Today is Mildred's Birthday, But Not LaLaVox's

Hi! LaLaVox here again - as always - since Mildred's not really one for writing blogs and such...

...None the less, it is her birthday today. Folks who know me from back in the days when I was still active at various online music forums will know which fan-nerddom of mine led me to pick Nov. 21st as Mildred's birthday.

But since she and I not only share this blog but also a FaceBook profile (under her name rather than mine), there is much confusion about the birthday issue. I get to celebrate twice a year now; once for my own birthday - which is in June, and once for Mildred's.

And then there's the issue of what folks should call me when they meet me in public. This has already been addressed in my Mildred Mahler vs LaLaVox blog entry.

But it's more complicated than just Mildred and myself. There are also Lorelei Vanora and Lola la Voix to contend with. So I've prepared this chart to clear up some of the confusion. Voilà!



Yes. I know it's all a bit much, but I've made my bed and I now intend to lie in it... :P ;)


Hugs + kisses,

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
www.lalavoxbox.com
www.mildredlovesyou.com/lolalavoix.html
www.mildredlovesyou.com/loreleivanora.html
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou/lolalavoix.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou/loreleivanora.html

Dr. Sketchy Berlin no.7 (Mermaid Time!)

NEWS FLASH!!! - DR. SKETCHY'S ANTI ART SCHOOL BERLIN No.7 tomorrow at the White Trash Fast Food Diamond Lounge from 2:30pm to 5:30pm!!! (Doors open at 2:00pm)

More info can be found at www.drsketchy-berlin.de of course...

...LaLaVox here again, as always. Here's tomorrow's line-up...


CLEA "Underwater Love" CUTTHROAT
FEZ "The Drowned Dandy" WRECKER
& LORELEI VANORA - The Singing Mermaid

I usually co-moderate these Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin wing-dings (and absolutely love doing it, I might add), but like Superman and Clark Kent, Lorelei Vanora and LaLaVox never can seem to manage to be in the same place at the same time. Because of this odd fact of nature, Anne Smith (who has spun tunes for us on occasions when DJane Strangelove couldn't be with us) will have to fill in for me. And what a lovely co-moderator she will be! :)

Lorelei Vanora's "look" has had a bit of an update, by the way, thanks to the ever delightful and wonderful Hedoluxe, and this update will see its stage premiere tomorrow! Big fat hugs and kisses of gratitude to Hedo! *muwah!*

And since I still haven't managed to get those little photo-collage photo-gallery-previews that I like doing up for no.4, no.5, + no.6 yet (anyone think I might actually manage to get to those by no.7?), I thought I'd do a little run-down of all of the Dr. Sketchy Berlins in this series so far - with links to each of the galleries (click the pix) - in descending order from last to first. Here we go...

Dr. Sketchy Berlin No.6 / March 20th 2010
starring Miss Julietta la Doll and Marz Star!


Dr. Sketchy Berlin No.5 / February 20th 2010
starring Nelly Farouche and Marlene von Steenvag!


Dr. Sketchy Berlin No.4 / January 16th 2010
starring Joey Love, Golden Treasure,
and secret special guest, Hedoluxe!



Dr. Sketchy Berlin No.3 / December 12th, 2009 - The X-mas Special
starring Xarah von den Vielenregen und Marnie Van Helsing!


Dr. Sketchy Berlin No.2 / November 14th 2009
starring Clea Cutthroat and Lola von Dage!


Dr. Sketchy Berlin No.1 / Premiere - 10. Oktober 2009
starring Tronicat la Miez
and secret special guest, Hedoluxe!



It's fun for me to see all of the Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin flyer-pix together like that. :) And Lorelei Vanora is already all excited about tomorrow! ;) We hope to see you there! =D

By the way...

After an afternoon spent drawing mad sea creatures with us, you can put on your fancy 1920s duds and step out for an extravagant evening of vintage charm at BOHÈME SAUVAGE No.42 at the Meistersaal here in Berlin. A wonderful time will be had by all!


And here's something to make a note of in your calender for May 12th. Le Fete Fatale's One-Year Anniversary - LA FÊTE FATALE No.6 - The Carney Cult of Hoochie Cooch! - at the Bassy Club!


Hugs + kisses!

