Drinking and Drawing

A Night with the Johnsons

2011-02-19T19:03:00.003-05:00

123 Rivington St. Can't believe I never went here when I worked across the street for 2 years.

It's like if Hugo's were run by a bunch of twentysomethings.

& So It Continues.

2011-02-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

Drunk & Full Of Love: DnD.

Premium Homewrecker.

Other Nuts?

Broken Home/Love Boat/Meat & Potatoes.

What Do Your Friends Know About Your Sex Life?

DnD, y'all.

And So It Begins.

2011-02-09T12:24:00.003-05:00

One Year?

2010-04-18T00:46:00.001-04:00

One year since my first post on this blog. What does it all mean?

Early Spring Things, & Some Random Bits & Pieces.

2010-04-16T21:24:00.002-04:00

April, 2010.

Aloha.

Good Eggs.
Fish?
Ham/tomatoes.
Hope To Be Home.
i.e., how my mind is looking these days. cheers.

Found Objects.

2010-03-25T21:29:00.005-04:00

I recently seriously cleaned up my desk, & found the following scraps: the Virgin Mary via la pieta book from the noho dump, many birds, the contents of my fridge at various points in time, vintage food porn, flowers, hamburgers, kittens, & of course of course Britney, apparently saved for something, what it was, long forgotten. I also found the origin photos for my core visual languages, i.e. nautical imagery, cows, abandoned bones, classic diners, street signs, eggs, cars. What to do next?

Collage & Draw of course.

Gulls/MEAT-AND-POTATO SALAD.

Red Hook Diner/BABY DRAMA.
Downtown N.B./Is A Bird?
(dedicated to Beth, obviously).
Mussells/All About Annuals.
Cows/LUNCH COUNTER LEGEND.
Ah, random collage with very specific rules. How I roll. P.S. My Desk is no longer clean nor organized, so more collage must be in the works.

Anatomy, Botany, Orinthology, Genealogy, Popular Culture, & Some Grocery Lists.

2010-02-17T21:01:00.004-05:00

a.k.a Autobiography via other things.

1. "muff/NEWSP."

2. "Real Simple Jan 2010/OJ"
3. "organic kale/gravy."

I'm trying out a lot of the different things I used to do all together in these.

Bear with me. I'm still working this shit out.

xo, Liz. (EnD)

You Could be a Can

2010-02-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

So sue me, I inked their name before realizing it was You Can be a Wesley.

I was only introduced to the band last week, right before they played the Sierra Grille on Thursday, but they're great. If you haven't, check out their video for Creatures.

In general I'm a little sad about the portrait. I was using some new pens and didn't have a handle on how much they'd bleed when I started the watercolors. Oh well, next time.

Cirque du Trois: The Aftermath

2010-02-09T21:05:00.003-05:00

I wasn't exactly thrilled with my haul from CdT. We tried going table-less for the evening, which was a lot more fun, but it just wasn't as easy to complete drawings from the dance floor:

Still, what a dance floor it was. The Mathematicians (above) really got things rolling, followed immediately by the (in)famous MC Frontalot:

Who immediately buckled from the pose above into the one below:

Also, a rare appearance in the picture-haul by event organizer Elizabeth MacDuffie:

All in all it was the most fun Cirque yet. I just wish the drawings had been a little more thorough.

Britney Applies For Food Stamps & Visits The Grocery Store.

2010-01-31T22:24:00.002-05:00

Well, no she didn't really...

(but I had a week in which I attempted to fill out our food stamps application, sold a shit ton of overpriced groceries to hypocritical rich people, & had a few spectacular eating disorder-related meltdowns).

I didn't realize this Britney collage thing was gonna be a series, but here we are, 3 parts later.

Part 3: Food Stamps/Meals In Minutes/Grocery Lists

#1. SNAP: Too Expensive.

#2. Deadly Diet: local people. local food. local money.
#3. 1-866-FOOD: help us fill in the carrot.
Yup, some more observations from the grocery store. Particularly the tabloid aisle (I wish

co-ops had one).

I romantically still believe print media will save us all.

Actual drawings drawn in actual bars, actually.

2010-01-22T13:00:00.003-05:00

I actually went to a bar and drew these. Can you even believe it?

The bar was The Moan and Dove and the bar tender(ess) was Scotti:

She recommended some very nice beers, indeed! I know more about wine than I know about beer so I love being totally schooled!

Emerald did some Habitat for Humanity stuff.

Show 'em whatcha got.

Now a serious question: Would there be interest in purchasing work where all proceeds would go to funding Haiti relief?

Discuss.

xo
Rin

In Which Britney Teaches Us Something More About Ourselves.

2010-01-21T23:37:00.005-05:00

"These Are The Rules:

Sriracha, Meatballs, Horses, Double Britneys, Endangered Wildlife,

Ok! Dec. 09, Cosmo Oct. 09, Things I Didn't Plan."

#1: We've Never Been Happier.

#2: Oops, I Did It Again! (The Question No Guy Can Resist).
#3: Sexy Ass Wedding.
#4: Ready (for) Bad Girl Sex.
#5: Ingredient/Dish of the Year
(Sriracha/Meatballs) (Sean Preston/Jayden James).
Yes, I am still here, if only occasionally.
To REPRESENT for
BRITNEY, Yo. & COLLAGE.
Heyyyyyyeaaaaaah, DnD.

XO, liz. (EnD).

How Jedidiah Got His Groove Back

2010-01-18T20:32:00.006-05:00

As I've gained technical ability and experience over the past year, the sensation has crept over me that a certain spark is going out of my portraits. Months ago I felt compelled to lend some ontological purpose to my work, and the best / worst I could come up with was "fuck you, imma do what I want." You may scoff at the banality of my description, but I have a massive chip on my shoulder about art and I wouldn't want to endow my works with the same self conscious neediness I exhibit. They should be tough enough to stand up for themselves and critics be damned.

