had shown up and I left. What I didn’t realize was that daylight savings time had just ended, so I was at Dexter’s well over an hour before anyone else, and I left before the start time of the event I had scheduled. I had to apologize. I hope anyone who did get out to Dexter’s got a decent sketch that night.

ODD on the Eve of 49 Portraits being Exhibited at Gatlin

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On the Eve of the opening of 49 Pulse Portraits at The Gatlin Creative, (4940 South Orange Avenue Unit D, Orlando, FL 32806), artists gathered for drinks and a chance to sketch and chat. The Orlando weekly had listed the event in their event calendar and I was pleased that a couple stopped out as a date night. On the walls were the original portraits created by 16 local artists of the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre. All the portraits were done in one night just as all the lives had been taken in just one night.

Approaching Gatlin Creative, there was a gorgeous sunset to the west. Interrupting the skyline was a billboard that announced the upcoming gun show at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. It was Odd to host this event in the shadow of that billboard. We live in the Gunshine State.

The Gatlin Creative, is an art
production house and creative space. Its creators, Tiffany Windsor and Ralph Ballentine
have made a
second home. Both working independently and also as partners in the film
industry, they base all projects out of their studio here. The Gatlin
offers other individuals and groups a place to create art, to teach, to
learn and to build; a place for people who wish to make things happen.
 

It’s
comprised of both personal studio space but also incorporates an
additional 1,000 sq ft of space to rent. Whether it be art classes,
crafty courses, small photo shoots or a
place to meet and work; The Gatlin has much to offer.

As a way to meet each artist who attends ODD, I like to have artists face off and sketch each other with a five minute time limit. All of my sketches were done in that short time window. I like the rush of trying to block in the sketch and get just enough information on the page so that the person might be recognized. I get to take chances and let go a bit and the results aren’t very pretty but they are interesting. Part of the challenge of doing sketches every day is to be able to accept whatever is created. There is no time for erasing or second guessing.

Artist Colin Boyer regularly attended ODD events. He went on to be a portrait artist at Disney World and he did some amazing work there. His digital illustrations are stunning. It kind of makes me want to slow down and spend more time on paintings myself. he recently had a beautiful child, so there might not be enough time for these sketch outings for him. I still hoist these ODD events each month. If artists show up that is great but if I am on my own, I still sketch, sample the drinks and food and write up the experience. It is my chance to become a foodie once a month.