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com

[update: added Aug.6th,2010]
www.mildredlovesyou.com/loreleivanora.html

[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou/loreleivanora.html

Naming the Mermaid

Once upon a time, there was a wonderfully and lovingly decorated tiki bar called The Tabou Tiki Room along the Maybachufer here in Berlin. I brought an alter ego - a singing mermaid - into being specifically for this particular tiki bar. The bar itself has now disappeared, but The Singing Mermaid remains - in spite of the fact that she's never really had a proper name of any sort until just recently.

She's gone by the names Laura Lei and Laila Lei in the past (while performing with The Bali Ha'is and Fuzzy Love at The Tabou Tiki Room), and has more recently been called, LaLaVox - The Singing Mermaid, by others, or simply and namelessly, The Singing Mermaid, by me.

But since I want The Singing Mermaid to begin singing again at last, I figured it was high time she finally be given a real name.

Since my online name is LaLaVox, and I also have another alter ego named Lola la Voix, I decided I wanted to stay with the LLV theme for the mermaid too; wanting my mermaid to be named Loralei ...something-with-a-"V"...

About a month ago, I went to one of those baby-naming sites and clicked "V". It was on page 2 of "V" that I came across the first name in the list that appealed to me enough (that seemed "mermaidy" enough to me) that I felt the urge to go find out its meaning; Vanora.

So I clicked the "Vanora" link, and, as it turns out, the name is supposedly of old Welsh origin and means... drum roll, please... "white wave"!...

...Um... Hello? Is it a sign???

So I wrote an email to Carolyn Turgeon - whom I had the pleasure of meeting during her recent stay in Berlin, and who is currently writing her 3rd novel which is called MERMAID - to ask her expert opinion. She approved! And with her approval, it is now official: The Singing Mermaid's name is Lorelei Vanora!

Here's a little collage of photos of her from past and present so that you can get to know her a bit...

(Also pictured here: The Bali Ha'is, Fuzzy Love, and members of a Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin audience.)

And so that Lola la Voix won't feel left out, here's a collage of photos of her as well...

(Also pictured here: Fuzzy Love, Carolyn Turgeon, and Anne Smith.)


Hugs + kisses,

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com

[update: added Aug.6th,2010]
www.mildredlovesyou.com/loreleivanora.html
www.mildredlovesyou.com/lolalavoix.html

[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou/loreleivanora.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou/lolalavoix.html

Season's Greetings from your Dr. Sketchy Berlin Team!

As I have mentioned here before, Matthias Pflügner took over Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin from Hedoluxe this year, and we just had our 3rd Dr. Sketchy Berlin session (aka our Xmas Special) recently. And now Matthias has drawn a very fetching portrait of us in a delightful Xmas card for the Dr. Sketchy Berlin blog...

We be: DJane Strangelove, Matthias Pflügner, LaLaVox, and Rebekka Csizmazia

Ain't we sweet? ;)

xx - LLV
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Family Portrait and Holiday Greetings (Extra Goody #1)

NEW SERIES
Mildred Loves Extra Goodies
(A Grabbag of Miscellaneous Thises and Thatses)
Extra Goody #1 - "Happy Holidays!"

Happy Holidays from all of us at here MildredLovesYou.com to all of you out there in Internet Land! xoxox


Click this image to see the larger website version (and a who's who name-tag version)...

This Extra Goody features: Mildred Mahler, Edith Backwater, Cinnamon Girl, Kitty Derail, Fleur dee-bee-doo Lee, Midnight In New York, Ivory Towers, Thérèse-Constance van Ticklinckx, Copper Kitten, LaLaVox, Lorelei Vanora - The Singing Mermaid, Candy-Box Rosie, Ruby Slipped, Midnight In Paris, Coco Delish, Lola la Voix, Tamara Toffy, and Twiggy Torpedo!

Holiday hugs + kisses,

LLV
www.mildredlovesyou.com

[update: added Aug.6th,2010]
www.mildredlovesyou.com/loreleivanora.html

[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.com/loreleivanora.html

Mildred Mahler vs LaLaVox

Hello out there. LaLaVox again (as always). Recently, at some sort of party or other, a friend (with whom I was already connected at FaceBook) was telling another friend (with whom I was not yet connected at FaceBook) that I have the most confusing FaceBook profile ever.

