Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School is what happens when a simple question is asked: why can’t figure drawing be sexy? Part art class, part cabaret, join us for 3 hours of drinking, drawing and decadence! drsketchyvancouver.com

Sometimes It Ain’t Pretty:
How the Painful Parts of Creativity Can Be Our Strongest Assets

No amount of you-can-do-it cheerleading can prepare us for the inevitable pitfalls inherent to creative exploration. We’re going to struggle, we’re going to stumble, we’re going to fall flat on our face. The thing is, everyone does. So rather than avoiding failure at all costs, I say we allow – or even force – ourselves to dig deep into it for a while. From an intimate understanding of our relationship with failure we can become stronger, more flexible, less afraid, and more adventurous.

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Kim Werker leads a project called Mighty Ugly, helping people of all sorts work through their discomfort so they can have more fun making stuff and generally being creative. Her book on the subject is due out in the spring of 2014. She works as a writer and editor from her Vancouver home, which is also home to a two-year-old, a mutt, and a post-doctoral researcher.

An interview with Vancouver artist Jon Shaw
MUSIC: “Aeropuerto” by Tortue Super Sonic
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

An interview with Vancouver artist Laura McIntosh

MUSIC: “tunnels” by The Ananas
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

An interview with Vancouver artist Mark Illing

MUSIC: “You Ess É!” by Tortue Super Sonic
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

LUXSTAR ‘Innergalaktik’ is a collaborative show that explores the mindscapes of illustrators/designers Dacosta! aka Chocolate Soop® and Frazer Adams of Frazer Creative. From robotic characters and product branding to cosmic vistas and gemological forms, LUXSTAR ‘Innergalaktik’ is a mash up of digital and analogue, featuring imagery that plays with existing and emerging elements of pop-culture from all corners of the galaxy.

See photos of the show on Flickr >

Chocolate Soop® is a design creative studio currently based in Vancouver specializing in Character IP Development. Influenced by Japanese culture, graffiti and industrial design, CHOCOLATE SOOP® is driven to create projects which contribute to and promote “Character culture” on the global stage. Headed by Dacosta(!) a self-taught, multifaceted illustrator and award winning designer Chocolate Soop® ha has been creating toys, illustration, apps, animated projects and more for the past 17 years

Frazer Adams is a Vancouver-based illustrator, graphic designer and graffiti artist. He wields a strong understanding of three dimensions and greatly values the precision, cleanliness and impact of vector graphics and typography. Though Frazer comes from a background in street art, he draws inspiration from images and ideas found in nature and the universe. Since graduation from the Capilano University IDEA Program, Frazer has expanded game art, user interface design, typography, and turntablism.

An exhibition of local independent comic creators and their [artistic/production] processes, demonstrating a variety of approaches to taking a story from initial concept to finished artwork. Included book release and signing for Tony Cliff’s “Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant” on Friday August 30. The show featured Tony Cliff, Rebecca Dart, Simon Roy, and Brandon Graham.

Check out photos from the show on Flickr >

Tony Cliff is a born-and-raised Vancouverite and a 12-year veteran of the local animation industry. His first major graphic novel, DELILAH DIRK AND THE TURKISH LIEUTENANT, is a critically-acclaimed historical tale of action and adventure. His work has been nominated for Harvey, Doug Wright, and Will Eisner awards. Find him Internetting at tonycliff.com

Rebecca Dart is a cartoonist and animation designer living in Vancouver. Creator of the comic RabbitHead (2006) which appeared in America’s Best Comics of that year. Currently working on her first full length graphic novel “Battle Kittens” about barbarian women that ride giant kittens in an unforgiving world. You can check out art from this as well as other kitty comics at r-dart.tumblr.com

Simon Roy is a cartoonist and illustrator from Victoria, BC. He came onto the comics scene in 2009 with the critically acclaimed sci-fi comic “Jan’s Atomic Heart”, and has been working on a wide range of projects since. He’s currently drawing and co-writing the Eisner Award nominated series “Prophet” for Image Comics with Brandon Graham. His work can be found at robot-blood.blogspot.com

Brandon Graham was born in December of 1976, the grandson of pin-up artist Bill Randall. He grew up in Seattle around a lot of graffiti and comics. he managed to get his first comic published at the age of 19. He’s been honing his craft ever since. He lives in Vancouver BC, with his partner Marian Churchland (author of Image comic Beast), where he spends his days creating comics. He divides his time between his own series Multiple Warheads and writing and occasionally drawing for the Image series Prophet. royalboiler.wordpress.com

Watch interviews with Tony Cliff and Rebecca Dart below:

Teenage Wasteland
August 7-10, 2013
Artists include: Angela Fama, Drew Young, Asa Cederholm, Tanya Goehring, Chris Bentzen, Erin Gibbs, ARGH!!, Karin Vengshoel, Sheri Alexander, Kathryn Mussallem. Amanda McCuaig, Jay Senetchko and Sara Bynoe

Sara Bynoe hosts an art show of embarrassing art by adults made when they were teenagers. Inspired by Teen Angst Night and her book Teen Angst: A Celebration of Really Bad Poetry, this show features pieces of art (sketches, paintings, sculpture, etc) created between the ages of 10-18. The show highlights the stories behind the work and the angst that went into them. Teenage Wasteland includes an audio tour with background interviews with the artists and live performances related to the work throughout the week. Check out all the art and hear the audio tour here >

Other fun stuff happening during this show:
Tuesday August 6 Mighty Ugly, a craft workshop w/ Kim Werker
Wednesday August 7 Opening Reception
Thursday August 8 Teen Angst Night, adults read their teen poetry, journals and other writing
Friday August 9 Stories & Song, karaoke and storytelling

Watch the interview we did with Sara Bynoe:

An interview with Vancouver artist, curator, teacher, creator of The Free Print Show and member at the Gropps Gallery Jordan Turner

Find out more about the Free Print Show and the Gropps Gallery

MUSIC: “40 Degrees” by Ergo Phizmiz
INTERVIEW, VIDEO & EDIT: Chris Bentzen

Hey hoser, check out this art show, eh? Bob and Doug McKenzie, SCTV, stubby bottles, the CBC, Littlest Hobo, Friendly Giant, Kids in the Hall, Canadian Heritage Moments, Terry Fox, David Suzuki, Expo 86… the list goes on. “Great White North” features art inspired by Canadian pop-culture from the 1980s. So put on your toque, fry up some back bacon, and check out some art at Hot Art Wet City, just in time for Canada Day. Artists include: Andrea Hooge, ARGH!!, Chris Bentzen, Brent Clowater, David Stein, DEDOS, Edward Juan, Norma Jean Harvey, Exploding Haggis, Sharon Piekarski, Shary Contrary, Sheri Alexander, and Alice Vogelaar.

The show also features a mini show-within-a-show called “Stubbies” featuring the art of 12 local artists on retro stubby beer bottles. Each bottle is only $80. Artists include: Dacosta!, Frazer Adams, Matt Bowen, Jenn Brisson, Ali Bruce, Erin Gibbs, Christyn M Hall, Andrea Hooge, Sean Karemaker, Colin Moore, Peter Ricq, and Alison Woodward.

Check out photos from the show here >

Special thanks to Cariboo Brewing for their support and for bringing local artist Soak out to live paint on opening night!