Tag Archives: portraiture

A life drawing session with Suki of the BSC, celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Showgirls of SF!

Suki in corset for Berlin Strippers Collective by Suzanne Forbes May 26 2021I always love to join a zoom drawing session from the BSC.

The Berlin Strippers’ Collective is a wonderful resource for folks who do life drawing, both remotely and IRL. Although my health has limited my attendance, I had to make this session with co-founder Suki, who created a concept to honor the history of the AAPI showgirls of San Francisco’s Forbidden City Nightclub and Cabaret.

πšƒπš‘πšŽ π™΅πš˜πš›πš‹πš’πšπšπšŽπš— π™²πš’πšπš’ 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 π™²πš‘πš’πš—πšŽπšœπšŽ πš—πš’πšπš‘πšπšŒπš•πšžπš‹ πšŠπš—πš πšŒπšŠπš‹πšŠπš›πšŽπš πš’πš— πš‚πšŠπš— π™΅πš›πšŠπš—πšŒπš’πšœπšŒπš˜, πš πš‘πš’πšŒπš‘ 𝚠𝚊𝚜 πš’πš— πš‹πšžπšœπš’πš—πšŽπšœπšœ πšπš›πš˜πš– 𝟷𝟿𝟹𝟾 𝚝𝚘 𝟷𝟿𝟽𝟢.
π™²πš‘πšŠπš›πš•πš’πšŽ π™»πš˜πš , πšπš‘πšŽ πšœπš˜πš— 𝚘𝚏 πšœπš–πšŠπš•πš• πšœπšπš˜πš›πšŽ πš˜πš πš—πšŽπš›πšœ, πš˜πš™πšŽπš—πšŽπš πšπš‘πšŽ π™΅πš˜πš›πš‹πš’πšπšπšŽπš— π™²πš’πšπš’ πš˜πš— π™³πšŽπšŒπšŽπš–πš‹πšŽπš› 𝟸𝟸, 𝟷𝟿𝟹𝟾.
π™±πšžπšœπš’πš—πšŽπšœπšœ 𝚠𝚊𝚜 πšœπš•πš˜πš  πšžπš—πšπš’πš• 𝟷𝟿𝟺𝟢, πš πš‘πšŽπš— π™»πš˜πš  πš‘πš’πš›πšŽπš π™½πš˜πšŽπš• πšƒπš˜πš’, 𝚊 πš“πš˜πšžπš›πš—πšŠπš•πš’πšœπš– πšœπšπšžπšπšŽπš—πš 𝚊𝚝 πš„πš—πš’πšŸπšŽπš›πšœπš’πšπš’ 𝚘𝚏 π™²πšŠπš•πš’πšπš˜πš›πš—πš’πšŠ, π™±πšŽπš›πš”πšŽπš•πšŽπš’ πš πš‘πš˜ πš‘πšŠπš πš πš˜πš›πš”πšŽπš 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 πš—πšžπšπšŽ πš–πš˜πšπšŽπš• 𝚊𝚝 πšπš‘πšŽ π™Άπš˜πš•πšπšŽπš— π™ΆπšŠπšπšŽ π™Έπš—πšπšŽπš›πš—πšŠπšπš’πš˜πš—πšŠπš• π™΄πš‘πš™πš˜πšœπš’πšπš’πš˜πš— πš’πš— 𝟷𝟿𝟹𝟿. π™°πš π™΅πš˜πš›πš‹πš’πšπšπšŽπš— π™²πš’πšπš’, πšƒπš˜πš’ 𝚠𝚊𝚜 πš–πšŠπš›πš”πšŽπšπšŽπš 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 “π™±πšžπš‹πš‹πš•πšŽ π™³πšŠπš—πšŒπšŽπš›.” πš‚πš‘πšŽ πš™πšŽπš›πšπš˜πš›πš–πšŽπš πš—πšžπšπšŽ πš πš’πšπš‘ 𝚊 πš•πšŠπš›πšπšŽ, πš˜πš™πšŠπššπšžπšŽ πš‹πšžπš‹πš‹πš•πšŽ πšŒπš˜πšŸπšŽπš›πš’πš—πš πš‘πšŽπš› πš‹πš˜πšπš’. πš‚πš‘πšŽ πšŠπš•πšœπš˜ πš™πšŽπš›πšπš˜πš›πš–πšŽπš 𝚊 πš—πšžπšπšŽ πšπšŠπš— πšπšŠπš—πšŒπšŽ πš πš’πšπš‘ πš˜πšœπšπš›πš’πšŒπš‘ πšπšŽπšŠπšπš‘πšŽπš›πšœ. πš†πš’πšπš‘πš’πš— πšπš‘πš›πšŽπšŽ πš–πš˜πš—πšπš‘πšœ, πš‹πšžπšœπš’πš—πšŽπšœπšœ πš›πšŽπšŸπšŽπš—πšžπšŽπšœ πš‘πšŠπš πšπš›πš’πš™πš•πšŽπš.