"Polish" and "Attitude" don't often coexist in the same portrait, so I was glad to see that all I needed to give my work legs again was a little re-exposure to "fuck you, imma do what I want." Enter the World War II club:

Where else can you find so much "fuck you, imma do what I want" just floating around in the air? The bar is practically mortared with the stuff:

Notice that reversal up there? That's one of Lisette's signature moves. Yeah, I feel like we also used to learn from each other here on this blog.

And sometimes I just have to draw a robot:

Or weird punk-rock Paul McCartney:

Think that's dumb? Yeah? Well "fuck you, imma do what I want."

I don't mean to turn into a preachy jackass on the blog here: that's not what Drinking and Drawing is for. But we're sneaking up on our first anniversary, and certain observations are becoming difficult to avoid.

Cirque du Imminence

2010-01-15T12:48:00.005-05:00

Cirque du Trois is right around the corner: January 30th, to be precise. These little media circuses are always fun, and also one of the only places you can see a real Drinking and Drawing "performance." So come on by, and buy us drinks. Much as with the two previous events, I worked on the poster:

I'm actually not super happy with how this one came out. I'm down with the original drawings, which I'll post later, but the poster just fails to tickle my ticklish bits. Ah well, lessons learned.

Some folks seem to fancy it though, and if you're one of them delicious (and signed) 17 x 11 prints will be on sale for like $4 or $5 at the show.

Back on Track

2010-01-08T18:25:00.003-05:00

With long-time ally Brian finally resident in Northampton, things are shaping up for one hell of a winter. Already I'm back to drawing lonely men at Hugo's more regularly than I was even a month ago:

And, I got to meet Lisette's cool uncle, Jim:

Then we hit The Elevens to see a one-night-only Amazing Love and get waaaaay too drunk:

Thankfully these china markers I'm getting into are really forgiving:

Also, has anyone else noticed how much worse I was at this a year ago? Jesus, looking through the site archives is brutal.

Happy Birthday, Jed.

2010-01-03T23:37:00.002-05:00

Love,

Drinking and Drawing

Happy Birfday!

2010-01-03T14:23:00.004-05:00

To me? As a present to myself I drew these 8 portraits of characters from The Venture Bros., which you should all go out and watch immediately.

Also, Ella's arson relief fund group has a website up now:
http://www.simpletexts.org/northampton/

There will be shows at The Elevens, Sierra Grille, The Rendezvous, PACE, and Bishop's scattered throughout the next month. In the mean time, enjoy a bunch of weird portraits of cartoon characters:

Northampton Fire Relief

2009-12-30T22:38:00.003-05:00

Heyas, long time no post? Yeah, working 3 jobs sucks. I haven't been to the office in a month. But I've got good news!

Well, it's not great news, actually. We've got an arson in Northampton, apparently, and the multi-talented Ella Longpre has been kind enough to start work organizing a benefit concert on behalf of those affected, featuring many of the Valley's most popular acts. I just finished off a piece for promotional purposes, and here it is (hint: it's a map):

Check out the Facebook event page. No dates set at the moment, but in the next few days things should be getting locked down with a real website. I'll repost the info when it's available.

Fuck Yoouuuuu it's Time for Robots

2009-12-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah man, birds are down with robots too:

Especially ones with fantastic thighs:

It's true. This is a ROBOT PAGE:

One of Many Possible Spellings

2009-12-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Spelling was never really our strong suit at Drinking and Drawing, but this page represents a spectacular collapse of the public school system:

Oh, and a drawing.

Exquisite.

2009-12-17T15:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I think I'm finally done being sick and I'm beginning to emotionally adjust to working regular days in an office (sad-face), so it must be time to pick up with posting again. In the spirit of Thursdays-past, here are some exquisite corpses created at Hugo's:

Yeah. I'm Sick.

2009-12-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

Aaaaaand tired. But that's unrelated to this:

Walt is My New Hero, and Other Stories

2009-12-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

So this guy -- *ahem* -- man I met last week with Jaron at Hugo's buys us drinks for hours, tells us about working at DEC and CA during the birth of the information age, has friends who have won Turing Awards (what?), teaches us how to win at bar games (or, at least, that we aren't going to win against him), does car bombs with us, and then commiserates on how much drinks cost at The Basement (too much):

I woke up the next day with a hangover and about 8 more IQ points. Much more successful than this night in New York three weeks ago when I just woke up dead:

Sorry for all the text, Walt just brings the poet out in me.

How Love Saved Britney (Via Collage).

2009-12-01T20:45:00.004-05:00

This is neither drawing, nor was it done at the bar, but somehow I feel that it embodies the essential spirit of DnD anyway. I remembered the other day that I might like to draw food a lot, but I am still also a collage artist who obsessively follows the saga of Britney Spears.

HOW LOVE SAVED BRITNEY, IN FIVE PARTS.

#1: He's The One.

#2: She's Made Huge Strides.
#3: From Sickness To Success (Napkins, Please).
#4: Savour Each Moment.
#5:'Shut Up'.
Will love really save Britney? Or any of us? Will cheeseburgers save us, or fries? The answers, only on this blog.

xoxo, liz.

San Francisco, etc.

2009-12-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Boy, I've been traveling a lot lately. First I went to New York, then I went to Boston, then San Francisco. "On business." Wait, that's not a euphemism. First up, Boston (in the cold, with time to kill):

And in San Francisco (or at least SFO) with more time to kill:

Witch, Tunnel of Love, etc.

2009-11-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

Alright, well Lisette managed to get my ass out of the house on a Friday night (for once) to see some bands play at The Elevens. First up was Tunnel of Love, whose costumes I adore:

Followed by Witch, which (!) I'm informed involves J Mascis in some way. Perhaps on drums. Whatever he was up to on stage, this is what they sounded like:

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T01:53:00.003-05:00

My festive interpretation of the classic Thanksgiving Turkey Craft project we all know and love:

It's actually made by the same process of "tracing hands" as the traditional model, but in this case the instructions were read by an animator.

