Tabitha Draws

The Royal Conservatory Orchestra

2012-01-30T13:11:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night I joined my Mum and Grandma to see the Royal Conservatory Orchestra play at Koerner Hall. My Mum had bought the tickets as a holiday present, so she made sure the three of us were seated right at the front. This was absolutely perfect for drawing!

In the first few minutes before the show I warmed up alongside the musicians. It took a bit of time to get used to drawing from this vantage point because the horizon line was SO low!

The Royal Conservatory has been a musical institution in Canada for over 100 years and has served as a training ground for some of our country's greatest talent. The orchestra is comprised of students from the program, but it sounded unlike any student production I've ever heard!

The first tune was Dream-e-scape by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. One of the violinists caught my attention with the way he tucked his shiny black shoes under the seat as he played.

They rolled out the Steinway for Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 and pianist Minjoo Jo took a seat directly in front of me. What perfect luck!

I could feel the piano strings reverberate with each pounding keystroke and there was so much energy in the room that you simply could not sit still. Peeking over at my Grandma, I saw her making small conducting motions with her hands.

Nearing the end of the piece I saw how fluid my line had become. Later, my Mum noted that I had been drawing to the beat of the music. I hadn't noticed, but that's a pretty cool observation!

When they called intermission I snuck out to grab us some Soma chocolate bars from the concessions and I also took a moment to draw a bit of the crowd. My, it sure was a packed house!

As Grandma munched on a milk chocolate bar I got in another quick drawing before the show resumed.

Conductor Julian Kuerti introduced Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 as one of his favourite pieces of music. By this point the drawings flew freely from my pen.

I made sure to get in a few of the cello and bass players. When they're all seated together like that you can really feel the power of their instruments.

My line became noticeably wilder as the music went on.

A low horizon line suits orchestra drawing exceptionally well. It helps to achieve a real sense of scale.

In the last few minutes I just went for it and hardly looked down at the paper. My drawings became a series of frantic scribbles that subconsciously mimicked the energy of the song. When drawing and music come together, it's always a liberating experience!

The Royal Conservatory Orchestra

Conducted by Julian Kuerti

At Koerner Hall in Toronto

Khao San Road

2012-01-12T15:37:00.002-05:00

Last Friday I found myself craving some good Thai food, so I biked along Adelaide to Khao San Road, a restaurant known for both its long lineups and its superior cooking. I'd been there a few times before, though the wait times can be upwards of an hour. But that's what sketchbooks are for, right?

I squeezed into the last spot on a bench that was already packed with diners waiting to be seated. Across from me, at a set of communal tables, strangers bumped elbows while casually slurping from bowls of curry.

By six o'clock the entrance was flooded with diners. Everyone had an upbeat attitude, considering the circumstances!

When this lady noticed me drawing her she nervously whispered her concerns to a friend. Let's be honest, do I really look that scary?

The guy next to me fussed around with his iPhone as we all continued to wait.

This pair was clearly on a date. Let's hope he made reservations!

When my name was finally called I was led to a seat at the bar. In the back you can see how many people were still waiting, but that's what you get for turning up unannounced on a Friday night. By this point I was pretty hungry! Immediately I ordered the fresh rolls filled with homemade chicken sausage and a tall glass of Thai iced tea.

Everyone else's plates looked so good that I wondered to myself why it had been so long since my last visit. I continued to draw as I waited for my food to arrive.

I love drawing in hectic environments because it forces you to be spontaneous. After a certain point you stop caring about the paper and just get'er done!

Across the bar a friendly pair were chatting over bowls of curry, which inspired me to order a beefy bowl of Khao Soi for myself.

The bartender moved through those drink orders like a flash!

Tables turned over and a new pair of diners took their seat at the bar. Still, the lineup grew ever longer.

Slurping my bowl of noodles, I hum along to Radiohead's "Creep" as it blasts through the speakers. Behind me I notice that one of the servers is doing the same. This is my kind of place!

Khao San Road

326 Adelaide Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Little Nicky's Coffee

2012-01-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

Tucked beside a loading dock off of Queen Street, Little Nicky's Coffee injects a welcome shot of personality into a retail strip resembling little more than an outdoor version of the Eaton Centre. Yes, they do serve up a fantastic cup of coffee in a neighbourhood saturated with Second Cups and Starbucks, but the real draw is the tiny homemade doughnuts! Tim Horton better watch his back!

There are loads of offices nearby which explains the surge of customers around 3pm. At the window an older lady gives business advice to her younger co-worker.

This woman had so many shopping bags. SO many!

Some not-so-secret flirting next to the creme and sugar counter.

Construction worker defies the cliché and chooses Nicky's over Timmy's for his coffee and doughnut fix.

Lots of people to draw standing in line. With my new pair of glasses, I can actually see them properly!

Topshop bag? They have those in Canada?

Wicked pose on this girl!

This lady is the owner of the shop. Nicky is her pet chihuahua!

The only laptop in the whole place, which is amazing.

Joking around behind the counter.

Cute blonde girl snatches a seat at the bar...

Ooh! I see how it is!

Little Nicky's Coffee

375 Queen Street West (on Peter)

Toronto, Ontario

My Longest Relationship Ever

2012-01-02T02:02:00.000-05:00

I am a commitment-phobe when it comes to blogging. Since abandoning my first Livejournal back in high school I continued to sign up for, and then neglect, my new accounts for years, making a series of half-hearted attempts at building a proper home for my art online. Many of these sites were borne from a desire to showcase my drawings in a professional way, impress potential clients and hopefully score myself some freelance work. After all, every respectable artist that I knew and admired had an art blog. My problem was that I found the whole business of self-promotional blogging to be tedious and, frankly, boring.

In 2009 I resolved to start a new site made purely for my own enjoyment. Instead of stressing over character rotations and agonizing over the commercial value of my background designs I decided to just stick up whatever I felt like at the time. Sometimes I'd choose drawings, other times paintings and once in a while photos of trips I had taken with friends or beef stews I had cooked from scratch. It was a testing ground for new ideas, completely removed from anything resembling a traditional portfolio site. Like the seeds of any good relationship it was little bit stupid and not the least bit serious.

Organically, the blog has evolved into a true record of the places I've been and the people I've met through the unique medium of drawing. I began Tabitha Draws as a place to share my life with others as filtered through the tip of a pen. My sketchbook has taken me on some fantastic journeys and opened the door to experiences that I could never have imagined. Most importantly, it has kept me honest by allowing me to create drawings purely for art's sake.

