2 Shows, 1 Night: Recap

Last Saturday was pretty crazy - I had the Crohn's disease fundraiser/Arts Party, then the Gowanus Nite Market on the same night!  And after working a day job too!  If I thought about it all at once, I got freaked out, so I had to just take it one step at a time.  Luckily my energy held up pretty well throughout the night and it was successful overall.

Sky Room, where the fundraiser was at, is a pretty fancy place!  We were on the 34th floor I think, and the views were great.  I set up my table as usual, but this event didn't have much traffic flow like comic conventions or GNM - it was about 35 people standing around talking to each other, and I only did 2 sketches.  But hey, the table was free.  I got to see some friends and a few people I hadn't seen in awhile - some I had met at the East Village Arts Party last summer!

The event raised over $2,000!  That's a big jump for my friend Michelle's goal of $6,900 for her marathon.  Only $3K left to go.  I was glad I could contribute in a small way to this great cause.

I had to leave a bit early (around 9:30pm) and take a cab to the Gowanus Nite Market, already in progress.

GNM was hopping!  I had just gotten there and was setting up when already someone asked me for a sketch.  Off to a good start.

No time to set up my whole table, just had the comics I drew last week, my sign, and The Daily Misfortune books.

New to March's market was 2 bands.  I had missed the first, Adveta, but heard Oceanographer who was awesome!  I noticed that more single guys showed up just because of the bands.  Previously it seemed that most guys at any kind of flea/art market are dragged there by their girlfriends.

I get the most random creative requests at GNM!  A guy wanted a drawing of a school kid with a jar for a head, who was sad all the time because everyone could see inside his head and steal his ideas.

The friends on the left said I drew the right guy too good-looking.  They suggested adding chest hair.  I added a shaver as well.  BEST SKETCH OF THE NIGHT.

Was it worth it to do 2 events in one night?  Well, I hoped I'd make twice the amount of money, but made less than I would have in one event because I had to miss the prime traffic time of both events.  Next time, I'll just pick the event I think will be most successful, but sometimes you have to try lots of different things because you never know.  Such problems are good to have though - it means I'm getting myself "out there" more.  I wonder what other good problems I'll have in the future.

Shout out to my friend Walter for going to BOTH events!

Vax Moto / GNM Tonight!

Vax Moto is a unique space for motor cyclists to work on their bikes indoors without worrying about packing up from the sidewalk by sundown.  For 2 years, Justin at Vax has been building a great community of enthusiastic cyclists who help each other with projects from replacing motor parts to building vintage motorcycles from scratch.  The name "Vax" is a combination of Justin's sons' names:  Van & Jax.  At 523 3rd Avenue, Vax Moto is just minutes away from GNM, happening tonight!  Come party with us!  Take the F, R, or G trains to the 4th Ave./9th St. stop, or ride your motorcycle to 61 9th St.  See you there!

718 Cyclery

Walking by 718 Cyclery, you may think it's just a bike repair shop, but it's so much more.  It's a place where you can buy bikes built from scratch and learn the skills to build ones yourself.  The founder of 718 is very passionate about sharing his knowledge of DIY to empower bikers everywhere to become "masters" of their bikes.  There's a great sense of community too - you can work with 718s team of mechanics to collaborate on your project and get as dirty as you want.  Bike on over to GNM this Saturday - it's almost here!

Brooklyn Boulders

 

Brooklyn Boulders is the place to get your adventure fix without ever leaving Brooklyn.  They have an enormous space on 575 Degraw St. that's jam packed with action.  Ever wanted to climb the Brooklyn Bridge?  Now's your chance - Brooklyn Boulders has a wall shaped just like it.  Love the atmosphere too - many walls are filled with beautiful colorful murals.

The Union Hotel

Today's characters are staying at the Union Hotel on 611 Degraw St. in Gowanus.  The hotel's exterior pays tribute to old school factories and warehouses, while its interior boasts chic design.  GNM has had many national and international visitors (as well as our awesome local crowd of course).  What better way to experience the true Brooklyn scene than at Gowanus Nite Market - a place like nowhere else.

The Underground Skate Scene

Skaters may know the main Homage Brooklyn on Bergen Street - a real skater owned and operated skate/snowboard shop.  But there's another Homage in Gowanus that has an actual indoor skate park inside!  Go to Homage Indoor on 615 Degraw Street for hours of skating fun.  If you've never skated, no problem - they have lessons for all ages.  Skate your way to Gowanus Nite Market this Saturday!  And yes, we did call it a party - with awesome bands added to the mix of all GNM has to offer, you're sure to party the night away.