I'm Not Dead Either!

2009-11-25T21:03:00.003-05:00

Hooray! Rin & I are in fact still alive. But I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen over here. However, looking over some old sketchbooks of mine recently, it turns out that I still can be found drawing at the bar, old school DnD, on occasion.

8.6.09. Local Burger.

9.22.09. Chris' Apartment (but bar-like, due to the jukebox).
10.6.09. Hugo's.
10.17.09. Hugo's again.
10. 29.09. The People's Pint.
(The People's Pint rules. Noho people, venture out there more often.
Damn fine establishment.)
Moral: It's still fun to draw in bars.

A Portrait of Hugo's

2009-11-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

I work in cycles. First it's black and white ink portraits, then it's color landscapes, and then... well, you can fill in the _____:

The Vivian Girls

2009-11-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Drawn at their show at the Market Hotel on November 6th, in the dark (naturally):

I actually went to college with Katy (above) briefly, which is how I manage to keep running into her and the rest of The Vivian Girls whenever I hang out with Brian.

Cassie (below) also manages to remember who I am every time we meet, which is strange considering how many thousands of people they must be flung against every week:

I'm not dead

2009-11-19T22:21:00.004-05:00

Also: A picture of me sharing a sunny afternoon with a bear. Like ya do.

Kisses.
xo

About 6 Weeks Ago

2009-11-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

The music scene of Northampton was pretty wrapped up in the passing of Tim Young at the end of September. A very sad event, really, and I did some drawings at his memorial show. Never posted them though:

Well, I thought they should do something besides languish in my sketchbook. Nice guy; he'll be missed.

Like an Old Timey Photograph

2009-11-15T17:32:00.001-05:00

Man, this is like one big black and white image dump. See if I can space these out a bit better next week. Not much else to say here, I've just been drawing drawin' draw'n:

Yeah, that's about how one feels sometimes at the end of a night of Drinking and Drawing. Or so surveys suggest.

Various things.

2009-11-09T18:51:00.006-05:00

These are a few drawings from various points.

First off, two of the members of Little Teeth, they are awesome and from the coast opposite us.

A random fellow at the bar. Having a ponytail and a beard is a pretty sure way to get me to draw you, whether you are male or female.

A sketch of a relatively studious person, which can be found only at the Yellow Sofa.

And one more.

2009-11-07T18:14:00.003-05:00

A final image for the week of Halloween posting:

And that's that. Back to costume-free posting for me next week.

Oh Man, Let the Halloweening Begin.

2009-11-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

So Halloween has finally descended (and abated), and boy were there a lot of crazies to draw. Like this man, drumming at Sierra on the 29th:

And this couple at WWII on the 30th:

Although that last drawing is my interpretive representation of the subjects' inner cosplay goals, this next guy pretty much looked like a legit paranormal investigator (less the Busch):

Finally we have some of the Williams St. partiers contemplating what's to come next:

More of what comes next, next.

It's Baseball Season, I Guess

2009-11-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Or so the television at Hugo's tells me:

Also, a rare treat: I actually scanned two facing pages! Incredible.

Pencils and Inks

2009-10-29T11:57:00.004-04:00

So at The Elevens the other night, Kyle and I were trying a little exercise. On this first drawing I did the pencils and he did the inks with his brush pen:

On the second drawing the roles reversed:

Conclusion? I have no idea what I'm doing. But that's hardly new information.

A Little Teeth is Good for You

2009-10-27T14:32:00.002-04:00

Newest DnD member Kyle got me out last night to see Little Teeth play at The Elevens. The funny thing is, I have no idea what they played. Is this a violin? Is it a horn? You be the judge:

Also, Sean Real is the most animated drummer I think I have ever seen:

Beware: Zombies

2009-10-24T15:59:00.004-04:00

So Zombie Pub Crawl Northampton 2k9 happened. Reports indicate that the only casualty was the coherency of the zombie's literary symbolism:

Um did Hello Kitty eat the zombie?

A union no honest hipster could resist:

Also, there was a strain of zombie hunters hanging out among the shambling dead. Or at least dudes dressed for some kind of a fight (mullet added for emphasis):

And Rin just had to come by and pretty up an otherwise consistent sketchbook with his portrait of my invisible zombie suit:

2009-10-18T15:20:00.005-04:00

While I haven't been to bars lately due to my work schedule, I have been drawing and self-reflecting. And upon reflection, it occurred to me that I don't know how anybody could ever have liked Thomas the Tank Engine.

Narrative?

2009-10-16T15:32:00.003-04:00

I mean, I guess this is a narrative? I don't know, I'm trying to make comics which express the innate character of animals:

And their wardrobes (click to read small text):

Or just, you know, looking like a jerk:

Somehow I feel like drawing animals in bars makes even less sense than what I normally do...

Eating Vs. Drinking & More Changes.

2009-10-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

As part of the new format changes over here at DnD, a lot of my work that really doesn't have a whole lot to do with our favorite activity here, Drinking, is going to exist in the future over at my other blog,

Eating & Drawing.

Head over there for such exciting posts as the continuation of The Grocery Project, & all my crazy narrative shit.

& of course, since Eating & Drawing is in essence a food blog, that's where you'll find of all the cooking imagery as well as further scenes from the DnDnE dinners.

All of my old posts will stay up here, as well as on Eating & Drawing for some narrative continuity, but the new stuff will be posted only there.

But don't worry, y'all.

I still like drinking as much as eating, & there will always be places where the two intersect, such as this.

So you'll be seeing me over here a few times a week as well, & I hope to see you visiting (&posting!) over at EnD.

