Paint and Sip

[temptationaccomplished]

Who: EVERYONE is welcome to join
What: Per this post, Fell is involved in helping a friend organize her charity Paint and Sip style art class, family friendly
When: October 14th afternoon
Where: Manhattan
Warnings: Paint. idk Have fun, don't turn this into a paint war, and we're all good.
OOC Note: It feels a little awkward having this after the droids killed player characters.
I'm behind. I'm so lost and out of things. Also I am on hiatus, so if you want to talk to Fell, please be aware he may not be replying much. Maybe hit me up on plurk if you'd like to discuss a thread that accomplishes a specific thing. Otherwise please use this to mingle and enjoy yourselves because I did not want to NOT do this post if people genuinely wanted to send their characters to it. I think it's a good Non-Bureau way to mingle? I hope?


A charming woman greets everyone as they enter. She's cultivated a certain look: what with her yellow horn-rimmed glasses with a sparkly beaded chain, skirt that is overlaid with tulle, and wildly colorful earrings that are clearly a handmade set but do not match. For that matter, nothing on her really...matches and because of that, it ALL matches. Judging by the crows-feet around her eyes and the gray in her otherwise frizzy dark hair, she's probably near enough to Fell's age. She introduces herself as Miranda Cortez, offers a brochure on the charity they'll be helping today, and thanks you for your contribution. She'll be the instructor and is technically the host.

Fell looks bright and perky in his painting apron. He's alternating between helping with the refreshments (which you may find he's roped a friend or two into helping with), all of which are family-friendly and non-alcoholic, and also making sure everyone finds their seats, has enough supplies, etc.

You'll be painting with acrylics today and she's going to teach you to paint a beautiful autumn scene--if you want to. There are more than enough colors for you to paint whatever you please, while Miranda provides instructions from the front of the class, stepping the majority of the participants through the autumn art, gives some tips on mixing with a palette knife, using the different brushes, and other techniques.

Fell will be around the room, cooing over your good work and providing encouraging words. He'd be happy to help too, if you'd like him to. He may be an art restorer, not an artist himself, but he's still a skilled painter and knows his way around the canvas, no matter how much he may downplay his original art skills.



[[ooc: I was going to make sections, but I think it's probably easier for everyone to make their own top levels? If we want sections, let me know.]]

Comments

Fell

[temptationaccomplished]

Fell looks bright and perky in his painting apron. He's alternating between helping with the refreshments (which you may find he's roped a friend or two into helping with), all of which are family-friendly and non-alcoholic, and also making sure everyone finds their seats, has enough supplies, etc.

Once the lesson starts, he will be around the room, cooing over your good work and providing encouraging words. He'd be happy to help too, if you'd like him to. He may be an art restorer, not an artist himself, but he's still a skilled painter and knows his way around the canvas, no matter how much he may downplay his original art skills.

After the event, he'll be part of cleanup and free to linger around and talk.

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony did not arrive in any fit shape for painting. He had dressed flashy in a dark leather jacket, shades despite being indoors, and a bright red button-up that matched perfectly with the two dozen red roses he carried in a carefully molded paper wrapping over a shoulder. It might have been a charity event but there was no harm in doing it up a bit or sneaking over to your boyfriend to steal a peck on the cheek next to the finger sandwiches.

"Aziraphale. It seems to be going well," He spoke silkily as he slid around the volunteer snack vendor keeping an eye on what the angel was working on and glanced out at the crowd at the same time, "More over ten's than I expected."

[temptationaccomplished]

Who do you think you're trying to impress, you handsome devil (and he was, a very handsome devil). Aziraphale was suitably impressed, if adorably smug about having his boyfriend show up looking so stylish just to give him a kiss. He really shouldn't encourage this behavior; Anthony was distracting. And he was so overdressed for the event, Aziraphale considered it a personal challenge to convince him to attempt to paint in his nice clothes.

"It's quite a success," he said, proud as anything, and gave a half-hearted attempt to shoo Anthony out from behind the table. "Go on, you can't be behind here. Someone's liable to mistake you for one of the snacks we're giving out, put you on their plate."

Cleanup After

[seawalled]

As one of those occasional volunteers, Ellie had worked at her own painting a bit on and off ... it had worked out well, since she needed breaks from it once in a while. She grabs a fresh bin bag and moves to hand it to him as she notices the one he has is getting full.

"Here you go, then. Can I take that one out to, I don't know, is there a dumpster out back?"

