“Dr. Sketchy’s is what happens when cabaret meets art school.” I met Molly Crabapple, the founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, at Lasell College in 2007. She was part of an artist’s lecture series where she spoke about how to make money as an artist. I was drawn to her amazing business and practical side because most artists don’t have those skills. (This is a promo piece I designed for her book tour last year.)
What I’ve always loved about figure drawing (aside from drawing the figures) is the process. You start out with 1-minute poses. Then move on to 2-minute poses, then 5, 10, and eventually 20-minutes. How good a sketch can you do in 1-minute? Well, you get good fast. When 2-minutes comes along, wow – you have twice the time! At 5- and 10-minutes, you can really take your time to make the drawing look good. And at 20-minutes, well, you better have a good idea of what you’re going to do with all that time.
This is how I have my designers conceptualize. Whether its for a web site or a business card, I tell them to sketch. To focus on quantity, not quality (I know that sounds funny.) I tell them to see how many sketches they can come up with in a half-hour or an hour, and then we discuss them. This forces the mind to dump out all the obvious solutions to make room for the more creative ones. Just like in the fashion world, sometimes the more outrageous designs are eventually pared down into more acceptable creations.
And in the meantime, join me at Dr. Sketchy’s at Great Scott in Allston on the second Sunday of each month. Bring a sketch pad and have some fun. First beer is on me!
http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=61927