& look for a few regular contributors to this blog who also happen to be excellent cooks to pop up there as well!

Thanks for reading & looking.

xoxo,

Liz.

A Change of Pace at Drinking and Drawing

2009-10-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

Hellows, all you readers of DnD!

(Yes, this is you.)

After a lot of discussion amongst our regular authors we have decided to begin altering the content of this collective art blog. Drinking and Drawing has gone through so many vacillations of content since its inception in early 2009 that we've found it hard to promote it to new readers.

To make things a little more open, both to new readers and new authors alike, we're going to start standardizing the schedule by which and the quantity of what we post. You'll still get the same flavor of insane / inane drawings you always have, but hopefully on a more regular schedule and with a greater focus on the drawings themselves.

Many of our regular contributors also have blogs of their own for you to read, such as Liz Diamond's Eating and Drawing, an epically illustrated food blog, and Rin Ascher's spectacular Supremacy Struggle. You should absolutely click those links.

We will also be easing off of the Facebook end of our community as there are a number of technical difficulties presented by administering blog content on FB which we aren't financially or practically prepared to overcome.

We hope you'll stay with us while our content shifts a bit and one day maybe even post something yourself...

Thanks,

The Drinking and Drawing Team

Keep your eyes open

2009-10-12T08:44:00.003-04:00

Battles with color, cont.

2009-10-10T19:38:00.000-04:00

Battle of the Super Snake and The Guy with The Hair.
Cirque du Coq.

Mark @ Cirque du Coq

2009-10-10T19:33:00.001-04:00

The OKCupid Dating Chronicles, Jan. to Sept. 2009.

2009-10-08T23:02:00.007-04:00

Grocery Comics Part Five.
What Happens When You Mix One Girl, One Seriously Broken Heart, A Laptop, A Lack of Money, Shit Ton Of Free Time & A Desire For Company & Adventure & Good Food & Drink.
(by request)(for another lovely elizabeth)(happy very almost birthday)

a truly beautiful awe-inspiring moment out of nowhere & one that wasn't so much of anything (vermont vs. greenfield)...

...a really stupid thing to do that turned out ok although not great, & a really sweet meeting of souls...

...incredibly delicious food but at what cost & the beginning of a series of carefully chosen adventures that were & weren't right...

...promises of tv & drinks & snacks get me to leave town for somerville on a whim & I am similarly enticed by offers of cornish game hens & bacony brussel sprouts the day after valentines day...

...a shared home town turns out to not mean that much but it was a nice evening & one of my worse decisions, but at least I got osaka sushi out of it & oh also survived...

...the best one & the most unmemorable...

...sometimes even poetry is boring & coincidence is just that...

& now, I think I'm done with this game.
But who won?

Come back from San Fransiscooo

2009-10-08T19:23:00.000-04:00

Jed, Maia & Joaquin at the Spoke!(rediscovered) Sweet friends!

This is what happens if you move when I'm drawing you

2009-10-08T19:20:00.000-04:00

don't do it!
you'll turn into a tree.

Some Recent Tuesdays.

2009-10-07T23:39:00.003-04:00

Since for some bizarre Northampton reason no one ever shows up at the Basement Tuesday nights for dancing before midnight at least, here's some of what we get up to in the evening hours before that.

raspberry crumb cake & wine at melissa's 9.15.09.

the eve of my birthday, chris' apartment, 9.22.09.

& the moment just before it became my birthday, 9.22.09.

my return to hugo's after a one month absence, 10.06.09.

it was good to be back drawing people at the bar again.

'cause drawing people at the bar is still part of what I do.
don't worry, I've got a lot more of these.
& I realized last night I really should really draw george & dan djing,
so look for that soon.

The scene of the crime.

2009-10-06T19:16:00.003-04:00

and the gargoyle guardian of Hugo's (drawn while watching Night of The Living Dead)
coincidence?

I think not.

Keep me away from the colors...

2009-10-06T19:11:00.002-04:00

Alison and Jed's knee-dropping rendition of 'Hey Jude' at the BEST yet night a la WWII
(come early for Trivia)
...that's what she said?

Alison's perforated feet next to a perforated chair with a face?
Like I said, keep me away from the colors.

A giant squid and Maia moving, forever ago

2009-10-06T18:58:00.002-04:00

Wednesday night is The REAL Bad Movie night!!
(this week is a Happy Birthday to my favorite Kat involving SPICE WORLD and sweet treats!!)

Maia at Tullys while we felt Amazing Love vibrate in our chairs from next door.
...thats what she said?

A Perfect Rainy Fall Saturday, Part Two. (What We ATE).

2009-10-06T00:12:00.002-04:00

The continuation, & obviously the most important part,
...What We Ate...
(dinner at paul&elizabeth's)(10.3.2009)(before Ben Folds)

my salad
(I somehow forgot to eat anything else all day, so this drawing is CRAZY)
(eating vs. drawing, when you're starving but the food is beautiful)

what I ordered & I don't know if it's just cause I haven't had food cooked for me in a really long time (I'm always the cook), but this tasted pretty fucking good.
it was one of the specials. it worked.

& todd's dinner & I have to say that the tofu & broccoli at paul & elizabeth's is always delicious.
& that I kept stealing bites the whole meal.

& the aftermath, random objects left on the table while we were talking after dinner = a knife, a glass of red wine, a candle, & an almost forgotten bowl of brown rice.

Sorry it's been either a restaurant review or an illustrated cookbook 'round here lately.
oh wait I'm not sorry.
Cooking is awesome & beautiful. & drawing makes it even better.

Bowie visits Noho and preaches of bones and cigarettes

2009-10-05T20:32:00.000-04:00

True story.

Ask A Southerner What They Think Of "Organic" Collard Greens, Why Don't You?

2009-10-05T02:23:00.006-04:00

Sunday, yup, you know where, yes, grocery hell.

