Monthly Archives: December 2019

For the archives: My teen queer gaze, as expressed in pinups and fetish art.

Pinup of flapper Spring 1982 or 3 by Rachel Ketchum aka Suzanne ForbesI was always drawing pretty women, as a teen.

I was inspired by the great illustrators, like Alphonse Mucha and Maxfield Parrish, then by SF artists – by sixteen my bedroom was wallpapered with Boris Vallejo- and then by the comic artists who were known for their “Good Girl Art”, which does not mean art of good girls.

I believe the golfing flapper above dates from Spring 1983, when I had dropped out of Stuyvesant and was taking figure drawing classes at The Art Student’s League of New York, waiting to be old enough to matriculate at Parsons. Before I discovered comics in Fall 1984, I wanted to be a newspaper fashion illustrator, which was a total real job then!

This drawing of a futuristic sex worker, in an imagined 2001, is probably from late 1982 or early 1983.

I can date most of my old drawings pretty well by what I had learned of my craft at that point! This drawing shows the street-hustling sex worker (although I didn’t know that term then) checking in with her boss via a little Bluetooth type headset, and dosing herself with drugs via a push-button in her hand that goes to her arm. Not a judgment!

I was a drug user, and I knew a lot of sex workers who were junkies in my teens, and I thought it would be nice if it was convenient for them. It looks like I designed it to be safe, with a meter to prevent overdoses.

My love for corsets was great from childhood on!

I drew this kinky Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter in 1981 or 82, when I was fourteen or fifteen.

Lingerie girl probaly 1983 by Suzanne Forbes working as Rachel KetchumA girl in lingerie, probably 1982 or 1983.

I loved lingerie sooo much as a teen. Garters and stockings and merry widows!

This bondage girl is from later 1984.

I think it may have been one of the portfolio drawings I used to get into Parsons – you were supposed to do an illustration from a book and I did The Story of O. Yup, I got into Parsons School of Design with a GED and a bunch of smutty pinups.

Fetish pinup drawing by Rachel Ketchum aka Suzanne Forbes Oct 29 1986This one, from 1986, was probably drawn as a present for my friend Chris Claremont.

Because it’s signed. I didn’t sign most work until the 90s, except when giving it as a gift. Why didn’t I sign my art? Because it wasn’t good enough to meet my own standards yet most of the time. It didn’t look like what I saw in my head yet.

And I was really IN the process of learning to get better, and really just working the process. Some days I still am!

Sexy Robot Pinup by Suzanne Forbes working as Rachel Ketchum Fall 1988Sexy Robot!

From Fall 1988.

Sexy girl with holster by Suzanne Forbes working as Rachel Ketchum Fall 1988Sexy girl with gun!

Also probably from 1988.

Sexy Space Girl by Suzanne Forbes working as Rachel Ketchum circa 1988Sexy Space Girl!

Again I’m thinking 1988, based on the delicate Pentel rollerball inking.

I am incredibly grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to take time to document my art archives.

Until today, no modern media record of these drawings existed – if we had a fire or flood they would just be gone forever.

 

 

Last drawings of the year – fabulous drag performers of course!

Adele Computer performs at Bushwig Berlin Dec 30 2019 by Suzanne ForbesHere are some more glamorous folx from Bushwig Berlin, where I drew the most performers in a single day ever!

Seriously, I still have a couple left to finish, and there are THREE other Bushwig Berlin posts! Above is the marvelous Adele Computer, so sassy and so spectacular.

Sasha Kills at Bushwig Berlin Dec 30 2019 by Suzanne ForbesAbove with the swan and the shark, Sasha Kills, whose performance “MALIBU” included both inflatable beach gear and blood.Performer at Bushwig Berlin Dec 30 2019 by Suzanne ForbesPerformer 2 at Bushwig Berlin Dec 30 2019 by Suzanne Forbes

Performer at Bushwig Berlin Dec 30 2019 by Suzanne ForbesTrying to get ahold of credits and links for the other four performers, so if anybody knows, let me know!

As usual these drawings are licensed Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) for all to share and enjoy!

In addition, I release the copyright on each drawing to the performer shown and they may use the drawings for their own profit and pleeeasssure in any way they choose. Thanks to the chill-as-heck venue Festsaal Kreuzberg. And to Bushwig for having me!

As a fat, queer, disabled artist, crowdfunded support is the only way I can make this work and release it for free. 

You can join my Patreon Patrons, for as little as a dollar/euro a month, to keep me working and releasing my documentary art of Queer Berlin as Free Art.