She's right of course. But the reason for this is that I do not have a LaLaVox profile at FaceBook - I only have a Mildred Mahler profile at FaceBook.

At MySpace, on the other hand, I have one for myself (i.e. LaLaVox) and a separate one for Mildred. Unfortunately both of these remain woefully unattended to on an on-going basis. I have far too many different accounts online for my particular energy level and attention span in the meantime, and I simply refuse to add another to the list. Who has time for all this stuff anyway? I know I don't! So Mildred's FaceBook account (and this blog) will have to do for both of us simultaneously. It's not as if Mildred could be expected to help out, after all.

So who is Mildred Mahler and who is LaLaVox? Well, first of all let's clarify who Mildred Mahler is not: Mildred Mahler is not the artist who illustrates the cartoon pin-ups that grace the pages of www.mildredlovesyou.com and Mildred Mahler's FaceBook and MySpace photo galleries. That would be me - LaLaVox (surprise, surprise). And now to clarify who Mildred Mahler is: Mildred Mahler is, is my cartoon pin-up creation; the figure head for - the representative of - our Mildred Loves You website, all of the additional cartoon-pin-ups who romp there, and the peculiar mini-universe I plan to continue building around her. She sprang unannounced from my pencil one wee hour in late 2006 looking exactly like this:



My MySpace LaLaVox profile declares that I am a Gemini who grew up in different parts of Mississippi (and other Southern places), and that I'm attached. Mildred's MySpace and FaceBook profiles report to the world that she is a Scorpio and single. They may also mention that she's originally from New Orleans, but I can't remember at this point, and am loath to go and check while in the process of writing this blog entry. Whatever our differences in background, astrological arrangement, and partner status however, we both live in (and love) Berlin these days! - just so you know...

And before I say goodbye for this time around, I'd like to leave you with a little collage of Mildred's development between her impromptu premier appearance in late 2006 and this very tail end of 2009.



...Oh yeah. And here's a bit of me as well...



...Alright then. That'll do for now.

Hugs + kisses,

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
www.lalavoxbox.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Steffi Schütze and Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin

LaLaVox here once again... I discovered Steffi Schütze's work when someone at a very nice art and photography forum that I belong to posted one of her illustrations there. I subscribed to her blog and one day a post came up featuring Tronicat la Miez. I had just posed as The Singing Mermaid at the last Hedoluxe-hosted Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School in Berlin back in mid-May and had met Tronicat there. It was fun for me to realize that Steffi - who's work I'd been admiring so much since discovering it - had been in the audience that night drawing us.

Hedoluxe, who hosts Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Hamburg, decided back in May that he no longer wanted continue trying to host a Dr. Sketchy's in Berlin as well (he lives in Hamburg after all), and the post has now been taken over by Matthias Pflügner. And here's where Steffi comes in again. Matthias P. asked her to illustrate the poster for the next Dr. Sketchy's in Berlin; and what a delightful poster it is too:



The first Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin under Matthias Pflügner's care will be premiering on Saturday, October 10th at 3pm at White Trash Fast Food, and is planned as a regular monthly event there. I'm really looking forward to it! For one thing, I'm very much looking forward to meeting Steffi Schütze in person at last. And I'm looking forward to being in the crowd drawing once again instead of up onstage posing in mermaid garb... ;)


Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School Berlin, May 2009
Hosts: Molly Crabapple and Hedoluxe
Models: Hedoluxe, Hay Dee Sparks, Xarah von den Vielenregen,
The Singing Mermaid, Molly Crabapple, Marz Star,
Clea Cutthroat (aka Mollie Black), and Tronicat la Miez
Photos: Alan Smithee and Alan Smithee Jr.

Cheers, LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com

p.s. Although Hedoluxe is no longer hosting Dr. Sketchy's events in Berlin, a little birdie has told me that he will be amongst the models posing in October... :)

p.p.s. - [update: added Aug.6th,2010 - The Singing Mermaid now has a website]
www.mildredlovesyou.com/loreleivanora.html

[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou/loreleivanora.html

Pin-Up # 33 - Guest Starring Julius the Python and 8E

...It's definitely the most complicated pin-up I've done so far - it's been subjected to a myriad of unwelcome delays, and it's over a month late in the meantime - but Pin-Up #33 is online at last - guest starring Julius the Python + 8E!

