Tag Archives: Rah Hell

Drawing Rah Hell at Adenauerplatz, August 2021..

Rah Hell at Adenauerplatz by Suzanne Forbes August 27 2021I had another meet-and-draw, with Beloved Friend-Muse-Patron Rah Hell!!

Rah is one of my oldest Berlin friends, and has been an incredible muse to me. Drawing her playing the drums is one of the most fun challenges I’ve ever faced!

So since she won’t be in Berlin much longer, we had to meet up outside Graffiti and have a chat and a draw.

Rah Hell at Adenauerplatz by Suzanne Forbes August 27 2021Such a pleasure to see this dear friend and draw her familiar face.

As you can see from the scan above versus the photograph at the top of the post, it really is hard to convey how the pastels look in these drawings. But when I photograph drawings with the ipad, there is orthographic distortion. So it’s kind of a tough call.Rah Hell at Adenauerplatz by Suzanne Forbes August 27 2021 detail

In this case, the photograph looks so much better, even with a little distortion.

Rah will be performing with @felineandstrange at Steam Ball, a female-fronted alternative music festival, next weekend here in Berlin!!

I hope you will also check out Rah’s drum teaching Patreon 🙂

So grateful to longterm Patron Rah (who was my first German Patron!) and to all my other Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue making art as a vaccinated but Covid-vulnerable disabled person.

With your support, I can work from home or safely outside and keep telling the stories of Berlin.

Other drawings and portraits of Rah:

The most punk charity benefit.

The most gay rugby benefit.

With Alfred Ladylike at Art Stalker.

At The Night of The Living Drummesses!

At the Tom Petty tribute show Rah helped create.

New Year’s 2018, at Lagari.

More New Year’s 2018, at Lagari.

With The Erinyes at Art Stalker.

Band practice at the secret space.

My portrait of Rah hanging at Ludwig, the first painting I showed in Berlin.

Rah at Uke Boogie, a delightful event she created and ran for several years.

More Uke Boogie.

Rah filming Das Fluff at Monster Ronsons.

With Donut Heart at Arcanoa.

Starting the big portrait.

With Donut Heart onstage at the Lesbisches and Schwules (Gay and Lesbian) Festival.

My first time at Uke Boogie!

And the Donut Heart video release party, which was when my life in Berlin really crystallized and began.

I am so grateful to Rah for the belonging, friendship, inspiration and laughter she has given me during her Berlin years. I look forward to hearing about her further adventures.

In Berlin, even charity benefits are punk as fuck.

Baron Anastis and Rah Hell of The Erinyes by Suzanne Forbes Jan 12 2019I was invited to draw The Erinyes at a WOŚP Berlin charity fundraiser at Werkstatt der Kulturen (Workshop of Cultures).

The Werkstatt is an amazing castle-like building near Hermannplatz. It focuses on transculturality and diversity and showcases Berlin’s migrant forms of culture, art and action. Amazing right?!? There is a big concert auditorium and for this event there was a delicious Polish food pop-up. I ate the most scrumptious vegetarian pierogi, the best I’ve had since those middle of the night feasts at the Kiev in the 80s.

My friends and muses Rah Hell and Baron Anastis were performing, with Antony Buzz who flew in from Greece that morning. I had had some trouble controlling my line the night before at the Schwules Museum, as my hands are a bit shaky from various medication adjustments.

So I decided to take a break from pencil and ink and do some ballpoint drawings. 
The Erinyes by Suzanne Forbes Jan 12 2019The Erinyes by Suzanne Forbes Jan 12 2019

Ballpoint is so great for gigs!

It’s so fluid, I just let my hand move with the music, swirling and slashing. It feels incredibly good to draw with a ballpoint, but in general it is other artists who really like the drawings rather than the larger audience, so I tend to avoid it. Still, some of my favorite musician drawings I’ve ever done are in ballpoint or rollerball.

It was so rad to see The Erinyes rocking out, howling their signature raw sexypunk, at an event to raise money for medical care for kids. So gloriously Berlin. I love this city so much.