I'm eager to see what trouble the sketchbook and I will get up to in the new year, as I'm sure it will be fabulous. I see a real future for us together, and it looks bright.

My longest relationship has been with a pad of paper. Three years later, I'm still in love.

The Eve Before Christmas Eve

2011-12-23T12:08:00.002-05:00

Until I go drawing at the Eaton Centre, it just doesn't feel like Christmas! So I chose to do it on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

I parked myself on a bench in front of Aldo where a woman was giving the discount shoe pile a once-over.

Shoppers lined up for gift wrapping services under a giant sparkly reindeer.

A fellow in a trench coat paused by a glittering window display.

Garbage man empties the trash in front of the Swarovski booth.

I was getting a little hungry so I crossed the street to Bannock for a cup of venison chilli.

I also got a gingerbread man because it's not a proper meal without dessert. (Fact.)

A well-heeled woman eyes the sandwiches.

Man enjoys a moment of peace with a cappuccino.

The woman across from me was glued to her Blackberry. Wait... Blackberry? They still make those?

Back at the Eaton Centre, the Salvation Army camps out next to a wall of shoes.

"Where's the Apple Store?"

This girl was such a Bella. So Emo.

Always with the plumber's butt. Oh, teenagers!

Happiness!

This couple was the cutest! Eating from their tiny cups of Yogen Früz.

Big sister keeps an eye on her bro.

Happy kids and grumpy adults. Sooo grumpy!

Another Bella? Cheer up! Didn't anyone tell you it's the Holidays?

Eaton Centre

220 Yonge Street

Toronto

Bannock

401 Bay Street (at Queen)

Toronto

Montréal Field Trip: Part Two

2011-12-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

On my third day in Montréal I treated myself to brunch at Lawrence Restaurant, a sunlit neighbourhood spot just blocks from where I was staying. When I arrived around noon the place was completely rammed with a queue building at the door. In moments like these it pays off to dine solo.

I sat at the bar and promptly ordered a cup of english breakfast to go with my plate of smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on toast. Everything was served on pretty vintage plates.

The girl working the espresso station was a latte-making machine.

Out of the blue my neighbour initiated conversation. "So!" he said, "Wanna hear something really weird?" Um, I don't know. Do I? Then he launched into a nervous run-on sentence about an article he was currently reading in the Globe and Mail. I love talking to strangers so I tried to keep up the conversation but it quickly fizzled into an awkward silence. He looked to be my age and, from what I could tell, he was some sort of banker. Probably from Toronto. I couldn't help but compare him to this guy.

Drawing in public is a funny thing. It is often a gateway to conversation because it forces complete strangers to acknowledge each other. There's always that awkward moment when your subject notices they are being drawn, and their reaction to that moment can reveal a lot about their personality.

Take this server for example. Our exchange went something like this:

"Did you sketch me yet?"

"Ha, I dunno... can't remember!"

"Well if you haven't, now you know what to do!"

He was working another section so I didn't see much of him to get in a good sketch. But 10 minutes later...

"How do I look?!"

Finally I had my shot when he came by to punch in a bill at the cash. Later, when my own bill arrived, I noticed that my scone and tea had been comped by the house. Amazing! (That scone was frigging delicious, by the way!)

On another day I found myself at the Atwater Market, a sprawling food emporium in Montréal's south end. Vendors lined the entrance with stacks of fresh pine trees and holly branches for sale.

I took a seat at a bench and drew the shoppers. It was a nice day out.

It was hard to resist a purchase from this table of cranberries and maple syrup.

A lady picks a handsome-looking branch to adorn her front hallway.

Inside the Market customers line up at a bakery to score the last pickings of the day.

That night I decided to continue exploring the area without a map, but I made a wrong turn. After a misguided detour through the bad part of town I was seriously craving some comfort food. I bolted to Patati-Patata, a neighbourhood diner with a warm vibe, killer french fries and adorable mini hamburgers! I ordered a combo and gleefully washed away visions of sketchy massage parlours and dingy back alleyways with a homemade iced tea.

This is the sort of place that can cheer you right up when you're feeling down. Even this girl was unable to hold back a smile once her cheeseburger arrived.

It's also a popular hangout for students. I ordered a burger with all the toppings (including cheese and bacon), a basket of fries and two iced teas and the bill STILL came in under ten dollars. The quality is really amazing and the price is right!

There were a lot of solo diners. This lady stared absentmindedly out the window while she picked through the remains of her hamburger with a fork.

On my last full day in Montréal I met up with a friend to do some cafe sketching. After a bit of walking through the rain we ended up at Cafe Olympico, a neighbourhood institution since the early 70's.

The crowd was decidedly older and quirkier than at Café Névé with lots of real characters to draw. Here, I only spotted three laptops!

It was kind of like someone set the "wayback machine" to the early nineties. There were so many newspapers and "Pieces of You" was blasting through the speakers.

Then my friend encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and try out a brush pen. I haven't used one of those in years! It shows, don't you think?

On my way to catch the VIA train home I took the subway where I produced The Obligatory Métro Sketch. This post simply wouldn't have been complete without it. Till next time, Montréal!

Lawrence Restaurant

5201 Blvd. St. Laurent

Montréal, Québec

Atwater Market

138 Atwater, Corner of Notre-Dame

Montréal, Québec

Patati-Patata

4177 Blvd. St. Laurent

Montréal, Québec

Cafe Olympico

124 St. Viateur West

Montréal, Québec

Montréal Field Trip: Part One

2011-12-07T22:57:00.001-05:00

Last week I took a self-guided sketchbook field trip to Montréal for a little change of scenery. I was staying with a friend of mine in the bustling Mile End neighbourhood. Dense with eclectic shops and winding streets, I was living the urbanist dream!

Coffee shops are always my first stop while traveling because they present a wonderful window into the neighbourhood culture. I visited Café Névé, a cozy spot just off Saint-Laurent, and grabbed a cup of tea.

Nearly every man had a beard! Was it a post-Movember thing or simply a Québec-in-the-wintertime thing?

I was one of the few customers without a laptop. Macbooks were well represented here.

This woman fiddled with her iPad while sipping a homemade chai.

At the front of the shop they've got a coffee table with an iron deer on top. I found it pretty cute.

Really wasn't joking about the laptops.

When lunch came around I ordered a lentil soup with a homemade scone which was to die for. Then I rounded out the meal with a gorgeous chocolate chip cookie.