You know how sometimes tiny awesome things make your whole day bearable & even ok?
well cait's drawing below did that for me today.

& I overheard a completely & utterly absurd conversation about collard greens & I drew that.
(oh did I mention IT WAS A CELL PHONE CONVERSATION?!)

I guess, more of this shit tomorrow. sigh.
SIGH.

A Perfect Rainy Fall Saturday, Part One. (What Happened).

2009-10-05T01:16:00.005-04:00

Saturday I by some miracle (OR, thanks, amy!) didn't have to work & it poured rain every single minute
& I missed the Garlic & Arts Festival & Deerfield Town Yard Sale
& OMG! Bret Michaels at the Big E
but yet, it was a beautiful day in every way.

Saturday started out right by watching Breakfast at Tiffany's well after midnight in my living room, me for the millionth time, & getting to show this utterly fabulous movie (yup, I'm ridiculous) to someone for their first time.
(big glamorous sunglasses & croissants & coffee)

& then waking up to a rainy farmer's market morning, & pears picked for me by todd & emaline.
(this is one of my most favourite recent drawings)

later, the view from paul & elizabeth's after running there in the rain while it really poured & the wet streets sparkled.

Following dinner, Ben Folds at the Calvin.
This was drawn in almost pure dark by the way, but this concert was so excellent, I had to pull my sketchbook onto to my lap
& at least attempt draw what I felt,
anyway.
Totally wonderful show, so grateful that I got to be there.

Good day, yeah.
& Part Two: What we actually ate for dinner, coming soon.

Beautiful Women, Talented Boys

2009-10-03T20:42:00.000-04:00

Ella woos us with color and grace at the Sierra Grille;
supported by a charismatic Aussie with a flair for stage and a grape flavored guitar.
A drummer with a bright head that matches a salt shaker from Joe's pizza
which matches a glass of white wine
which reminds us...

A sacred stringed Ceremony the lovely Ella blessed the stage with, two performing males and one observing female, the beautiful Melissa Reed.

Super
Happy
Wicked
Awesome
Fun
Time

and a friend.

2009-10-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

Corsano, Chris

2009-10-03T20:20:00.000-04:00

at
the Elevens
with
Sunburned Hand of the Man

Food Blog? Art Blog?

2009-10-03T17:52:00.003-04:00

I told you this was coming.
The recent incredibly pleasant cool fall nights have definitely inspired me to cook more.
Some meals from the past week, here at 133.

Sunday dinner.
For a former vegan whom used to be terrified to cook meat at all, I think I've come really far. Steak (london broil, best I can afford) simmered in red wine, butter, olive oil, garlic & shallots, with yukon gold new potatoes & broccoli. & so fucking much butter you wouldn't even believe it.
(but I believe in butter).

& one of my classic recipes, inherited from mum, a roasted chicken with fresh thyme & rosemary, garlic, olive oil, butter & white wine, with fresh local carrots, potatoes & brussel sprouts roasted in the same pan. This meal consistently wins people previously frightened of them over to the true deliciousness of brussel sprouts.
plus great leftovers with chicken sandwiches & now I have chicken soup to look forward to.

DnDnE last week, yes that coconut curry.

& then the next night we did a little more DnDnE , so we had the leftover curry plus sauted spinach, garlic, & summer squash in olive oil & butter, & more salad (baby mixed greens & sprouts) (loving sprouts lately)
(oh & the rice was brown basmati, both nights)

& more on the subject of awesome reinvented leftovers, my dinner from last night, very late, while watching Breakfast at Tiffany's. I had some leftover spicy red sauce (with applewood smoked bacon) that I had previously eaten with some tiny raviolis. I made some chicken apple sausage, spinach, portobello mushrooms in olive oil & butter & garlic & combined them all & ate it with raw milk goat cheese & kalamata olive rosemary sourdough bread & baby greens salad & goddess dressing at 2am. yup.

WAY more of this to come, my friends. It's only gonna get colder here in new england.
& I'm only gonna wanna cook
(&draw)
more.

Playing Pool At Ye Olde.

2009-10-02T22:28:00.003-04:00

Melissa playing pool at The Watering Hole the other night, from various angles.
9.29.09

I am quite astonishingly terrible at playing pool, but love to draw you playing it.

DnDnE, 9.30 & 10.1.09, Part Two: Liz

2009-10-02T00:04:00.003-04:00

My version.

Rin drawing me while I was drawing him.

Rin & Beth, Drinking & Drawing & Eating.
(yes, Rin does have a cat on his head)(hi magpie)

It WAS a really incredible moment.

& Beth drawing tonight.

& for some reason, I PRESENT,
this photo of a sheep, I don't know, we really liked it.
From this week's New Yorker,

& I haven't even posted the drawings of the food!!!
OMG.
Stay tuned for THE POST WHEN THIS BECOMES A FOOD BLOG.

DnDnE, 9.30.09, Part One: Beth

2009-10-01T23:04:00.002-04:00

We are trying to make this Drinking & Drawing & Eating thing "A Thing".
aka I cook a lot of delicious crazy food & invite YOU over & dance around in my kitchen barefoot
& we draw everything.

Beth's version of last night's coconut curry + art friends:

A really awesome portrait of me
(except we are trying to use the word "awesome" less)
this one actually from my birthday but just scanned tonight

& me & rin, last night

Everyone, please, encourage Beth to let me scan more, or start posting here herself. These are really freaking mad great drawings.
(or marks on paper, whatever you wanna call it, lady)
we need more of this shit 'round here.

Tasty paintings!

2009-10-01T15:20:00.005-04:00

So, Liz made a curry and it was really really good! It had coconut milk and some beautiful veggies depicted above.

Fall makes me all excited about red wines. Here in the valley the weather has been chilly and beautiful, perfect for drinking Reds again!