Julius may well be the largest albino Burmese python in Germany. And she is currently “with child”, so to speak: full to brim with loads of eggs just waiting to be laid. Which is why baby pythons have been included in this portrait... ;)

So without further ado...

Pin-Up #33 – "Guest Starring Julius the Python and 8E"
featuring Midnight in Paris, Julius the Python, 8E, Tamara Toffy, and assorted baby pythons

Click this image to see the larger website version!


Photo by Shellee Luna (aka Girl Gone Mad)
@ ModelMayhem / @ MySpace

If you would like to see more of Julius the Python and 8E online you can find them here...

www.juliusthepython.com

...or here:

Julius Roll Over from 8E on YouTube.

Maintenance Part 2 : Python ---> bathtub from 8E on Vimeo.


LaLaVox meets Julius the Python, June 13th, 2009

Cheers! =D

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Pin-Up # 32 - Guest Starring Hedoluxe

In July I began the first in my series of Guest Star pin-ups (there are quite a number of these planned). And our first guest star? - the fabulous Hedoluxe (from Planet Hedoluxe). He has been mentioned in earlier posts here in connection with Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School in Hamburg and Berlin. Behold...

Pin-Up #32 – "Guest Starring Hedoluxe"
featuring Thérèse-Constance van Ticklinckx, Twiggy Torpedo, Hedoluxe, and Candy-Box Rosie

Click this image to see the larger website version!



If you would like to see more of Hedoluxe online you can find him at the following locations:

www.hedoluxe.com
Hedoluxe @ MySpace
Hedoluxe @ FaceBook

...or here:



Cheers!

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Catching Up: Pin-Ups #21 to #31

Hello again. LaLaVox here. Back in July I said I’d return in August to get this blog up to date with the goings on at www.mildredlovesyou.com between the beginning of the year and now. It’s managed to become September in the meantime, but that’s the way it goes... ;)

This post is to catch up on Pin-Ups #21 to #31. (Pin-Ups #32 + #33 will each get a post of their own.)

Back in October 2008 my guy and I began extensive renovations and remodeling in our neighboring apartments (turning the two of them into one), and it became impossible for me to keep up with a weekly pin-up. So I posted October/ November/ December holiday greetings and the site went into hibernation for the duration.

I returned to my Monday Pin-Up series in January 2009 with a redux version of the very first pin-up in the series (which began on June 16th, 2008). Here are January’s pin-ups:

Pin-Up #21 – "Legs Redux"
featuring Thérèse-Constance van Ticklinckx, Mildred Mahler, and Kitty Derail


Pin-Up #22 – "Siren"
featuring Coco Delish


Pin-Up #23 – "Fairy Tales"
featuring Midnight in Paris and Midnight in New York


Pin-Up #24 – "Promising Rose Gardens"
featuring Candy-Box Rosie


But in February, due to continuing renovations and other time limitations, I decided to turn The Monday Pin-Up into The Monthly Pin-Up. I did however manage to produce 3 Valentine’s pin-ups for February in spite of this new one-pin-up-a-month decision. Voilà...

Pin-Up #25 – "Three Hearts (The 1st of 3)"
featuring Thérèse-Constance van Ticklinckx


Pin-Up #26 – "Three Hearts (The 2nd of 3)"
featuring Mildred Mahler


Pin-Up #27 – "Three Hearts (The 3rd of 3)"
featuring Kitty Derail


And in March came the first honest-to-goodness Monthly Pin-Up:

Pin-Up #28 – "Ready to Swing into Spring"
featuring Coco Delish


I was optimistic that I’d be able to keep up with one pin-up a month, in spite of continuing time limitations, but it was not to be. So I closed the site from April through June. I’ve reopened in the meantime with Pin-Ups # 32, and #33 (featuring our first guest stars), but the pin-ups from the missing months remain to date in a half-finished, work-in-progress limbo. I’ll post them whenever they manage to reach completion; I do want to have a complete set after all. ;) But for now, here’s a bit of a preview and place holder for them...