My poor neighbour received some unwanted attention from the other side of the table.

Exams... remember those?

For dinner I made my way down the street to Réservoir, a lively gastropub with a meat-centric menu on Duluth. Luckily I was able to snag the perfect seat with a great view of the dining room action.

The bar offered a world of possibilities for two passing strangers. I wonder what happened next?

Within minutes every seat was occupied and a lineup snaked out the door.

A stylish woman sampled a bottle of wine with her husband before dinner. She noticed me drawing and they both came up to say hello. Very nice people!

The tables were turning quickly so whenever I finished a drawing there was always someone just as interesting as the last to take their place.

For supper I enjoyed a smooth bowl of mushroom soup sprinkled with salty bits of blood pudding and an order of crispy grilled cheese with homemade pickles.

There was still so much to draw but I was too full to order another plate and secure my seat for another twenty minutes.

"Is it alright if I stay here a little longer?" I asked my server, pointing at my sketchbook.

He smiled wistfully, "Hm... there's a lineup out the door. Stay as long as your conscience allows!"

No worries, I'll just have to come back to Montréal another time!

Café Névé

151 Rue Rachel E.

Montréal, Québec

Réservoir

9 Rue Duluth E.

Montréal, Québec

On The Road Again

2011-12-04T23:33:00.001-05:00

Drawing at Atwater Market, Montreal

These past few days I've been having a lovely time on my self-guided sketchbook field trip to Montreal. So much drawing! (and feasting!!!) I'll have the pictures up midweek. Till next time, my lovelies!

Cartoon Council

2011-12-01T09:34:00.001-05:00

As the temperature drops my drawing adventures have moved indoors to places like the Council Chambers of Toronto's City Hall where each meeting is, for me, an exercise in restraint. In the 8 hours I spent drawing there were several occasions where I didn't know whether to laugh or cry simply from the ridiculousness of it all! Of course, in the interest of drawing, this cartoonish behaviour suits me fine.

His Worship, Mayor Ford.

School groups trickled in throughout the afternoon. I'm curious what they thought of the whole thing.

Can you spot your City Councillor?

Here's mine, Adam Vaughan! He wore the loveliest blue socks that day.

Doug Ford exchanges some words with Vaughan.

McConnell and Fletcher check in.

This dapper gentleman observed silently for the entire afternoon.

Grimes leans back in his chair looking rather bored.

Stintz bites her fingernails as Shiner speaks to an uninterested crowd.

Perruzza asks why Council has spent an entire afternoon nit-picking over the value of Neighbourhood Environment Days, something that had already been voted on a month ago. Really, guys? So much for our Mayor's mantra: Respect for Taxpayers.

City Council Budget Meeting

December 29th, 2011

Council Chambers, Toronto City Hall

The 99 Percent

2011-11-27T19:43:00.001-05:00

On a warm Friday evening in November I packed my bag with drawing supplies and cycled through the Financial District to attend a rather unconventional meeting of minds. Tim Gilbert, Chair of The Design Exchange was hosting a talk regarding the Occupy Toronto Movement mere days after the protesters were evicted from St James Park. A lawyer from downtown Toronto engaging with a room full of activists? I packed extra pens for this one.

Several months ago I spent time drawing at City Hall in the heat of Mayor Ford's infamous deputation marathon and left feeling deflated and unheard. Hours spent in tight quarters under the nauseating glow of fluorescent light fixtures does nothing to advance civil public discourse.

Ascending the Vale-Inco Grand Staircase at The DX, I overheard a snip of muffled sarcasm exchanged between two smug security guards. I was prepared to be underwhelmed.

But this place was different. Rounding the corner I entered a gorgeous art-deco style room that looked more like a banquet hall than a rally site. There were dozens of circular tables draped in black linen surrounded by nine chairs. Placed on each was a set of pens, a giant pad of paper and a vase that held either a pink or yellow flower.

There was no assigned seating so I chose a spot close to the front with a 3/4 view of the stage. Within minutes others had joined me carrying cookies and coffee from the complimentary snack bar. The remarkable thing was how quickly everyone started chatting, as if we were seated at a table of old school friends.

Some people were really into the Twitter too. For this event everyone had agreed on a hashtag (#OccuCon) to keep track of the comments and project them on a giant screen in realtime. As one rather astute fellow pointed out, "We arein the former Toronto Stock Exchange. This is a very different stock we'retrading now."

In the Occupy Movement there is no leader, but remarkably, that's what makes this style of conversation so effective. When Tim Gilbert got up to address the crowd he was fully aware of that fact. As his introductory speech ran past ten minutes the restless audience signaled their impatience through a series of coordinated hand gestures. Consensus was that we were using the time inefficiently and so everyone agreed it was time to move on. Polite and effective.

Next, journalist Matt Gurney from the National Post stood up to rock the boat a tad.

"Well we are here to talk about where we go next, and even thoughI’m probably not politically aligned with most of the occupiers, I actuallywish you all the best for the simple reason that I find you interesting, andthat I’d like to see it continue for no other reason than my own curiosity."

This to me is the key purpose of the Occupy Movement. To begin an intelligent dialogue within a diverse community.

Of course opinions do clash. At a certain point in his speech Matt suggested that the Occupy Movement should look to the Tea Party as a model to emulate moving forward. Although his points were valid, the tone in which he delivered them came across as a little too strong and irritated some people. Within seconds the crowd erupted in anger and a member of the audience rushed onto the stage.

"Mike check! Mike check!"

"PEOPLE'S MIKE!"

The room fell silent. With a trembling voice a young man addressed the fuming crowd.

"I understand that a lot of you guys have some contempt for any establishment, including him. I am part of the movement, I've been down there. I will tell you this. Any time, under any form that you guys choose to shut someone out because their opinion is different than yours, you are letting someone else win."

Just as quickly, the tension was extinguished.

After some further remarks from Matt and a few housekeeping announcements from the Facilitators we moved into the roundtable discussions.

The main question was how Occupy can bring this conversation into the community. I really didn't feel qualified to answer that since I'm in the business of making cartoons for a living. But that's where I was wrong.

First we had each member of our table identify the issue that was most important to him or her. Already, this whole evening had turned out to be way more interactive than I had anticipated. I was so nervous about sounding like a giant dork that I hardly said a word for the first 15 minutes (completely out of character, by the way). When it finally came time to speak I found it came quite easily, a testament to the power of the roundtable model. Everyone was equal and, as citizens of this planet, we all had something of value to contribute.

