Tag Archives: portrait drawing

Seen around town: waltzing boyfriends and a Hoplite warrior!

Waltzing boyfriends Jan 24 2019 by Suzanne ForbesThese two lovebirds were waltzing and smooching as they waited for their train at Hermannplatz.

The funny thing was, I got on the same car as them, and once they were sitting down, the taller guy produced a Dan Brown thriller and began reading it with complete concentration, oblivious to his partner. As Book Time is taken very seriously in our house, I completely respected his boundary-setting around reading.

Cosplay guardian Jan 25 2019 by Suzanne ForbesThis Hoplite was guarding the door at the Erinyes benefit gig I went to recently.

I drew him because it was not what you expected for the security detail at a Polish children’s healthcare benefit. And also it was pretty funny that I was sitting with my Greek friend Anastis drawing the Greek soldier at the Polish children’s healthcare benefit.

However, I only know the armor style is called Hoplite because just a couple days later my husband told me we needed to get a reproduction Hoplite helmet for the library. Because of his studies on Ancient Greece. I said sure, no problem. My first husband built a Tesla coil for our living room and my second husband kept leeches for pets and made daguerreotypes with radioactive rocks, so a Hoplite helmet seems fairly reasonable, really.

edited to add these dancing girls who were whirling around in front of the stage before The Erinyes went on!Dancing girls by Suzanne Forbes Jan 28 2019

In Berlin, even charity benefits are punk as fuck.

Baron Anastis and Rah Hell of The Erinyes by Suzanne Forbes Jan 12 2019I was invited to draw The Erinyes at a WOŚP Berlin charity fundraiser at Werkstatt der Kulturen (Workshop of Cultures).

The Werkstatt is an amazing castle-like building near Hermannplatz. It focuses on transculturality and diversity and showcases Berlin’s migrant forms of culture, art and action. Amazing right?!? There is a big concert auditorium and for this event there was a delicious Polish food pop-up. I ate the most scrumptious vegetarian pierogi, the best I’ve had since those middle of the night feasts at the Kiev in the 80s.

My friends and muses Rah Hell and Baron Anastis were performing, with Antony Buzz who flew in from Greece that morning. I had had some trouble controlling my line the night before at the Schwules Museum, as my hands are a bit shaky from various medication adjustments.

So I decided to take a break from pencil and ink and do some ballpoint drawings. 
The Erinyes by Suzanne Forbes Jan 12 2019The Erinyes by Suzanne Forbes Jan 12 2019

Ballpoint is so great for gigs!

It’s so fluid, I just let my hand move with the music, swirling and slashing. It feels incredibly good to draw with a ballpoint, but in general it is other artists who really like the drawings rather than the larger audience, so I tend to avoid it. Still, some of my favorite musician drawings I’ve ever done are in ballpoint or rollerball.

It was so rad to see The Erinyes rocking out, howling their signature raw sexypunk, at an event to raise money for medical care for kids. So gloriously Berlin. I love this city so much.