Someone should tell her than she can't taste the complex flavours of this wine's oaky, spicy, complex finish because smoking fucking DESTROYS the palette.

Just sayin'.

A Northampton Fairytale.

2009-10-01T00:44:00.005-04:00

Just a typical night on the town, I guess.
I kind of wish it wasn't like this, but it seems like it is.
Noho, September, 2009, of course Tuesday night.
& (drawn in my random stolen moments at the grocery store the next day.)
Grocery Comics, Part Four.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT.

Peace. I wish it didn't always turn out like this.
But at least we always have real good dancing in this town.

A Blue & Orange & Completely Abstract Afternoon

2009-09-29T22:47:00.003-04:00

A September Moment.
Yesterday was a breathtakingly beautiful day, & Rin & I both had the day off from the grocery store.

So we sat in various places & looked at things & thought about them & how gorgeous they were & talked.
(& did NOT fall into the waterfall, thank you very much)
We didn't even draw, we just looked.

But this is how I remembered it later last night.
P.S. I was carrying around a coffee from Woodstar the whole time, so this definitely counts as DnD.

More Grocery Portraits

2009-09-29T22:10:00.004-04:00

A bit late as usual, but still I completed this challenge.

Amy & Cait, from today, 9.29.2009, yes at the grocery store.

These two people make me laugh more than you could possibly imagine,
& also save my life every single day.
I wish these were better drawings, because these are such awesome people, but the goddamn customers kept wanting me to wait on them, for some reason.
I have this funny feeling that I'll get a chance to try this again though...like maybe tomorrow, back at work.

Cirque du Coq: Part 3

2009-09-28T16:57:00.004-04:00

Towards the end of the night Jay, songwriter for Yucky Octopus, bet me (only moments after our being introduced, mind you) that I couldn't draw his band on stage. See, this is what happens when people throw down on my MADD DRAWIN' SKILZ:

Naturally, he admitted defeat (as all gentlemen will do when confronted). As a bonus, I also drew Y.O. bassist Darren Masloshi doing his Babe Ruth / skeet shooting pose, which I admit was too epic for my sketchbook page to contain:

And then there was this guy? Yeah. Not to be confused with this guy though:

Oh, and I'm serious. I still have a couple of these posters left:
$4. Signed. 600dpi. Cardstock. Collectible (once I pump out the Cirque du Trois posters anyway). Hell, I'll even leave a lipstick print on them if that's your thing.

That's it for my Cirque du Coq though. Lisette will be blowing by through here with her drawings in a bit. Stay tuned.

Cirque du Coq: Part 2

2009-09-27T13:29:00.002-04:00

Magna Mater kicked up some dust mid-set, and is also using my CdC poster on their myspace page. Super!

A bit of spoken word poetry to punctuate the evening:

Finally, Cirque du Coq brought us back to the mid 90s for a trip down industrial rock lane with Mark Alan Miller:

Next up: Jed wins a bet against Jay of Yucky Octopus (who are also also using my CdC poster. Cool! I still have a few of them left if people want to buy one for $4).

I Can Has The Eggplantz? & The Broccolizzz?

2009-09-26T21:53:00.006-04:00

This is what happens when you stop living your whole life at the bar.
(not that there's anything wrong with that)

Apparently you become a crazy cat lady obsessed with drawing your gorgeous vegetables acquired at the Noho farmer's market that morning.

This equals: more DnDLOLCATZ.

dustyrose would not get off the table...

while I was creating this drawing of my vegetables from "farmer's marketing" (yes, I just invented a verb) this morning:
baby bok choi, various hot peppers, patty pan squash, broccoli, tiny japanese eggplants, & aged seven months Caprino goat cheese from Hillman Farm.
(I'm eating many of these delicious things right now),

What I did last night after work instead of Cirque du Coq.
But at least the late night meals thing persists.
Where I was drawing rather than out with the rest of DnD.
Sounds like it was fun, but hey, my midnight dinner was pretty delicious, & Dusty Rose is pretty adorable.

& I felt this should be included,
since this is a
"hey what we can all agree on if nothing else at the very least is that we all love kittens"
post. what wade folded my rent rent check into this month.

I WISHES I hazd A Cheeszburger right now. Or ten moressss kittenzzzzz.
(DnD truth #36789: when things are sad, we get silly & laugh anyway.
FUCK YOU, BAD THINGS. KITTENZZZZZZ).

Grocery Portraits, Part One.

2009-09-26T21:18:00.002-04:00

After drawing Hillary yesterday, I realized that secretly drawing my co-workers at work is pretty similar to secretly drawing the person sitting next to you at the bar.

Such was my challenge for today then:

Carol, Cassie, Chris, & Thomas, drawn while I rang up 214 transactions on the express register on a September Saturday.

Don't worry, this challenge will totally be continued tomorrow...

Untitled

2009-09-26T18:32:00.007-04:00

I had long heard rumors of this roving band of drunks armed with pens, paints, pencils and sketchbooks who roamed the bars of Northampton causing trouble and, more importantly, causing art. Last night, at Cirque de Coq at the Elevens, I got my chance to try my hand.

Turned out it was a lot of fun, full of great company, great music, and great acts. I also found myself both drinking and drawing, so it's nice to know this blog is exactly what it says it is.

A random fellow from the audience. His moustache sold me on drawing him.

Cirque du Coq: Part 1

2009-09-26T13:04:00.003-04:00

Oh what a night. CdC went pretty well -- heard some great bands, hung out with some awesome people, ate a slice of eggplant pizza waaaaay too fast. Oh, and I made some drawings! Almost forgot.

In the Church of Rock & Roll, stained glass plays lead guitar:

Setup to a break-down:

The Golden Spurs (they're using my CdC poster as their myspace pic -- cool!), who are super nice guys AND very talented musicians. I'm hoping we get to hear more of them in Northampton:

You may notice that these drawings look nothing like the band members. That is because I look more at my paper than at my subject. Oh well.