[temptationaccomplished]

"I think there's a dumpster behind every building in this ridiculous city." But he made no move to hand over the bag, even though taking out the trash was certainly not something he relished doing himself. Ellie had been too sweet and kind helping them out today; she should be allowed to finished up her painting undisturbed. "But no, my dear, you're a guest. I couldn't possibly make you empty the bins."

Re: Fell

[howkickassiam]

York heard about this event somewhere or other and decides to show, despite the fact that he hasn't touched a paintbrush since high school. He's perfectly amenable to socializing a bit with the host upon arriving, and then pays rapt attention to the lesson when that's going on. He begins painting, mixing the autumn colors on his palette, and strokes out the outline and shape of a tree.

Mr. Fell swings by and York grins at him. "I think it looks pretty natural, don't you?"

[temptationaccomplished]

"Very," he said, giving an appreciative look over the scene laid out over York's palette. Well balanced, nicely planned, good use of shadows. "You have a good eye for color." His cheery, genuine sunshine smile falters as he realizes his awkward and potentially problematic choice of phrasing. Fell turns pink. "Ah, that is, I mean, well. Knack. You have a wonderful knack for color."

Soldiering on. "It usually takes people a little while longer to get the trick of mixing paints and not muddying them. Have you done this before?"

[scotch_egg]

Alec has been staring at his blank canvas since the beginning, not seeming to want to move. One arm is crossed under him and he holds a glass of ...whatever the hell it is--in the other as he stares. Whenever Cortez comes over to him he gives her a look so that she goes away again and then continues to fix his beady eyes on the blank canvas. On occasion you may see him touch a dry brush to the white before immediately taking it away again and scowling.

This...is not his field.

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist

[temptationaccomplished]

He was going to leave Alec to it, let him suffer in peace, but after a painfully long time of observing him doing...nothing to his canvas, Aziraphale cannot resist poking his head in over Alec's shoulder and giving the canvas a considering nod.

"Trying to copy Tom Friedman's 1000 Hours of Staring, are you? Frightfully good job, though I'm afraid the studio space isn't rented for nearly long enough."

Re: I'm sorry. I couldn't resist

[scotch_egg]

"Piss off. It's only been about twenty minutes and she isn't helping." He levers a look at the art instructor. "I can't just put paint anywhere." It has to be the perfect spot, only he is not sure where that is yet. That was the problem with paint. Once you started, you couldn't undo what you'd done.

"Where's your canvas?"

[seawalled]

Ellie gives a quiet but high hum of approval as she comes up behind him and gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Polar bear in a snowstorm, by Alec. Looks fine so far, love." She leans in and speaks even more softly, so as not to embarrass him in front of the others. "I'm sure it means a lot that you came."

[scotch_egg]

"Don't patronize me, I'm thinking. And I'm only here for family." Before you think he has any actual sentimental value to painting of all things. "Are you going to do anything?"

Jack

[captainspain]

Jack enters the room as quietly as he can. This is too important for him to risk stealing the spotlight. He greets the hostess warmly and slips a sizable check from his fellow cast members into her hand. He'll wave off any thanks and move to the tables again not wanting to draw more attention then he should.

He's dressed in a blue sweater that brings out his eyes and jeans that a dressy, but nothing Jack isn't willing to get dirty. He's form of art is a bit different then this but he's willing to learn and it is to help a friend and a good cause.

[temptationaccomplished]

Aziraphale is pretty sure Miranda nearly fainted on the spot, though he wasn't sure if it was from the check or that Jack's hand probably touched hers in the exchange.

He stops by Jack's easel about halfway through the event to admire his progress and offer him a bottled water. "Oh, that's quite good. If acting ever doesn't work out any longer, perhaps you could have a second career in fine art." And then, quieter, he adds, "Thank you, very much, for the donation. I do hope she didn't fawn too embarrassingly hard over you."

[captainspain]

Jack waves off the concern with a smile. "It happens so rarely to me that I don't mind at all," he replies ever modest about his own fame. He takes the bottled water and opens it up taking a sip. "And you are being kind about my artistic talents. I'm good at following directions and that's about it." Jack has never been an artist in the drawing sense of the word, but he's always been willing to try something new at least once. "Looks like you have a good turn out tonight?"

Anthony

[serpentinthegarden]

The event had barely started and Anthony found himself stripped of his cool leather jacket and press ganged into a pink ruffled pinny. It was the only cover-up they had left so he had settled for it even if could have done without the adorable grinning white rabbit on the front...

