My mother used to complain when I took life-drawing classes that the models were always naked. "Why can't you learn to draw people with some clothes on?" she'd beg. Well finally Toronto city artists and drawers will get their chance (er, if you consider pasties and tassels as cover-up) tonight when Dr. Sketchy's Toronto presents the beautiful burlesque dancer, Veronika, aka Pricilla Pussycat of the Shameless Dames, for their inaugural Anti-Art School life-drawing session in Toronto.

Brett Despotovich, co-founder with M'Lady deWinter and Katherine Piro of Dr. Sketchy's Toronto, notified me that this will be a regular event falling on the last Monday of each month. Despotovich described the event as "what happens when cabaret meets art school". While I personally am not interested in sketching the burlesque, I am looking forward to their future roster of "contortionists, mimes, the tattooed, the tattered and everything in between". But watch out for blogTO's own Japhet Bower, as he reviews the highlights of the evening in a future post. There's only seating for 35 artists so he'll have to be there early, and bring his own sketch pads and dry medium to work with as nothing messy is allowed.

Dr. Sketchy's started in New York by Molly Crabapple and A.V. Phibes in 2005 and has caught on like wildfire worldwide with over 16 branches, notably Los Angeles, Melbourne, Berlin, and London. Dr. Sketchy's Toronto makes its debut tonight, Monday January 29th from 8-11 pm @ the Cameron House, 408 Queen St. West. The event is 19+ and admission $8 at the door.

Image credit: Katherine Piro