Next up: spoken word poetry and the return of Industrial.

"Of Course There's Tequila In The Cupcakes!"

2009-09-25T23:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, as rumored, I recently celebrated my 31st birthday,
& I did it DnD style, aka with sloppy art, good food, & my incredible friends
(both absent & present)(yup, I stole that).

Some scenes from my first day of being 31:

A very late breakfast/lunch with Melissa at Woodstar = two different versions of smoked salmon on an everything bagel with coffee...

mine, (bagel sandwiches 2009 series)

& hers. (plus another birthday truth)

& a gorgeous thunderstormy dramatic sky above one of the views that makes me want to keep living here.

Then Rin, Melissa & I went on an adventure north, many very important objects were acquired from both food & thrift stores, & we unexpectedly found Ali in Greenfield.

The night concluded with a dinner party
& Rin winning the cupcake competition.
Yes, Rin officially wins at cupcakes.

These margarita cupcakes really did included tequila, & were rolled in salt, in homage to our favorite book. Wait until you try the bourbon cheese straws.

An unexpectedly awesome birthday, all around.
Thanks once more for all the birthday love.
XOXO.

You Could Also Say, "Don't Trust Lobsters."

2009-09-25T22:24:00.002-04:00

& That Would Be Equally True.
More in the spirit of recent collaborations: A page in Beth's sketchbook from my recent 31st birthday party.

The life lessons we all learned that night, & my incredibly abstract rendering of a lobster.

We Always Said We Wanted DnD To Become "A Thing."

2009-09-25T22:10:00.003-04:00

But I never imagined it quite like this.
Sure I bet Cirque du Coq is all awesome & crazy & creative right now, but this is what us working girls got up to at the grocery store tonight instead.

It's an ART REVOLUTION at the registers, I'm not even kidding you.

Two drawings by Caitlin (top) & Hillary (bottom).

The labels are mine.
Notice they maintain the classic the DnD position on spelling.

A tree that Hillary drew for me, & me drawing her drawing it.

& Cait's amazing contribution on the end of a roll of receipt tape
(it's actually even longer than this in reality).

Art occurring in unlikely places & made by everyone has always been one of the core values of DnD , but I'm personally really impressed that we've managed to take it this far.
ART IN THE GROCERY STORE, PEOPLE. This doesn't happen just every day.
Or maybe it does.
We put the food in the bags, & we also do this. Right, Rin?

Death Vessel Mark Schwaber & Others

2009-09-25T20:51:00.003-04:00

The night we were late,
Patrick Swayze died.
We floated away on a raft of empty vitamin bottles,
down a river of red wine
and woke up washed ashore by rainbow rain.

Epic Elevens-ness

2009-09-25T20:36:00.001-04:00

Josh Burkett and Sita, string-ed goddess

A strong armed drummer and the voice away from the microphone (makes us want more)

Josh & Samara

2009-09-25T20:34:00.000-04:00

@ the Elevens.

Jed, as a birdfish

2009-09-25T20:18:00.001-04:00

life's aspiration met.
bar higher, set.

Cleanup

2009-09-25T18:33:00.006-04:00

So CdC is tonight, which means that for the next several days the blog will be under siege by Coq-related drawings. Time to clean out the archives!

First up, crows with Tourette's:

Or maybe they're just assholes?

Brendan's party! Most of this is Lisette's, actually:

Tom from Super Happy Wicked Awesome Fun Time:

Hamlet minor (?) at The Elevens:

So that's that. Get ready for a lot of bullshit from tonight's event. Doors open at 9:30 -- hope you can come!

CdC is Tomorrow

2009-09-24T09:20:00.003-04:00

Hey local fans of Drinking and Drawing, Cirque du Coq is tomorrow night at the Elevens. I had done up some shirt designs for the event, but couldn't find a printer in time to turn them into anything more robust than a jpeg:

You should come! The show itself will be pretty nuts, but on top of that you'll get to see us drawing. Which is always a pleasure maybe.

Oh, and,

2009-09-23T13:39:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Liz.

Love,
Drinking and Drawing (The concept and the collective.)

Sketchbook explosion

2009-09-22T09:57:00.002-04:00

Since everyone keeps bugging me about posting I'm really just dropping some random things that I was drinking either water, coffee, wine, or tea while drawing. Which is pretty much anything.

Can you guess which one I did at work? haha

More later.
xoxox
Rin

Fall Nights, & The Breakfasts That Follow.

2009-09-22T01:30:00.003-04:00

A random assortment of old memories, magically made concrete through the wonders of the watercolour pen, brought on by a perfectly crisp September night, & by Beth's unexpected & delightful late night company & inspiration.

(I need to see that portrait of me on this blog lady!)

Here goes, with the memories:
Too many shades of brown to count, the particular golden colour of sunlight on fall leaves, chocolate chip pancakes & excessive butter & maple syrup, nina simone in the kitchen with an open window & a cool night, wearing our hearts on our sleeves & whiskey shots (ballantines) when nothing else works, whiskey in a tiny kitchen on a late fall afternoon & a mixtape & a carefully prepared hamburger seeming like love, & sunday breakfast seeming like forever.

All apparently captured by this drawing.

Damn, though, no matter whatever other shit is going on, how I love September.
THE BEST MONTH.
at least in Massachusetts.
Clear blue, clear brown, clear gold,
impossible to draw,
but oh so beautiful so I'll keep trying.

Every Once In A While, You Are Watching Someone & Then They Fall Over.

2009-09-21T22:21:00.003-04:00

& then you laugh until you cry, & it makes the next five minutes of your horrible job go by rather pleasantly.
(at least until the next person treats you like crap, anyway.)

Today. the grocery store.

