Sketch Date: Live Drawing a Concert
Putting music on the page.
I remember my first concert—Andy Gibb, with the Alessi Brothers opening. Pure teen heaven. That was followed by Van Halen, Queen, Kiss, Aerosmith, and others. Some of those memories look like photos; frozen images of David Lee Roth doing one of his gymnastic split-leaps off Alex Van Halen’s drums, or Andy Gibb crooning sweetly to his screaming teenage fans (including me, shrieking my head off). Taking a camera to shows wasn’t something we did back then; when you’re young, everything is now, and you don’t think about keeping memories.
These days (she said, sounding olde), everything is about preserving not memories but moments, through our phones. People go to concerts and watch the entire show through their phones as they record them (unless stopped by security or the annoyed person behind them). As much as I try to live in the real world, I (blush) have done it myself.
Last week, when I went out to a concert, I tried something different: live drawing the show. I first learned about live drawing from Brian Butler, a Miami based muralist who, armed with a marker and a sketchbook, does awesome pages full of people, bands, and the things he sees. (Check it out!)
When I heard my friend Sean Kiely was opening for Richard Thompson, I couldn’t wait to go—and try live drawing the show.
Sean’s a folk-rock kind of guy, the type who can do Woody Guthrie justice, though he’s best known for his original songs. His music is just what we need right now: melody, a good strum aligning with honest poetry about heart and life stuff, sung gently, but directly. His songs get to you, and you don’t want to let them go. Sean’s got a newsletter,
, and you can listen to his music on his website.
Usually, the big deal about going out for me is what I’ll wear. This time, it was what art supplies to bring. I finally chose my tools for the evening: a Fabriano Venezia sketchbook with watercolor-safe paper that can take drawings on both sides; my Derwent Urban Sketcher watercolor kit; and an assortment of pens. I threw on a dress and a faux fur scarf, and out we went.
My beloved, sketch-enabling husband chose the balcony, which meant a) I had a little table to lean my sketchbook on, and b) we were kind of far away. Then the lights went down, which meant a) showtime! And b) I can’t see! Challenge number one of live drawing: drawing in the dark. I made my initial sketches with a Sakura Pigma Sensei 1.00 mm marker; it gave a thick line I could actually see in the very low light. It’s also drying out, which resulted in a wonderfully scratchy line that’s great for shading.
Sean was joined by Bobby Hawk on fiddle and Jean Rohe for their duet on their new single “Mother Tongue.” Anyone who didn’t know Sean at the start of his show loved him by the end.
Sean opened for Richard Thompson, the venerable British folk rocker who’s been such an influential artist for so long I must have heard his music before. The thing is, since music journalism was my career for a while, I’ve heard so much music I can’t remember it all, so Thompson’s music felt new to me. Much like the new Sean Kiely converts, I may not have been familiar with Richard Thompson before, but I love him now! I went home with a head full of great music and a couple of new drawings in my sketchbook.
Because I was drawing in low- to no light, I didn’t know how the sketches looked until the next day. Let’s say I’m no new Brian Butler, but I was pretty happy with the raw look and feel of the drawings. I fed those into Procreate to give them some color, but the basic vibe is still in these end results.
Overall, I’d love to try live drawing again—and when some form of Van Halen reunites or the Alessi Brothers go back out for another tour, I’ll be ready!
Have you sketched a live event? What was your first concert? Please share!
These are wonderful! Drawing in the near dark... very cool.
@Dunja Popin live drawing!