GNM is back!

The Gowanus Nite Market is BACK this Saturday March 16th!  For this weeks theme, I'm drawing my specialty - comics!  The comics will feature different "hidden gems" of Gowanus that bring vitality to the neighborhood and make Gowanus a destination spot.  Today's comic characters are at Triple Diamond Tattoo at 257 3rd Ave.  When you step in, you're surrounded by a myriad of curious taxidermied animals, skulls, horns, and peacock feathers.  Definitely a quirky, hip, and inspirational environment for getting an awesome tattoo.  The owners, Jon Jon and Shannon, are super friendly too!  They opened shop in Gowanus about 7 months ago to bring an exciting new energy to the area.

If you aren't familiar with tattoos, the comic is referencing that you shouldn't drink alcohol before getting a tattoo because it thins your blood.  Be prepared:  get your tattoos this week before going to Gowanus Nite Market and enjoy tons of Brooklyn Brewery beer!

Bar Tano

In my quest to find nice romantic spots in Gowanus, I found Bar Tano on 3rd Ave.  I was struck by the gorgeous tin walls and roof of the place (no, the tiles didn't literally fall and hit my head, but you know what I mean!).  I've always loved seeing elegant tin roofs in NY - a sign the building must be about a century old.  Of special note:  the decorations on the top of my drawing look like little upside-down hearts!  Fits the Gowanus Love theme in so many ways.

I talked with Gaston, Bar Tano's general manager, who said 4 years ago Bar Tano was one of only a few venues in Gowanus (a real trail blazer for the area).  "Tano" is the nickname of the owner's uncle.  The bar has Sicilian-inspired food that's affordable.  Take your Valentine there for Salmone Tartare, Bucatini al Pesto, or Zuppa di Pesce.  The kitchen is open late, which is awesome.  Looks like the bar has a great selection of Italian wines and other spirits.  Overall, Bar Tano has an old-world, classy, romantic atmosphere.

Bar Tano:  457 3rd Ave. @ 9th St. Brooklyn NY 11215

Unfortunately, this predicament just happened to my apartment.

Gowanus Love

February's Gowanus Nite Market has been cancelled due to problems with the venue (I'm learning just how hard it is to get events running smoothly in NYC!) but will resume in March.  In the meantime, I'm still going to post drawings to keep the buzz going for the month of February with the theme of "Gowanus Love."  Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I went around Gowanus interviewing places that would be perfect for a romantic date.  First up:  Runner & Stone!

Runner & Stone is a chic cafe by day and a classy wine bar when the lights dim (although you could have wine anytime I guess!).  It recently opened last December and is a very welcome addition to Gowanus.  Service is great - everyone was so friendly to me!  I went in the afternoon and had a delicious poppy seed cake with Earl Grey tea - yum!  Be quick though, the pastries are gone by like 3 or 4pm.  The layout of the space is divided into cozy little pockets of a few tables near the window, main room, downstairs, and in the hall - great for privacy on a date.  They have really fancy food too, like Moroccan braised lamb breast, short rib tortolloni with lobster, and duck pastrami.

The name "Runner & Stone" refers to stones used in a traditional mill - the runner stone and base stone used to grind grain.  The restaurant is a few blocks away from the site of the first tide water grist mill in NYC.  The mill (as symbolized in their logo - you can see it imprinted on the bread at the bottom of my drawing) is a symbol of when food was produced locally and continues today in Runner & Stones hand-crafted food.

Runner & Stone 285 3rd Ave, Brooklyn NY 11215

Open M-Th 7:30A-10P, F 7A-11P, Sat 8A-11P, Sun 9A-4P

G for Gowanus!

I'm back to drawing for the Gowanus Nite Market again!  The next market is next Saturday January 12!  This week I'm trying a new theme:  GOWANUS has 7 letters, and I'll post a new letter each day that has a picture that starts with that letter.  I went around Gowanus taking pictures one night to find lots of things that began with all the letters.  Super cold, but super fun like a scavenger hunt!  The first letter is G for the G train.  The G has its quirks:  it's a few car lengths shorter than the other trains, it's the only train that is only in Brooklyn & Queens and doesn't go to Manhattan, and I've heard some refer to it as the "Ghost Train."  According to Wikipedia, the G's original name was the GG and started service in 1933.  Today, most people hate the G train because it's royally messed up on the weekends due to construction and is super slow at night.  However, most times I've taken the G during the day it's been fine.  Whatever your feelings are about the G train, it's a part of Gowanus and part of your life in Brooklyn.