In an hour we covered a whole range of issues, writing each one in marker on a giant slab of newsprint.

"How do we get the middle class involved?"

"How can Artists work to engage communities?"

"People feel uncomfortable if they don't know what they're supporting."

At the end of the session we took a little break for pizza and reconvened for a presentation of the ideas, led by OCAD University President Sara Diamond.

A representitive from each table got up for a little over a minute to summarize the key points in their discussion.

The ideas and solutions were as diverse as the crowd. One person expressed a need for the participation of children within the movement. Another described how urban farming could be a way to alleviate hunger amongst the less fortunate. Others felt strongly about the power of the web to inform positive change.

At the end of the night, Misha, one of the Facilitators, came on stage to summarize a key element of the movement:

"And so many times during this occupation somebody has come up to me said 'I have this great idea, YOU should do it.' And what I really want to say right now is that these are amazing ideas and it's time for YOU GUYS to do them!"

The Design Exchange Chair's Forum Presents

Occupying Conversations: What's Next For The Occupy Movement?

Friday November 25th, 2011

The Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street

A Year of Walter Trier

2011-11-23T23:17:00.001-05:00

Exactly one year ago I set out to find myself a creative mentor who possessed the artistic qualities I wished for in myself. Someone with an ability to transcend the boundaries between commercial and traditional art-making. A magnificent storyteller and a killer draftsman.

On a Wednesday afternoon I walked into the AGO's Print and Drawing Study Centre not knowing what to expect. It had been years since I was last there, probably with art school or something, and I barely remembered its location. At the door I was greeted by the friendliest set of volunteers who led me on a tour of the facilities and explained how the space functions.

The Study Centre is the only place at the AGO where people can view original works on paper directly from the vault and without a frame. As in, the only thing standing between you and that priceless Dürer etching is your own anxious breath. Crazy, no? It's pretty clear how amazing this sort of access can be to a visiting artist such as myself. And the best part? They let you draw!

First I had to describe what I wanted to see. With no previous knowledge of the collection I explained that I was a cartoonist in search of "loose gestural drawings", for lack of a better phrase. That's when I was introduced to Walter Trier.

The Toy Shop by Walter Trier

The number of works in the Trier collection is staggering. As a German fleeing Europe in World War Two, Trier brought not only his family but over 1100 drawings and paintings to his new home in Toronto. I had never heard of him before this encounter at the Study Centre, though he is best known across Europe for children's illustration, caricature and political satire. After his death the family donated all of his artwork to the AGO where, by some stroke of luck, we crossed paths.

Each week, for exactly one year, I have spent the afternoon with Walter Trier. Through a strange obsessive compulsion I plan to continue these drawings until I've exhausted the collection. I feel like I owe it to him! At the gallery I'm known as "The Trier Girl", and here is a sample of what he and I have been up to.

The Marvin Gelber Print and Drawing Study Centre

At the Art Gallery of Ontario

Open-Door Wednesdays 1-4pm

or Fridays by appointment

The Odd Bits

2011-11-21T12:36:00.001-05:00

Lots and lots of drawing! Here are a few odds and ends from the past few weeks.

At the AGO, Artist-In-Residence Paul Butler continues to host a series of talks and lectures that include compelling topics such as "Selling Art Without Selling Out" and "The Problem With Canadian Art".

I always try to arrive a touch early so I can draw the people waiting for the lecture to start.

Lectures are a great opportunity to get a bunch of poses out of the same people. You can be assured they aren't going to get up and walk away in the middle of your drawing.

There's always a bit of nervous energy when a person gets up to speak in front of an audience.

There was a day in early November where veteran film titles designer Richard Morrison gave a talk at the TIFF Lightbox. I was able to go with passes I received from attending the RGD Design Thinkers conference.

Richard discussed his body of work and showed clips from the designs he was most proud of. When "Seed of Chucky" hit the screen, the audience howled with laughter. Apparently it's Tim Burton's personal favourite!

Last week I did some drawing at the National Ballet of Canada's final dress rehearsal before the world premiere of Romeo and Juliet. An hour before the show I found a seat at restaurant Nota Bene to warm up my sketching arm over a cup of tea. (Honestly I'm not that much of a square, but if I drank alcohol every time I sat down at a bar to draw there wouldn't be much work getting done!)

Hostess scans the computer for reservation late comers and no-shows.

My neighbour looked a little sad.

Pretty, but sad.

The suits of Bay Street.

Gosh, this place is amazing. I've had meals here before, but never have I gone with the purpose of drawing. Enough with the arty-types, I want to draw me some businessmen! Definitely on my list of places to revisit.

Also on my list of places to draw is Koerner Hall, the beautiful performance space at the Royal Conservatory that was completed in late 2009. I had never been there, but a friend brought me to a brilliant concert of Arab Jazz by the "3 Cohen's Sextet" and their former teacher Jamey Haddad. Since it was the end of their tour the performers lingered after the show for an impromptu after-party.

Koerner Hall, I'm lookin' at you! I'll be back!

The National Ballet of Canada presents Romeo and Juliet

2011-11-16T00:17:00.001-05:00

My first encounter with The National Ballet of Canada was in grade 3 while attending Parkside Public School in the east end of Toronto. Through regular dress rehearsal field trips to the O'Keefe Centre, our Principal Mr. Boorne instilled each student with a love of theatre from a very early age. With help from his dancer son, Ryan, our school was privileged to attend nearly every production. One extra-special trip involved an afternoon at the Walter Carsen Centre to meet the company's costume and background designers, setting the foundation for my lifelong love-affair with the performing arts.

Now in its 60th year, The National Ballet celebrates with a new production of Romeo and Juliet by renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. On the night before its World Premiere I took my seat in the Four Seasons Centre to sketch the First Act.

Peering into the pit, I drew as the musicians warmed up for the last Working Rehearsal before opening night.

Everyone was dressed in comfortable, colourful clothing. No black pants 'till the 16th!

To celebrate this anniversary year the National Ballet Orchestra will perform its first-ever solo concert at Koerner Hall in the spring, led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Davis Briskin. Now that's one I definitely plan to check out.

After the curtain rises I let the performers dictate where my pen should fall.

When sketching people in action, movements and energy are more important than likeliness.

Dance is perfect for this sort of drawing. When an exceptional dancer hits a strong pose you can feel it in your bones.

