“I’ve made my skin tone a bit like a baby’s poo colour, but a well nourished baby” - a real thing my new best painting buddy, Serenity the drag queen, said to me during Paint Your Inner (drag) Queen last night. 

This is not your average Fringe show. Paint Your Inner Queen is like the best high school art class meeting your favourite late night Fringe show. The audience is fully immersed in the show, each taking to a canvas and painting their own inner drag queen.

Led by the ever patient and helpful artists Liv and Heather from Cabernet and Canvas, and hosted by queen Serenity, we quickly went from blank canvases to a room full of beautiful drag queens.

With the combination of our artists’ genuine knowledge of how to create a well proportioned head, and Serenity’s wealth of experience in contouring, hair and eyebrows, we were in good hands from the get-go.

As we started sketching, giggles around the room were quick to set in. From upside down noses to missing eye-balls, there was no painter too novice to have fun in this class. 

Once we’d outlined our queens in pencil, the real fun began - painting. Hair, skin, lips and eyes every colour of the rainbow started emerging around the room. As the drinks kept flowing, and Serenity's tips got more outrageous, each painting just kept looking better and better.

Just when concentration (and eyebrows) were peaking, Serenity abruptly told us to put our brushes down, it was time for her solo performance. If anyone was lacking drag queen inspiration before, Serenity was here to fix that. She took to the stage and treated the class to a performance full of her trademark drag queen sass and iconic choreography that makes her so popular around Perth.

It was this perfect balance of hysterical fun and painting that made this class turned Fringe show so uniquely approachable and enjoyable for everyone. From friends to partners to grandparents, it’s a total crowd pleaser, and a must-do for your 2021 Fringe.