I’m what one might call a Doctor Sketchy’s veteran. Or an almost-veteran, at the very least. By some bizarre twist of fate, a former roommate of mine happened to be the head of Sketchy’s LA a few years ago. It was through her that I met and became friends with Skecthy founder Molly Crabapple, and it was thanks to her that I ended up posing for four or five Sketchy’s sessions, so far. When Molly suggested that my husband and I pose for a Master and Margarita-themed Sketchy’s on its home turf in NYC, I actually, literally squealed. There could be no idea more enticing, considering Ales and I are both huge fans of this literary masterpiece, and I love New York, and he’d never been to New York, and, and, and! Excitement all around. If you’re unfamiliar with The Master and Margarita but can’t read Russian, I recommend you pick up this translation and consume it as fast as your schedule allows. It’s both a critique of Stalinist regime and an elaborate parable of good and evil, where cats swig vodka, curse, and shoot guns, the Devil himself wreaks havoc on 1930s Moscow, and love conquers all. Sort of.

The costume planning began immediately upon the theme’s inception. I already had everything necessary to pull off a vamped-up Margarita, but one of my favorite scenes in the book called for full nudity. Since I want prepared for that degree of exhibitionism the next best thing was a flesh-tone mesh catsuit, which I festooned with strategically-placed rhinestones. Ales made a dashing and appropriately tortured Master, roughed up for the occasion by several days’ worth of facial hair and sleep deprivation. With Nik Sin as our evil feline companion, we took the makeshift stage on Saturday night to a booming soundtrack meticulously compiled by emcee John Leavitt, and a Moscow skyline behind us courtesy of Tim Kellin and his lightning-fast pencil. It was my favorite Sketchy’s session ever, made sweeter still by the lightning speed with which Molly’s dedicated art monkeys constructed the stage, produced props and and pulled the whole beast together. More photos of our shenanigans and vigorous sketching below, with fond thanks to: emcee Syd Bernstein, project manager and super-woman Melissa Dowell, helpers Ruth Kim, Beth Stevenson, Hilary Beck, Foley, photographer Justin Lussier, and videographer Keith Jenson.

Words by Zoetica Ebb.  Photos by Kate Black