“I’m a little tipsy!” exclaims Gemma, as she attempts to find a form for her five-minute pose. “You’re doing great!” shouts a voice in the front row. “Thanks,” replies Gemma, “I might regret this in 30 seconds.” Fifty-two pencils hover above paper waiting for the leader, Shani, to begin the next timed drawing instruction. Shani’s booming voice commands the crowd; “This pose is for 5 minutes, for you to use your non-dominant hand!” Pencils hit paper as Shani screams “GO!” and aside from a few small conversations, all that can be heard is ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mack playing through the speakers. Attendees are surrounded by shelves of books, side by side with friends and strangers; yet each person is intently focused on their own drawing. 

This is the scene at The Book Club Bar in the East Village every Monday. Shani Nizan, celebrated tattoo and visual artist from Berlin started the Drink N’ Draw series simply as a way “to connect with other people who like art and may be bored and lonely too.” The donation based Drink N’ Draw began in August 2021 and is steadily growing. The Book Club Bar is a popular neighborhood spot, doubling as a bookstore and coffee shop by day and a bar/community space hosting events by night.

Drink N’ Draw is one of the more popular weekly events, Hosting on average 60-80 guests, often with standing room only. Many who were at the event are repeats, with newcomers making up 40% of the crowd each time. “You didn’t plan to come to this event,” Shani speaks to those gathered, “this event found you.” A testament to this fact would be first time attendee Luca, who says they “were just walking around the East side and didn’t want to go home.” 

The sessions are semi-structured, with prompts such as timed poses, blind contour drawing, using non dominant hands, challenging participants to do more than just sketch traditionally. There is no cost to participate in the event, and supplies are provided. Those at the event are encouraged to mingle and converse before, and after, with breaks provided simply for the purpose of meeting those around you. The models are chosen from the crowd, and sit anywhere from 10 seconds to 20 minutes. One model and seventh time repeat attendee Rounak, comes all the way from Brooklyn. “Modeling up there is like 9 minutes of meditation,” said the artist, “plus you get to meet new friends, and people here are good.”

The sense of community is overwhelming, but as MC Olivia Barbulescu phrased it best, “artists find artists.” Barbulescu, who co-hosts the event with Nizan, is the structural and logical part of the duo. She has goals for the Drink N’ Draw that include sponsorships to provide more art materials, and hosting on different days in multiple venues.

“At first I don’t think Shani realized the potential of this thing she’s started. I wanted to help her make this as good as it can be. Even better,” Barbulescu said. The need to expand the event is apparent in just how many people attend, and from where they come. First time attendees Meredith and Brenna met up at Drink N’ Draw after they got off of work in FiDi, but Merideth lives in Queens and Brenna lives in the Bronx! Although only her first time, Brenna braved the stage (wine glass in hand)  and sat as a model for one of the longer sessions. The magic and ambiance is unmatched, bringing together patrons from across the boroughs.

Drink N’ Draw has no shortage of ambiance or of drinks. The manager, Mathuson, mans the bar and serves not only traditional coffee shop drinks but also wine.  We spoke with Mathuson who says “It’s gerat to see how many new people always come.” He let us take a photo after promising to get the right angle, and he made B Scene Zine his special drink called Cinnamon Toast Crunch. (He also let us in on a little secret that The Book Club is in the process of getting a full liquor license, so expect to get some wine AND spirits at Book Club events in the near future) 

For more information about Drink N’ Draw please contact:

Shani Nizan, info@shaninizan.com

If you would like to host a Drink N’ Draw at your venue, or donate art supplies to the cause, please contact: 

Olivia Barbulescu, oliviabarbulescu@me.com

For information about the Book Club Bar:

Nat & Kim

nat@bookclubbar.com