Tension builds and the swords come out. Eeep!

Everyone loves a good fight scene.

And a healthy dash of melodrama!

Elena Lobsanova's Juliet is both fragile and graceful.

In the ballroom scene, ladies of luxury twirl across the dance floor.

The Nurse was always my favourite character! She gets her laughs in this production too!

Hidden behind a mask, Count Paris makes the moves on Juliet.

Principal Dancer Guillaume Côté leads Elena through a series of fluid lifts.

She is swept off her feet.

Elena's Juliet perched en pointe.

"For you and I are past our dancing days." - Capulet

The National Ballet of Canada Presents:

Romeo and Juliet

World Premiere by Alexei Ratmansky

November 16th to 27th, 2011

At The Four Seasons Centre in Toronto

HH7: "Missed Connection"

2011-11-13T16:20:00.001-05:00

Missed Connection

In this animated short, a delusional young man spots the girl of his dreams in his favourite café and weaves a self-indulgent fantasy story of their imagined life together. Missed Connection examines our universal desire to connect in a world of beautiful strangers.

_________

Missed Connection is an animated short that I completed last June for the NFB through Hothouse 7, a fabulous program for emerging filmmakers. The theme this year was "Here Be Dragons", a reference to the serpent-like creatures that were used to chart unknown territory on ancient maps. Each of the six participants had to address the theme in their own way and I chose to... well, you'll see!

The film was animated completely in Flash on my Cintiq and utilized software like Skype and Cozimo to communicate with the Montreal Studio on a daily basis, enabling all the Hothousers to remain at home for the majority of the production. In previous years all six filmmakers would move to Montreal for the duration of the project but this time the virtual studio environment was also part of the experiment. We met up in person at the beginning, then continued to build our alliances online. When it was time to return to Montreal for the Online Edit and Final Mix it felt like a reunion of great friends. And everyone was in 3-D!

Want to read more about it? Here are a few links:

HH7 Posts on Tabitha Draws

HH7 Posts on The NFB Blog

HH7 Posts on CAR Blog

Be sure to check out all the other films

in the Hothouse 7 Playlist!

Hold That Pose, Porky!

2011-11-10T12:51:00.001-05:00

Good animal sketching is a scarce commodity when you live in the core of the city. The best one can hope to draw are squirrels, pigeons and tiny dogs wrapped in cashmere coats. Skunks are a really bad idea, or so I'm told.

That's why The Royal Winter Fair is so popular with the sketchbook set. Most artists are introduced to the fair in college where, as students, they are bussed in to study the animals up close. This tradition still holds strong today as the Fair welcomes a new generation of artists who are trying to capture a moving animal for the first time.

This high schooler broke rank to draw some Hampshire swine.

A teenage girl places her hand through the gate to pat a sheep.

This toddler was completely fascinated by the hogs. His mom turned to me and said, "I don't know why! He just loves pigs!"

Sheep shearing is always ridiculously fun to draw.

This kid was concentrating super-hard on that goat.

Boy drawing some fancy cows.

Judges take a walk through the "Ring of Excellence", awarding prizes to the ducks.

GIANT turkey! Delicious!

Another group of artists wander through the chickens.

Some brought their own seating for longer studies.

This lady was working on a watercolour.

Have I ever told you how much I love chickens?? With all my heart!

This fella was super noisy.

So handsome!

Did you know that animation great Norman McLaren identified most with chickens above any other animal? Fun fact!

In the food court area I had a meat pie and drew my neighbour eating pizza. When he noticed what I was doing he asked for a peek at my sketchbook. This sparked a really fun conversation!

Farmer girl gives her cow a drink of water.

In the retail area this vendor was selling boots and handbags.

Cows are so giant up close.

And full of personality!

Sheep wearing a fancy outfit to keep his coat clean.

A camera crew interviews a boy and his prized lamb.

Lady shops for a Spicy Italian.

Get your drawing on at The Royal Winter Fair

Runs from November 4th-13th

Exhibition Place

Let's Connect Design Thinkers

2011-11-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

"So, who designed the Nike logo?"

The rep from the talent agency Creative Niche gave me a sly smile as I stood at his booth, staring blankly at a questionnaire that had left me stumped.

"I can give you a hint. It's a woman."

"Oh great!" I rolled my eyes. "That really narrows it down, then!"

"Okay, just put Carolyn Davidson. That's who designed it."

"I'm such a moron, I bet she's totally famous. Probably like the Angelina Jolie of advertising."

"Ha, sort of."

I dropped my entry into the ballot box in hopes of winning a gift certificate. In the end I didn't win, but my embarrassing exchange got me thinking about my stunning ignorance of the Graphic Design world. Much like the Animation industry there are core concepts -- such as who designed the Nike logo -- that are shared and understood by all members of the community. The sort of things that you might learn at Design 101 in your first year at OCAD. However, I didn't go to OCAD, I went to Animation School, and there I studied things like Chuck Jones, secondary action and bouncing balls. Because of this some of the language of Graphic Design blows completely over my head, but I believe it is important to find inspiration outside the world of Animation. To keep learning from others. We're all connected through a desire to create, and that's why I signed up for Design Thinkers 2011.

The decision to attend was spontaneous. Based on some brief synopsis from an event brochure I registered last minute for a Sunday-only Design Thinkers badge at the RGD booth. The price nearly killed me, but I suppose designers earn significantly more than animators! I arrived in the basement of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in time for the first keynote presentation.

Leland Maschmeyer, Creative Director at COLLINS, discussed the crucial role that designers must play to get society excited again about the future, potentially avoiding a world unified by fear and hate.

"Now what I find really interesting about this is that André Breton was playing with an idea, and I don't think he consciously knew he was playing with it, but in hindsight he was. He was playing with this idea: The Common. Now, The Commons, and I'll define it as such, has been around ever since man has decided to pick up a stone and hit something with it to achieve a goal.

A Commons is a resource that is shared, freely accessed, and creatively used by communities. Now, a Commons can be everything from the rocks in the earth, but it's normally associated with natural things. Rocks. It can be the sky. The sun. The atmosphere. Nobody really owns these things but we all use them in some way. I mean water, or ducks.

But what André Breton was saying is that it's not just naturally occurring things, it's also the things that mankind creates. His intellectual property. Because the more we share the literature we write with each other, the more we share the music we write and play with each other, and the more we share our art with each other, and allow other people to build with it, the better off our world will be. It's the idea that the genius in me inspires the genius in you."

