Nuclear Institute - breakthrough attempt

On the same day we decided to explore the old estate in Cheremushki. It's now split in two, and you can enter neither part: The one in the pic is now an Institute studying intestinal worms (it is not REALLY well-guarded - what for?) 

But just across the street is a secret nuclear lab

Hippie session in Tzaritzyno

Tzaritzyno used to be a beautiful ruin in Moscow, but now, redesigned, redeveloped and totally fucked up, it's a kinda "old" palace, where everything is fake and cries "I'm a Turkish sea resort; built yesterday, will crumble tomorrow." We went there on June 1. BUT: behind the phoney palace there was a nice bunch of hippies (I guess it was their annual gathering on the first day of Summer). I like the veteran hippies - with long beards, drunk and hoarse. somehow, as i am looking thru the photos - there are mainly young girls in the pic. I wonder why :)
  
 

feeling happy

at last!!! after  a year of hesitation and delays I finally got to the sketching class. somehow drawing itself makes me feel happy

Entertainment in X-city

Just a few minutes drive from Moscow - and here we go, the X-town, where I live
 
we've got a local theatre here. What's on?  On the 22nd - "Features of National Prostitution"; on the 20th - "Miracle Cat"; the 12th - "Romeo and Juliet"; the 10th - "Three Little Pigs". 

and an earlier pic I forgot to post here

ballpen, A3

just a guy posting an ad in Tverskaya St, Moscow. Or maybe a graffiti artist with a monumental drive - who knows?  

something to remember

 "When your hands grow numb or your feet get paralyzed - REMEMBER, how you stole from the Botanical garden"
- a scary signpost in an otherwise quite poetic Moscow Bot. garden.
  

and there's another pic I've just finished. That is, I dropped it at this point, can't go on any more :)
   
Ink on A3 paper

drawing people in clothes is so boring!
why won't girls just walk around naked?

From the horse's mouth

I came across a funny sculpture in the Tretyakov gallery. Forgot the author's name. Yeah, this is a work by a Soviet sculptor Isidor Frich-Haar. It's supposed to be a scene from the Civil war in Russia (1918-1922). Red Army guys do some military planning (they are using 1:1 maps, obviously)

btw, I like the thoughtful eyes of the messenger's horse. The reference site says Mr  Frich-Haar was working in the naive style, because, like he said, "I can't afford being a serious artist".
 

Растущее достоинство

рассматривая первое, наткнулся на второе. Колонка главного редактора в журнале объявлений, Новосибирск
     

Red Square renovated for the May 9 parade

the guys are replacing pebbles in front of the Kremlin wall. Check out the instruments they are using - a replica of a good old wooden mallet?

weekend in a small town

 We went to Dmitrov for the Pancake week a few weeks ago. Actually, we planned a trip to Kolomna, a lovely town in the opposite direction, but Dmitrov was much closer. It was quite a "blind date", because we knew nothing about the town - but we weren't disappointed. 
 

well, I didn't make it to the class last Thursday (so the previous figure remains unchanged) - but I did manage to get there two Tuesdays in succession. So, here's our new model - Anatoly, an amateur actor, loves to talk during sesions, recites his new role (a sparrow - quite a challenging part for a guy of his proportions) and ... well... here he is:

Меня достают эти разговоры о том, что "вот при Сталине был порядок", "вот Сталин сейчас бы навел порядок". Какой на хер порядок? Убить накануне войны всех военачальников - это порядок? В ходе индустриализации сажать специалистов - это порядок? Устроить чехарду в науках? Переписывать историю каждый день, замалевывать на фотографиях расстрелянных комиссаров? Вчера герой - завтра предатель: это порядок? Это бардак какой-то. Если любите Сталина, так честно и скажите: мы хотим вернуть кровавый бардак!

Drawing class

I finally got to my drawing class and here's what I got after 4 hrs. I was sorta rushing the shading, because I wasn't sure I'd take another lesson next week. 

it was coal pencil on A2 paper.

The teacher said I shouldn't apply so much tone at this stage. The figure looks too black where it's opposed to the light - infact, the model's right side will catch reflected light and look lighter. Also, at this stage, I should draw more of his face. And, finally, the front plane of the belly should be narrow, I got it too wide. Personally, I'm not happy with the posture - it's somewhat lifeless, not energetic. But: I hope to improve things next Thursday :)

Gasmasks on parade

Ballpen on A3 paper

drawing this took me a while and I'm not too happy with the result. too gray, to put it briefly.
I got disappointed with ballpen at this stage, because you can't apply strokes indefinitely with it - the paper resists.

Russia - sect

I went to my friend's countryhouse this winter, and as I was driving, I saw a strange structure, that looked like a chirch. I stopped by.
Infact, it wasn't a church at all. Locals told me, members of an obscure sect lived there and turned their house into a temple (where grizly rituals were performed, of course)
 

Subway pics - latest pack

 

Soviet TV cameramen - the invisible hippies

I came across a bunch of old Soviet photos - the making of Soviet TV. And - wow! - I always knew, TV cameramen are chic and hip, BUT: how did they manage to do it under Soviet regime? they look much cooler than all the rest. Check'em out!

more subway people

I thank all my models for joining this session. Some of them never noticed anything, others got suspicious, but didn't mind anyway. I drew about a hundred passengers by now, and - strangely - none ever objected.

о преемственности

 мне кажется, правящий клан губит жадность. Ну сколько надо денег человеку -неужели мало уже нахапано рабским трудом? Сотни миллионов, десятки миллиардов - а надо еще и еще, все контролируем, этот нам откатывает, здесь нам должны... Уж скоро в гроб пора, сколько тех лет осталось? Ну 10-15-20. Ни прожрать эти деньги, ни просрать уже не успеют. Что за упыри непонятные?  Или детям хотят завещать - так им все равно впрок не идет никогда. Даже клещ или там пиявка, насосавшись, отваливает - а эти нет, не хотят.

Subway sketches

 я стал рисовать в метро, потому что иначе совсем нет времени. главное выбрать людей, которые не выходят на следующей станции и не очень вертятся
   
they are pencil drawings, but photoshopped with added contrast, they look like ink. Anyway

Единая Россия - знакомое

Аэропорт Новосибирска, весь засыпанный снегом. Плакат Единой России: кругом колосятся поля. Надпись на плакате: "Нам есть чем гордиться. Единая Россия".  Я бы написал по-другому: "Единая Россия: всегда на теплом месте."

At last! Coca-Cola ad in the Kremlin!

Now here it goes, Coca-Cola ad on the Kremlin wall! It was so natural for it to be there, I just wonder why they took so long :)

Not the real Kremlin, of course. Ice sculpture from Novosibirsk. Cool place in winter.

I went there on business a couple of weeks ago. What can I say? You can ski to almost any place in the city - there's so much snow. It was just -15 degrees, we were lucky to catch a few warm days.