Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School

As a fan and model at Dr Sketchy’s I have to say, it is awesome. Super fun night, even if you’re not sketching. Always set to great music that captures the mood of the night. It’s now located at Press Club so now its home is very much suited to the calibre of the experience. Check it out for a fun night out with a twist

After reading about Dr Sketchy’s online I got curious and wandered on down, sketchpad in hand.
Spending an hour and a half sketching a gorgeous burlesque dancer is not the way I usually spend my Thursday nights. The experience, though, was a heap of fun and something I intend to do more often when Sketchy’s starts up again in 2012. The event I attended was the end of year celebration, and took place in Puritan, a lingerie store on James Street, rather than the usual Glass Bar. This setting made the night even more unusual and surreal. The lighting was a little bright and took away from the intimacy of the night, but the enthusiasm and sense of community among the attendees more than made up for it.
We were treated to a variety of costumes and poses by reigning Miss Burlesque Australia, Sina King, who was enthusiastic and friendly. Tickets were $ 20, which bought a Strom cocktail on arrival (Strom being the event’s sponsor) and wine throughout the night. Nibblies were also provided. Normal Sketchy’s events are $ 15 entry, so keep an eye out for next years’ events, and remember to take your sketchpad and pencils!

Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School isn’t so much an art class as a social event, one where you get to draw scantily clad burlesque dancers. The first time my friend invited me to join him for a Dr Sketchy’s night I did not know what to expect. As soon as I walked in I was greeted with a free cocktail and a lot of smiling faces (both from regulars and the folks running the show). A very voluptuous and stunning woman in a red corset happily posed and chatted to the «artists» sitting closest to her. Now I say «artists» in inverted commas because Dr Sketchy’s is an Anti Art class. They don’t teach you how to draw nor expect you to have any talent whatsoever. They just encourage you to enjoy yourself and sketch away. This encouragement also comes in the shape of prizes given out throughout the night for things such as «most creative incorporation of Santa into the sketch» or just «model’s favourite». You don’t have to be the most artistic in the room to win these either. I was definitely not the best but got a prize anyway (I think they were being nice because I was a Dr Sketchy’s virgin).
There are plenty of opportunities to sketch away, chat and drink throughout the night. The model poses for different periods of time ranging from 1 min to 15 min poses, allowing you to practice different techniques. She also had a costume change half way through to mix things up a bit. There were some poses where her breasts were almost exploding out of her corset but everything stayed quite PG the whole night, much to some of the «artist’s» dismay. The whole night cost fifteen dollars which sounds like a lot but for such a fun, interesting and unique night out in Brisbane the price it is totally worth it.
It is best to keep an eye out on the Dr Sketchy’s Brisbane facebook page (
) for info on upcoming sketch nights usually held on the first Tuesday of every month, as the website (
) covers the Dr Sketchy’s chain across the entire globe. The Brisbane Sketchy’s is held at the Glass bar at the Judith Wright Centre on Brunswick Street, which is the perfect, classy venue for it. Whether you go to draw, drink, or just have fun socialising while doing something completely different, I highly recommend checking out Dr Sketchy’s.