It was a rousing speech that was sure to leave anyone excited to be a part of this creative community. At the end Leland also mentioned a fantastic community book project from COLLINS called Triumph of the Commons. It's wonderful to see such a talented group band together for a cause that they so strongly believe in.

Paul Rowan, Vice President and founder of Umbra, introduced the next speaker. Entrepreneur Eric Ryan dropped out of a career in advertising to launch his soap company Method, an answer to the growing demand for environmentally friendly home cleaning products.

Much of the talk centred around Method's company philosophy, but what was especially interesting was the story of how a tiny start-up came out on the winning end of a direct attack from a corporate behemoth. A true David and Goliath story.

"So Clorox launched this brand called Green Works and they were threatening to sue us over the use of the daisy. And we worked with this before, back in 2003, and they came up with this idea to show how gentle Method is by putting a daisy inside a bottle of Method and show that it lives.

And so we'd been using this forever, and so we were a little appalled, and at the same time were like 'wow, what a fun little... opportunity."

Through the aid of a simple microsite Method made a public plea to 'save the daisy' and urged readers to vote to decide who should claim ownership: Clorox, Method or

Mother Earth. With this genius move Method not only received feverish backing from the public, but essentially crowd-sourced their legal services with hundreds of lawyers from across the States ready to take their side. A positive attitude trumps fear nearly every time!

With any great story eventually comes a great book. Newly released, The Method Method: Seven Obsessions That Helped Our Scrappy Start-up Turn an Industry Upside Down is available for sale at most bookstores and surely includes many of the stories that were delivered in Eric's keynote. If the writing is anything like his presentation, I'm sure it will be a great read.

At this point the conference split off into four concurrent streams. Unfamiliar with the list of speakers, I played a little keynote roulette and slipped into what ended up being David C. Baker's lecture on strategic planning for creative firms. I didn't even know this topic existed!

Being a great speaker, David was able to inject a little fun into a rather ordinary subject with a sharp sense of wit. Although much of the conversation didn't relate to me, it was still interesting to step in the shoes of a top-level executive to learn about some of the fears and concerns they have about running a business.

David asked the audience, "And what is it that motivates you to initiate or to turn up your marketing efforts? Or your sales efforts, at least. However you want to phrase it."

The general consensus was "Fear". I'm sure he gets that a lot!

For the next talk I headed back to the main theatre for a presentation that described the life cycle of a brand. Using their newly redesigned Girl Scouts logo as a case study, Jennifer Kinon and Bobby Martin of the New York design agency OCD traced the history of the brand and described their fresh approach to an iconic image.

Jennifer and Bobby began the presentation with a look back in time to the beginnings of feminism. By placing the original Girl Scouts logo designs in a historical context the direction of the new message becomes clear.

At the start of the project OCD was hesitant to alter such an iconic brand. But after discussion with real Scouts they realized that girls weren't overly concerned with things like brand equity. They wanted their own voice. By digging through the Girl Scouts archive OCD was able to distill a century's worth of brand history into a single graphic shape: the Quatrefoil. Smart move!

Suddenly it was lunch. I biked over to Ravisoup and savoured the steak wrap special at their giant communal table. The man across from me nibbled on a cheddar biscuit as he discussed an upcoming online edit session. My filmmaker senses were tingling. I'm guessing that he's a Director and she's his Producer, but I couldn't figure out what project they were working on. I'm such a snoop.

Next up was Todd Simmons of Wolff Olins who gave a company overview that included the story of (RED), a multi-brand fundraising campaign for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

He also told the story of the new logo for the London 2012 Olympics, which was panned by Jon Stewart in a scathing video that swept the internet. Todd set the record straight about what went down at the design firm: that initial negativity turned into 1 billion dollars in sponsorship in the first year, smashing every Olympic record for a logo. It also triggered a coveted partnership with Adidas. Not so bad after all!

The next speaker was Jessica Hische, self-taught typographer and illustrator who has built a solid following through personal projects such as Daily Drop Cap and "Mom, this is how twitter works". Her personal philosophy stresses the importance of self-motivation to achieve your goals.

"The best thing to do is just make things that you like, and that you wish existed. Because worst case scenario is if you make a promo that's just a project that you wanted out in the world, worst case scenario is that the thing existed that you wish existed. Best case scenario is that it gets you a tonne of work and press. So it's always great to have a worst case scenario that's that positive."

"If you want something, make it. You have the ability to teach yourself."

My favourite keynote of the entire day belonged to Steve Edge, the self described "Prophet, Madman and Wanderer". Based in London he owns and operates a wildly successful design firm that shares both his name and his infectious zest for life. Steve waltzed onto the stage in a pair of hot pink velvet pants and a flowery suit jacket, absolutely radiating positive energy. After a moving story about his Grandmother's untouched 'special occasion' dishware, Steve explained the importance of living in the now and finding a reason to celebrate each day.

"Dress for a party every day and the party will come to you. Do not wait for an occasion to wear those gold shoes. Or an occasion to put on that lovely outfit that you bought for some special thing. I want you all tomorrow, when you get up, I want you to go to your wardrobes and put on your party outfit. Throw on your gold shoes, put on that white tuxedo. It doesn't matter! Go out and that occasion will happen, and you will have a party, trust me. You will have the most amazing party."

I got thinking about the missed opportunities in my life and the lives of others I know. We all have them. My Grandfather, an avid collector of rocks and fossils, died of cancer nearly two years ago. Around that time he told me of his dream to visit the Grand Canyon. He never made it. We could have gone together, but we never did.

But this year I'll save up the money and go. With his favourite fossil stowed in the pocket of my jacket, we'll go together.

I came to Design Thinkers 2011 to learn a thing or two about graphic design. I left with a renewed belief in the power of passionate thought.

RGD Presents: Design Thinkers 2011

November 2nd and 3rd

Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Drinking Amongst the Gourds

2011-11-01T17:28:00.000-04:00

Last week I was at the TIFF Lightbox a lot. One day was for a screening of The Interrupters, a doc about a group of violence mediators in south Chicago. Another day I caught a rare presentation of Le Mystère Picasso which allowed the audience to watch a master in action, and on yet another day I explored narrative and technology through the first-ever TIFF Nexus conference. In between this loaded itinerary I saddled up to the bar at Luma and took in some drawing time.