-from Suki’s post for the event

Suki with red fans for BSC by Suzanne Forbes May 26 2021Such a gorgeous feel to this session!

I love the red fabric fans! Suki’s insta is here.

Suki for BSC by Suzanne Forbes May 26 2021Thank you so much for the history and the inspiration, Suki!

Happy International Sex Worker’s Day to all, and don’t forget to visit the BSC pages to see how Covid has affected strippers, among other sex work industries. You can also visit Suki’s fan site here πŸ™‚

I am incredibly grateful to myΒ Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me work safely at home, documenting Berlin performers and sex workers.

A birthday at Lutter & Wegner, with the vintage songs of Sir Henry De Winter!

T and A at party at Lutter & Wegner by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018I met a lovely pair of gentlemen outside a club in Berlin one night.

We strolled and chatted and I showed them my drawings from the night. Not long after, I got an email from one of them, T, who wished to hire me to draw at his husband A’s 60th birthday party.

Sir Henry de Winter at As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018The party was held at Lutter & Wegner seit 1811, a beautiful historic restaurant walking distance from our flat.

Lutter & Wegener seit 1811 is so cozy and gorgeous, a charming interior of dark wood and white linen. It was filled with flowers from the couple’s floral design business.

Sir Henry de Winter, seen above and below, performed vintage songs of the Berlin 1920s. Marvelous!!!!!

He is an absolute legend of Berlin! His website is here, instagram is here, you can hire him to sing at your event! (hopefully, soon, when there are events again.)

Sir Henry de Winter performs at As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018 The party was 1920s themed and everyone wore fancy dress!

Everyone looked divine.

Party guests at As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018

Guest at As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018

Guests on As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018A on his 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018The couple brought their “daughter”, a sweet little dog.

You can bring a dog to most restaurants in Germany. Shocking to my US readers!

Folx on As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018The pup snuck into several of the pictures!

The restaurant staff were incredibly kind and the food was delicious.Pup at Lutter und Wegner seit 1811 on As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018

Lutter und Wegner Seit 1811 staff on As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018 Here the staff gather at the end of the night.

As they knew my clients very well, the atmosphere was very friendly and great care was taken with everything.

Dancing on As 60th Birthday by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018

Of course there was much drinking of fancy wine, and dancing!

But far more exciting to me, there was chocolate mousse cake!
Guest in cap at party at Lutter & Wegner by Suzanne Forbes Feb 10 2018

I switched to brown Kraft paper at the end of the night.

this was about a year into my beginning to add color to my drawings!Child at As party by Suzanne Forbes feb 10 2018

I believe this child was wearing his grandfather’s antique silk topper.

Of course in Berlin tweens come to fancy parties and stay up very late having fun!

I had the most wonderful time, documenting this group of dear friends and this loving couple in such a beautiful setting. I believe times like this will come again, of course, though my own health has devolved enough that I may never draw all night like this again.

T at Lutter und Wegner seit 1811 by Suzanne Forbes 2018And so I am so grateful to my wonderful clients, who invited me into this dream of Berlin that night.

*drawings shared with their consent of course, I lost the scans for a while so it took me a long time to post them!