Pin-Up #29 – "Rise and Shine"
featuring Midnight in Paris
Pin-Up #30 – "Ruby Slipped"
featuring Ruby Slipped
Pin-Up #31 – "Ode to Erté"
featuring Mildred Mahler and Midnight in New York


Wish me luck! :)

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Holiday Greetings and Hibernation News

Hello again! LaLaVox here. Happy Thanksgiving to you U.S. Americans celebrating today. Kitty Derail would like me to remind you that she and other Canadians already celebrated Thanksgiving back in October (Canada - 2nd Monday in October, U.S. - 4th Thursday in November)... :P ;)

Anyway... I just made this announcement over at www.mildredlovesyou.com this past Monday:

As much as I had hoped to get The Monday Pin-Up up and running when I began the series on June 16th, this year of 2008 has not been very cooperative along the way. So we here at www.mildredlovesyou.com have finally decided to simply calm our thoughts and let 2008 be. We now intend to hibernate until 2009. We hope you'll have lovely Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's celebrations while we slumber. And we look forward to seeing you all again in 2009 - bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for a fresh start. Hugs + kisses to all of you, LLV - Mon., Nov. 25th, 2008



This hibernation is very necessary at the moment, but I really am looking forward to getting back to things in 2009. I'm looking forward to picking up where I left off with these last two Monday Pin-Ups:

Monday Pin-Up #19 – "Glass House"
featuring Mildred Mahler


Monday Pin-Up #20 – "Treasure"
featuring Tamara Toffy


All the best to all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to everyone!

Cheers,

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Dr. Sketchy’s Again + The Monday Pin-Up on Hold + Halloween

Hello all. LaLaVox here. This past Saturday, October 25th, an offshoot of Molly Crabapple’s Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School returned to Berlin. It was hosted once again by the marvelous Hedoluxe (with a little co-hosting by myself this time around). Lethal Lily returned as a model and performer, and was joined by Clea Cutthroat and Mad Kate. These three treated us to much lovely artists’ modeling, shadow dancing that climaxed in flames, gorgeous stripping topped off with a bit of blood (to boot), and artfully wrapped hosiery (etc.) removed with a knife wielded with such beauty that I almost wept (Mildred would have been proud).

And so I’m really looking forward to Dr. Sketchy’s next appearance in Berlin – which is planned for sometime in January of 2009. (It’s rumored that a mermaid may be amongst the guests...)

But now back to www.mildredlovesyou.com itself...

On September 30th, I found myself forced to make this announcement:

Okay. I give up. I'm tired of making promises I hope I'll be able to keep and then can't manage to. Obviously my current life (between work, renovation activities, and assorted other stuff) will simply not allow me the time and piece of mind I need to be able to produce a weekly Monday Pin-Up. So until further notice there will simply be no more Monday Pin-Ups. Hopefully I can begin the series again at the end of October. I will announce my return on the Mildred Loves You Blogger blog (and various other places) and finally make the long-avoided official announcement at Mildred's MySpace page upon my return. In the meantime, THANK YOU to those of you who have been following my Monday Pin-Up birthing follies thus far. - Hugs and tearful kisses, LLV - Tues., Sept. 30th, 2008

And today, October 27th, I’m finding it necessary to make this announcement:

I had very much hoped to return The Monday Pin-Up series to you this very Monday, but alas, it was not to be. Life just won't allow it at the moment. And the way things look now, I may not be able to return to regular programming until mid November - although I do hope to be able to manage it sooner of course. In the meantime, I hope you'll all have a smashing Halloween this Friday! Cats + bats + hugs + kisses to all of you, LLV - Mon., Oct. 27th, 2008

A quick-fix Halloween collage has been added as a sort of greeting card for all of you lovelies out there. I wish I had time for more...



...And so my long-planned/long-avoided official Monday Pin-Up announcement at Mildred’s MySpace page will simply have to wait a bit longer (with her profile probably suffering continuing neglect for the time being as well). Mildred’s a trifle miffed with me of course, but what’s a girl to do? Duty calls.

Happy Halloween to all of you anyway! Paint the town black and orange for me!

Cheers!

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Dr. Sketchy’s in Berlin + Monday Pin-Up musings

Hello all. LaLaVox here. This past Monday, August 18th, 2008, Molly Crabapple and her Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School came to Berlin. I almost didn’t manage it, but I did make it after all, and I’m very glad that I did. It was a delightful evening!