After an initial fumble with the paintbrush he had dived into the spirit of the art of painting if not the skill of it. His canvas blossomed in brilliant reds and yellows but looked more like a child's enthusiastic finger painting rather than the autumn tree it was meant to be. Even his cheek got into the action as a small smudge of red ended up dabbed on his jaw. Holding his brush and concentrating on his work Anthony never even noticed.

Re: Anthony

[scotch_egg]

Alec sat next to him, or nearby enough to see anyway, still haven't put a single blot of paint on his canvas-- except for the flick of orangey-yellow which had splattered across it due to a certain relatives enthusiasm.

"You did better work in Primary School." Said somewhat dryly. "Only this time don't drink the paint water."

[serpentinthegarden]

Anthony's eyes rolled so hard his entire head followed, all the better to glare daggers at Alec for bringing that up.

"Some one said it was Kool-ade. I'm not likely to make that same mistake again."

His cousin was going for a very interesting blank sort of feeling with his canvas. Thankfully there were those few spots of yellow to give it some sort of life.

"What are you waiting for anyway, try adding some paint to that. Ever watch that guy on PBS? There are no mistakes just happy accidents... so its not like you could screw this up."

Ellie

[seawalled]

Ellie spends ... a surprising amount of time at the beginning of the event talking Miranda's ear off about the charity of the hour. By the end of the conversation she has a list of contacts to hit up for possible jobs, and goes to gather her art supplies with a wide smile.

She sits herself down at her easel and regards the broad blank canvas for a while, trying to figure out how exactly to start. She starts to lay down a pale brown for underneath all the fallen leaves, but ... a different image pops into her mind as she makes the first strokes, and soon what's coming to light still has an autumn feeling to it, but it's decidedly not trees.

She pauses and gets up for a glass of wine... and there's nothing alcoholic. Bugger.

[howkickassiam]

York paints up a tree and a cloud, then hangs back to examine his own work. When Ellie returns from getting her drink he stops slouching and picks his brush up, almost as if he's concerned she'll admonish him for not working.

"It's pretty passable, I think?" he says, and squints at the tree on his canvas. "Yeahh, it's kind of like a Mattress. Or whatever that guy was called."

omg I think my phone ate this when I tagged back like a week ago.

[seawalled]

She laughs lightly, charmed by his attempt at humor.

"Mattisse, I think," she says, "though don't quote me on it." She's glad for the laugh, glad from the disconnect from her own canvas and the implications it just shoved in her face.

"Besides, I think the charity's the real art here, don't you?"

Emberto- OTA

[smilingarmor]

In the end, half a dozen members of Emberto's troupe hade been able to join him for the event, though two brought their significant others and one also brought her two children, age 8 and 12. Neither child seemed especially concerned about following the instructions, but both seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Meanwhile, Emberto himself- after complimenting their host's attire- set to painting himself. It seemed he was following instructions fairly well, but he was quite willing to be distracted by anyone wanting to chat.

[consortofalderaan]

Bail kept an eye on his daughter who seemed to have found some other children to paint with. He knew the chances that she would produce anything close to the given instructions were nil, she always took any opportunity to color outside the lines, so to speak, but at the very least, she was making friends and seemed to be having a good time.

He peaked at his neighbor's painting which was much more to the instructions than his daughter bright pink and red and blue creation.

Bail had never been artistic in this way, he was mostly here for his daughter's benefit, but he was trying.

Emberto on the other hand was painting with far better skill than he was.

"Do you do these a lot?" he asked, as a way of starting a conversation.

Wei Wuxian

[chenqing_player]

Wei Wuxian couldn't contribute a lot but he made a modest donation and found himself a seat. He listened to the instructor for a bit, but he has long since grown tired of school like settings and so after glancing at what she was creating, he just started to get to work.

She wanted them to paint an autumn scene, but the one he created was out of his memories. A flurry of warm colors, leaves drifting down to cover an ancient Chinese style architecture. He has only seen this building in flashbacks but the warm wooden archways are clearly carved in lotus and purple banners appear to be blowing in an invisible breeze.

Wei Wuxian takes a break after a moment and sits back to study the painting. He feels a warmth like this used to be home even though he has never actually known anything like it in this lifetime.

"Not too bad for a novice."

[scotch_egg]

"It's expressive." Alec was wandering around, too restless to sit still, to attached to leave, too self conscious to paint. He can't help but be attracted by this one though and all the delicate linework. He wasn't an art critic or much of an art person, but he knew what he liked.

"Is it somewhere familiar?"