I've drawn at Canteen a few times before, but never at Luma. It's an eclectic mix of moviegoers, flashy clubbing girls and business men nursing an after-work drink. This is the kind of dynamic environment that I love to draw, full of all sorts of characters.

This couple was seated next to me and later got up to pay the bill by debit. You could really tell who wore the pants in this relationship.

There was a friendly pair in suits who looked like they just got off work. They noticed me drawing and we had a nice little chat before I had to run off to meet my friends for dinner.

Sometimes I don't quite finish drawings all the way through, but despite that I still liked this fellow and his phantom hand.

For the fall season Luma had spruced up the place with a harvest theme. There's something so quaint in seeing a business man texting (his lover?) beside a cluster of decorative gourds. Adorbz.

This lady was wearing loads of pink and checked her email with an iPhone encrusted in rhinestones. She ordered a Cosmo.

Luma Restaurant

At the TIFF Bell Lightbox

350 King Street West, Toronto

Happy HALLOWEeeEEeeeeeEeeN!

2011-10-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

My handsome man Chuck, immortalized in Gourd.

Snaggle-tooth included! Happy Halloween to all you spooks!

La Bonne Cuisine: Exploring Taste and Sound

2011-10-26T16:57:00.000-04:00

While flipping through the latest issue of The Grid I came across a very unusual concert listing. Presented by the Amici Chamber Ensemble, La Bonne Cuisine explored the connections between sound and taste. Alexandra Feswick of Toronto restaurant Brockton General created a series of apps inspired by selected music in the programme. Hosted by award-winning food critic James Chatto, this seemed like a pretty entertaining way to spend an afternoon.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the foyer of the Glenn Gould Studio was the glaring lack of people my own age. Where were all the twenty-somethinings at 3pm on a Sunday? Knowing my kind, they were probably still in bed and terribly inebriated from the night before.

As you might expect, James Chatto was a fantastic host. Often chuckling at his own jokes, he stepped in to describe the parallels between each food item and the melody that inspired it. First was Poulenc's L'Invitation au Chateau, paired with a rich purple, gelatinous bite called "Jelly in Disguise". Flavoured deeply with the essence of earthy beets, Chatto reminded the audience how "Appearances can be deceiving..."

Full disclosure: Unable to tell my Mozart from my Bach, I know absolutely nothing about classical music. The extent of my knowledge stems from a single viewing of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus sometime in middle school. In fact, I just Googled the proper spelling of Bach.

Regardless, I still enjoy going to concerts of all varieties even though I'm totally oblivious to any historical references. On the most basic of levels, I just like the way the music makes me feel.

And there's something very special about drawing musicians as they play.

A great musician uses their whole body to transfer energy through the instrument, as do the best dancers and painters. It's fascinating to watch and a privilege to sketch.

After five pieces of music there was an extra-long intermission for the audience to taste some of Alexandra Feswick's creations. This is what I was most exited for! Unfortunately the civilized crowd morphed into a mob, hovering aggressively around the entrance to the makeshift kitchen at the sight of free food. This made it nearly impossible to try some. An insightful man beside me stated to his wife, "It reminds me of sea gulls... waiting... just peck, peck, peck..."

As chimes signaled the end of intermission I witnessed one woman chase a poor server girl back into the kitchen because she still had a few skewered chicken hearts remaining on her serving tray. It was amusing, to say the least.

Back to reality, I found that my neighbour had traded seats with her husband. When you draw a lot in public you start to notice how some people clearly don't enjoy your company. I try not take things like that personally, but sometimes it stings.

Then her husband leaned in to me and whispered with a smile, "So, how's the sketching coming along?" And in that moment of dejection it only took the few kind words of a stranger to set me straight.

The second act introduced a soprano who I found endlessly amusing. I loved her long sparkly dress and old fashioned hairdo. Lots of flash and personality to draw.

Then there was this fellow on the clarinet. After a few false starts I finally got his pose down.

See how wonderful she is? A very soulful singer.

James Chatto asked the audience to think back to the skewered chicken hearts and conjure their flavour in our memories as we enjoyed Schubert's Shepherd on the Rock.

All in all, I really enjoyed the afternoon. The music was top notch. It was marvellous to hear James Chatto describe Chef Feswick's food, even though I didn't get to try it all. Looks like I'll just have to make another trip to Brockton General for dinner!

La Bonne Cuisine: Exploring Taste and Sound

The Amici Chamber Ensemble

At the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto

How Not to be a Starving Artist

2011-10-20T15:03:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended a lecture by Chef Jamie Kennedy called How Not to be a Starving Artist at the AGO's Weston Family Learning Centre. The event was conceived by Paul Butler, the centre's inaugural Artist-in-Residence, who has crafted a wicked program of classes that he feels should have been taught in art school but weren't. And unlike art school, this Post-Post Graduate Studies program is absolutely free! These lectures and activities cover a range of topics from discussions on healthy living, a vinyl listening party and early-morning yoga in the Henry Moore sculpture gallery.

Since I was already at the AGO for other business, I thought I'd stick around for a bit until the class started at (what I thought) was 5:30pm. Then I quickly realized that I'm a giant dork who wrote the time wrong (because I need glasses and apparently can't read emails) and had to wait it out till 7:00pm. However, the AGO is not exactly the worst place to be stuck for a few hours. That's what sketchbooks are for!

I staked out a spot at the AGO Cafe downstairs and grabbed the most delicious curried lentil soup for supper. The crowd was mostly employees and volunteers grabbing a bite before heading home, but after 6pm it started to fill up with guests taking advantage of the free admission on Wednesday evenings.

I finished up with a cup of jasmine tea and headed down the hall to the seminar room.

To secure a spot at any of these talks you have to register in advance with a limit of 20 people per lecture. Which is nice because you can really get involved in the conversation.

Since the topic was How Not to be a Starving Artist there were a lot of people from various arts disciplines who wanted to know how to create great meals on a budget. And nobody knows that better than a Chef.

Jamie Kennedy discussed the importance of shopping at farmers markets and disproved the notion that they are more expensive than supermarkets. Sure, if you're shopping for truffled honey or bison sausage that's going to be pricey, but you can buy a basket of beets and pickle a winter's supply for less than 20 bucks. Throw it in the oven with some potatoes and Niagara Gold cheese and you're good to go. It just takes a little work and some planning, but the results are astronomically better and way more delicious than a salty bowl of Hamburger Helper. Oh, and way cheaper too!