If we didn't crack each other up so much, I'm really positive they'd have had to lock us all up by now.
& seriously, sometimes you're hanging out looking at a person, & then they fall over. good times.

It's Important To Have Allies.

2009-09-21T00:46:00.003-04:00

Yep, more hi-jinks at the grocery store.
When do I actually get around to the putting the groceries in the bags part?

Friends make all the difference.
(More on the why we haven't killed ourselves yet topic.)

LOLCATZ, DnD Style.

2009-09-20T23:16:00.003-04:00

Because Kittens Make Everyone Feel Better.

When there were three.
(watching twin peaks with the roommates).

introducing Josue...

...melissa's gorgeous new cat...

...who likes to pose for the camera.
(or pen)
(quick, take a drawing)

& the current situation in my kitchen.

Expect more of this.
The small feline ladies of 133 are just that awesome.

Cirque du Coq

2009-09-19T16:03:00.003-04:00

is right around the corner. 9:30 PM on September 25th @ The Elevens. These shows are produced by Elizabeth Macduffie and the Meat for Tea magazine and are a surprising amount of fun (so you should go!). Just like for the last event, DnD was commissioned to create the poster:

Hope you can come!

Rin, Todd, Last Night & This Afternoon.

2009-09-18T20:10:00.003-04:00

I'm Working On My Portraits.

Hopefully since Beth is really down lately with the DnD thing & appreciates my cooking, she'll give me a chance at future slightly better attempts than my first try & its follow-up.

Rin, drawing at Woodstar over some totally gorgeous mochas this afternoon.
(Drinking [Coffee] & Drawing Is Absolutely Allowed Here, BTW. Or Tea. Or Water. Or Juice. Or Soup. Whatever You Fancy.)
He claims he's going to post some of his always beautiful work here very soon.
I hope to god this is true, it's been way too long since the last time.

& Todd, in my kitchen last night, over broccoli & garlic & brown basmati rice & mesculin mix salad.
(the girl who loves bacon & cheese the MOST, cooking for a vegan. But at least I'm creative & I do love vegetables).

I'm still the food artist around here, but I think my people skills are improving.
Slightly.
(yep, the irony in that sentence was intentional).

Ok, Ok, So You Really Don't Suck That Much.

2009-09-18T14:10:00.003-04:00

Plenty Of Perfectly Fine Things DO Happen In South Deerfield, It Turns Out.

Like this breakfast sandwich, previously seen taking on a starring role in this comic, from the lovely Go Nomad Cafe.

& Then there's the beauty of a drive on 116 through Sunderland on a perfect mid-September afternoon. That's good too.

I think I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from the bar, so my content for at least foreseeable future may be a lot more of the sandwiches, coffee cups, & mountains variety & less of the PBR & dancing.
But I'll still try to keep things interesting.

And That's the End of That

2009-09-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

That's what she said.

So the meme comes full circle on itself finding at its conclusion... what? Meaning, no, but perhaps consolation in the knowledge that it was heard, at least, even if briefly.

What's The Subtext?

2009-09-17T02:18:00.005-04:00

Sometimes there really isn't any.
You may be imagining the messages laced into the drawings. A drawing is just a drawing is just a drawing is just a drawing.
To explain it too much makes it a novel.

A drawing that doesn't mean what you think it does.

(this drawing is complicated) & what I ate while drawing it, from DnD dinner 9.16.09 with beth.

(I was crying while I ate this, but not about what you think)
Seriously, we all got our shit,
but you dance, you cry, you breathe, you try to be open & accept things, & you appreciate the people who let you cry & also are thrilled by glitter flowers.
& you draw, above all else.

Are You Way Too Picky When It Comes To Guys?

2009-09-17T01:12:00.002-04:00

Answer= Hells, No.

Another lovely DnD dinner with Beth.
(broccoli, cream sauce, papparedelle)

Here are her spectacular, much appreciated contributions:
(this from the girl who says she can't draw, no way)

the whole thing about the whole thing

(happy birthday, lady)(glitter flowers)

thanks to the modern wonders of the hairdryer & the scanner, both located currently in my room,
this fabulous drawing is now on the internet.

& my contribution this evening, beth drawing.

& then we did a COSMO quiz, that classic DnD activity.

I still don't think we are too picky, just awesome.

Late, as Usual

2009-09-16T16:17:00.003-04:00

So last Monday I was supposed to see regular DnD subject Ella Longpre play at the Iron Horse, but I failed in the most spectacular of manners by showing up just as her set ended. Thankfully I was introduced later in the night to Death Vessel, who are amazing:

And then the evening took a turn for the weird when the ink brush came out. As you can see, I'm still on the steep part of that learning curve:

After Death Fest I made a noisy drawing of a noise drummer at The Elevens (which no longer serves Pabst!?):

Oh, and last week I drew the guardian angel of Hugo's. Look for him above the bar next time you stop by for a drink:

Not A Care, This Teenage Queen.

2009-09-16T15:14:00.003-04:00

It's Not Always Fun & Games Around Here At DnD, But It's Always An Adventure. (& By ADVENTURE, I Mean We Can Find ART In The Worst Of Situations,
THAT'S WHAT WE DO.)

A recent nightmare.

My version...

...of this list.

Then Johnny Cash plays pleasantly in Woodstar on a perfect September morning,

& some valuable advice upon which to conclude a sketchbook begun in
Asheville, NC.

Instead of bad decisions,
just DRAW SOMETHING.

Suddenly the Meme Spirals into Depression

2009-09-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

That's what she said.

Look Out. This Could Happen To You.

2009-09-16T03:28:00.004-04:00

See, I told you DnD was contagious.

Now Hillary's doing it too.

It's Getting Very Interesting At The Grocery Store, If This Is What We Do There. First Beth, now Hillary.

ARE YOU NEXT ?
LOOK OUT.