And what is Dr. Sketchy’s, you might ask? It’s Burlesque Meets Art Class - Cabaret Life Drawing. It’s music and drinks and burlesque dancers, circus freaks, and other birds of paradise. It was great fun – even if I did feel terribly out of practice...

...I only get around to doing any life drawing once in a blue moon these days it seems, and I’m not the sort of person who takes a sketchbook with me everywhere I go (to draw in parks or cafés, etc). I admire, and am a tad envious of, folks who do, but it’s just not me. Sketchbooks I’ve taken with me have almost always been left un-drawn-in. More often than not, I’ve ended up writing diary entries in them instead. I guess when it comes to most public situations I simply prefer writing pictures to drawing them.

So I draw at home and for my illustration jobs. And these days I mostly tend to draw stuff more or less out of my head - with various photos as reference (I have a huge archive in the meantime. I’m a mad and hungry picture junkie and regularly scour the internet for reference material and images that inspire me). So drawing from live models made me feel inept and slightly helpless. But it was really good to get my life-drawing chops going again.

Berlin’s Dr. Sketchy guests were Dr. Sketchy’s creator herself, Molly Crabapple, and the extravagant likes of Hedoluxe, Joey Love, and Lethal Lily, among others. It was great meeting Molly. She’s a doll. And I also met the lovely, lovely folks from Dr. Sketchy’s Manchester there. There are Dr. Sketchys all over the place in the meantime, and I’m hoping a Dr. Sketchy’s Berlin can be set up as well. This one was a one-off, for starters. I took only my drawing supplies and myself, by the way - but once there I was sorry I had not also brought a camera. Lots of people did though, and I’m looking forward to seeing the first photos begin to appear online.

But now on to more directly www.mildredlovesyou.com-oriented things...

I haven’t actually made any big official Monday Pin-Ups announcements yet (Mildred’s MySpace page has been left dreadfully neglected for the past several months). A few people have been told and do visit, but I’ve been happy enough to sort of half-hide in our little corner of the internet so far. This is because I wanted to get into the swing of things before making a big deal out of it. And I’ve been having growing pains. Many of the pin-ups have been delayed along the way, and I’ve also simply not been satisfied with most of the results of my work so far. But I had promised myself I would start the series on Monday, June 16th, 2008, and I did - just jumped right into the deep end - even though I didn’t really feel ready to yet.

But my three most recent pin-ups have taken a slightly new direction that I’m much happier with, so a big official MySpace announcement shouldn’t be too much longer in coming now. :)

Monday Pin-Up #14 – "Shock Pink"
featuring Copper Kitten and Kitty Derail


Monday Pin-Up #15 – "Three Graces"
featuring Mildred Mahler, Tamara Toffy, and Coco Delish


Monday Pin-Up #16 – "Rocking Horse Godivas"
featuring Ivory Towers and Thérèse-Constance van Ticklinckx


Cheers!

LaLaVox
www.mildredlovesyou.com
[edit: March 28th, 2011]
Because of problems with my current mildredlovesyou.com domain host, I have set my Mildred Loves You site up at an alternate address for for safe-keeping (but am still hoping that my mildredlovesyou.com domain will go back online at some point anyway)...
www.lalavoxbox.com/mildredlovesyou.html

Catching up after unexpected delays...

Unfortunately our Monday Pin-Up Introductory Week turned into a bit of a train wreck just after mid-week. This was due to unexpected technical difficulties and on-going time issues. But everything is finally on-line in the meantime, and things should continue normally from now on...

Mildred Loves You!

The Monday Pin-Up series begins!

Today is the very first day of The Monday Pin-Up series at MildredLovesYou.com - and from now on a new Mildred Loves You pinup will be posted every single Monday. But since this is our very first week at this, we will be having Introductory Week Pin-Up Specials every day this week, from Tuesday through Sunday, so be sure to come back for those. The regular weekly schedual will then begin immediately next Monday. And at some point or other we also plan to treat you to an Occasional Friday Special now and again; which could be anything under the sun - other than a pin-up, that is. ;) So keep an eye out for those too.

Mildred Loves You!