Rex Harrington

On a Sunday in late June I sat in on a dance class taught by Artist-in-Residence Rex Harrington at the National Ballet of Canada. That man is a genius.

His poses were so strong it was unbelievable. And they were only going through the most rudimentary of exercises.

I've already voiced my thoughts about the connection between dance and animation, and those similarities certainly weren't lost on NFB legend Norman McLaren during the production his brilliant film Pas de Deux. Pure energy harnessed through cinema.

"Weeee Loooove D-E-V-O!"

A few weeks ago I cruised around on my bike to check out a few events in the city.

John Street had been shut down for 1000 Tastes of Toronto where you could grab street food prepared by some of the city's best restaurants. I sat on a curb to enjoy dishes from both Luma and Khao San Road. If only we had street food like this all the time.

Continuing along, I came across a pool of thousands in front of the Chum City building to watch rehearsals for the Much Music Video Awards. The set was pretty impressive up close.   

Most people were hoping for a glance of someone famous but the rehearsal was more for the camera and lighting crew than anything. No Selena Gomez, sorry to disappoint folks.

Up on Dundas there was a free concert going on as part of the NXNE music festival. I had been there a night earlier to see The Descendants play so I thought why not check it out again?

Men Without Hats and Devo were on the bill so there were loads of glow sticks in the crowd.

I snuck up way to the front because I'm tiny and stealthlike. There, I found a man with a very large belly who was just too cool for us all.

A variety of characters come out to these free concerts. People who never go to shows. Sometimes this makes for a weird crowd dynamic with everyone standing around in a daze, unsure of where to put their hands.

The show was pretty fun even though I couldn't see much. But the constantly churning crowd of strangers kept me entertained with drawing for a good long while.

Dude, She's Drawing Me

The thing about sketchbooks is they're addictive. Once you start carrying yours around all the time, it's impossible to leave home without it. Like a photographer without a camera, to not have a sketchbook means missing out on thousands of moments that you wish you had captured.

I spotted these three ladies in the subway on the way to a doctor's appointment and got the feeling that they have been friends for a very long time.

This guy was using his briefcase as a desk to continue working during his commute home. 

Sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office I was about to pull out a magazine until I looked up to discover this wicked composition right in front of me. I've stared across this hall for nearly two decades worth of doctor's visits, but this was the first time I saw it through the eyes of someone who draws all the frigging time. It's cool to find a new appreciation for imagery you've taken for granted over the years, because moments like these are what life is made of.

The office across the hall, as I discovered, is a maternity clinic. So lots of future mums to draw.

Watching this guy read made my neck sore! Some people have the strangest posture...

People on the streetcar.

Back at the coffee shop I ordered an iced tea and sat down to listen to a very interesting pair of thinkers discuss the economy in America. From what I could tell the guy on the right was a prof at U of T and the girl on the left might have been a former student. Anyhow, it was an engaging conversation that hooked me from the very start.

At the other side of the table was this guy on a laptop with bleach-blonde hair and a pale complexion. 

A petite asian girl sat down next to him to study. There was some pretty serious flirting going on!

The girl was completely adorable and every pose she took was one that I wish I could have drawn. She was bursting with so much life!

Then I started on the girl next to me who didn't seem to appreciate it much. But that's okay because I just drew her in a grumpy mood instead. Then she muttered to her boyfriend about how annoying I was, then picked up and moved across the room. That's a first!

This Fair City

Summer is the best time to be in Toronto, hands down. I've already cleared nearly two sketchbooks of drawings from around the city.

Lots of families lounge about on a Saturday afternoon in Trinity Bellwoods park. 

I started to draw this man sitting by a tree, but he changed poses so I just drew a new version over top of the old one. 

Java House on Queen is always packed and its patio is great for drawing in the summer. 

A lot of animators like to hang out here, actually. More for the cheap beer than for the drawing. Animators ♥ Beer.

At some point this past week I popped into Dark Horse on Spadina for some iced tea. There are always awesome business meetings going on and it's fascinating to eavesdrop on them.

So much texting everywhere. All the time.

Spadina streetcar filling up.

Stand clear of the doors!

Or not...

Last Days in Montreal

In the 3-week period that I was in Montreal wrapping up the film I also powered through a sketchbook and a half. There are way too many drawings for me to put everything up, so I thought I'd share these last few. 

On one of the days I hung out with Andrew and his friends over a few buckets of beer.

One of his buddies showed up later to occupy this empty chair.

Later I spent a bit more time in the park, watching strangers.

Nearby there's a place called Cafe Santrapol which has a lush patio out back that I enjoyed very much.

On another day I went to an artsy film presentation that combined 16mm with live performance.

One of the performers in the show was Rebecca Foon, a composer for Hothouse 7.

Strangely, one of the musicians was also in the band of another show I had seen a few days earlier (and written a post about). Also saw her walk by as I was in line for St Viateur's Bagels. Montreal is tiny in a way.

Obligatory Metro sketch.

Found the cutest cafe that flavours everything with flower petals.

Back at Santrapol to meet Eva for lunch and grab something healthy before the train ride home.

And the last stop was Cafe Myrade for my last taste of Montreal.