Then he moved on to the subject of creating your own soups, one of the most basic skills in a Starving Artist's repertoire. Jamie distributed a great handout of recipes which included a simple chicken stock. Gone are the days of crappy Campbell's broth! The homemade stuff is exceptionally tasty and way less work than you think. At the farmers market a few pounds of bones can be purchased for a dollar and will do you for 6 cups! Just simmer with it some thyme, carrots, onion and celery to fill your house with the intoxicating scent of your first homemade soup. Do like your Bubba did during The Great Depression. Fabulous things in life can be had for cheap. There's no need to starve on an artist's budget!

Paul Butler's Post-Post Graduate Studies program at the AGO

Seminars and Workshops for the Artistically Inclined

Runs from now until the end of November

"Drawing: For the Artistically Undiscovered"

2011-10-18T07:54:00.000-04:00

While in Ottawa for the Animation Festival I stumbled upon the most amazing book in the gift shop of the National Gallery. Tucked away on a table in the children's section it immediately grabbed my eye and brought a smile to my face with its charming cover of a strange spotted monster. As I flipped through the pages I quickly realized that Drawing: For the Artistically Undiscovered is a book about opening your mind to creative possibilities and squashing the voice of judgement. It's a rock solid guide to experimentation and abstract thinking that reawakens your innermost child.

The very first lesson teaches you to own your work. Instead of worrying what others think, draw how you want to draw. Everyone can do it. Remember in pre-school when that kid you hated compared your awesome dinosaur drawing to a stinky rat? Was that the moment where you began to feel self-concious about drawing and ultimately gave up? Well, screw 'em! It's your imagination and in it dinosaurs can look however ratlike you choose. At 15, 25, 38, 79 or 135 years old, this book gives you permission to draw as you please. Everyone has that ability.

There are pages on loosening up your line work while resisting the urge to be precious about your drawings. Along with the book they've provided a nice fluid pen and two watercolour pencils of very good quality. The thinking goes that everyone should work with great materials regardless of their skill level because we all have something of value to say.

I've been working away on this book on and off for the past few weeks. At 104 pages it's an art class in itself. Having seen many art books over the years I must say that this is by far my favourite. Instead of sitting politely on your bookshelf completely unscathed, Drawing: For the Artistically Undiscovered begs to be used and loved in the messiest of ways.

Drawing: For the Artistically Undiscovered

By Quentin Blake and John Cassidy

Selections from "Tabitha Dates Drawing"

2011-10-13T22:47:00.001-04:00

This past January I had an art show of drawings from my sketchbook called "Tabitha Dates Drawing: An Exhibition of Sketchbook Love". The idea was to draw alone in places that someone might traditionally bring a date, but instead find companionship with my pen. For those who couldn't make it I'll give you a taste of what it looked like.

In this post I'll group together all of the food-related drawings. I love food, in case you didn't notice! Another time I'll post the remainder of the work. Here I've featured Dark Horse Espresso Bar and The Black Hoof in Toronto and Spring Restaurant in Paris.

Please enjoy!

Cafe Mocha

Business Meeting

Muffin Or Scone?

Facebook Stalking

The Creative Class

Hoof Cafe Brunch #1

Hoof Cafe Brunch #2

The Cooks

Late Night Indulgence

Service

Self Portrait at The Black Hoof

First-Timer's Horse Tartare

The Perfect Pour

She Makes a Mean Cocktail

Paris: Lunch Rush

Paris: Tear Down

Paris: Chef Daniel Rose

If you're interested, let me know if you'd like to give one of these prints a good home!

Waiting Rooms Are Boring

2011-10-11T14:59:00.000-04:00

Recently I was in the waiting room of a doctor's office, and we all know how boring that can be. So instead of browsing the magazine rack for back-issues of Macleans, I decided to draw other people being bored. I bet they loved that!

Since this was a hearing clinic, there were a lot of older folks waiting around to get their ears checked.

I was the only patient there under fifty.

Except for this girl, who had escorted her father to the clinic for his appointment.

Waiting rooms are a fairly quiet so it's a great place to draw people sitting in the same position for hours on end.

Or sleeping. If you're into that sort of thing.

This lady was staring vacantly at the television playing CP24 directly above my head.

And this lady played Angry Birds on her cellphone for the whole time I was there.

Older lady reads...

... and then abandons her book to watch some TV.

Another woman reading.

Though a waiting room can be mind-numbingly boring it still has a wealth of tiny stories to tell. Tiny, boring, beautiful stories. The stories that fill in the gaps between those memorable moments in life. Waiting rooms are boring... for everyone but me!

The Nature of Things

2011-10-05T11:29:00.000-04:00

The other day I took a break from the norm and did some sketching in Toronto's natural oasis, the Don Valley Brick Works. With such lovely fall weather, I just wanted to be outside!

The Brick Works was originally a quarry that supplied brick to Toronto buildings for over 100 years. It cycled through a series of other uses, fell into disrepair, and then in 1994 a restoration plan was launched to develop the site into a multi-use public space.

The naturalized gardens of the Brick Works are now home to many species of plants and animals.

You can wander through the site on trails or this cool walkway that is suspended over the pond. It's a good spot if you're into turtles.

There's also a weekend farmers market and a lot of good food-related events going on. A while ago I was there for a blueberry pie tasting competition and it was a brilliant way to spend the afternoon.

I'll have to go back before fall ends to do a bit more drawing here when all the colours come out. Being a downtowner, it's easy to forget about our city's wonderful ravine system and the nature that surrounds us.

Sketchbook Potpourri

2011-09-29T14:52:00.000-04:00

Here's another random sampling from my sketchbook potpourri!

I did a few drawings at this event at my building, but within a few minutes I misplaced my pen, so I just watched the show like everyone else.

Went to Trinity Bellwoods and came across these tough guys.

Here they got into a pretty serious debate over which stripper to get for an upcoming bachelor party.

Meanwhile, this couple was breaking up.

And two hipster girls enjoyed some Greg's Ice Cream and gossip. One was "White Squirrel" flavour and one was "Roasted Marshmallow".

This kid sat at the picnic table for a while, waiting for her parents to come back from Inigo with some Portuguese chicken.

Eventually I made my way to The Black Hoof for dins. Sometimes I just get this wild craving for brain ravioli, you know?

It was crazy packed as usual. Lots of work for the dishwasher.

There was this female cook that I didn't recognize but I liked her braided ponytail.

And now you're up to date with the randoms of my life!