Drawing LIVE Caricatures

I'm a professional caricaturist with over 20 years experience drawing and entertaining guest with my art for all types of live events. I can provide your event with traditional caricatures drawn on paper with a Fine Arts Oil-based Pencil that's archival & non-smudging or black marker on 11 x 14 white paper. I also offer digital cartoons done on my iPad, Wacom Cintiq or Mac computer where guest can watch me draw on a large flat screen monitor while the art is being printed out on glossy 4 x 6 photo paper. Your event name, date or theme can be preprinted on the drawings with no extra charge and also be available for download online after the event to share online and social media. I offer several caricature packages for live events for any budget and will work with you to make sure your event will be memorable.

FAQ:

"HOW MANY CARICATURES CAN YOU DO AN HOUR?"

I average around one every 3 - 5 minutes for Traditional Caricature, which is remarkably fast for the type & size of caricature I do. Much depends on the subject, i.e., amount of individual details (dreadlocks vs. bald :-), one person vs. couples) & how much conversation, wiggling occurs. Digital takes a bit longer as they are in full color. Roughly around 5 - 8 minutes per person.

"DIGITAL OR TRADITIONAL, WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE?"

Digital Caricatures are ideal for indoor, corporate or technology-oriented events, especially Trade Shows or Conventions where the idea is to engage & promote a product or service. They're novel 4 X 6 printed keepsake for the event and can be shared online and downloaded from the web later.

Traditional Caricatures, on the other hand, are naturalistic, original art keepsakes that are perfect for couple-centric affairs such as Weddings, Private Parties, Picnics, etc., & are best for maximizing the number of caricatures I can do per hour.

I started drawing at an early age and was encouraged by my family and friends to continue being creative, so that's what I did. While growing up, I was a fan of MAD magazine and the talented caricature artist who illustrated the humorous stories featuring celebrities each month. I started practicing my drawing skills creating caricatures of my friends, family members and yes, I was one of those kids who drew my teacher when I should have been paying attention in class. While in school I was inspired by my art teachers and other talented peers to not only draw cartoons and caricatures but to be a renaissance man and learn to do other creative things. I became a life-long learner of everything dealing with art and crafts which was very helpful in developing my skills artistically.

I started drawing caricatures during the early 1980's in bars, restaurants and craft fairs to earn extra money while working a full-time job as a staff graphic designer for a printing and publishing company. During those years I also freelanced for many companies creating whimsical artwork and illustrations for children. I became what's called a "Ghost Artist" for companies, meaning that I did not sign my work but got paid and also received royalties for licensing what I created. My art has appeared on stickers, bookmarks, balloons, t-shirts, coloring books, children clothing, gift wrap, greeting cards and more.

So, I've been creating fun, whimsical art for over 20 years before there was an internet. In 1990 while drawing live caricatures during a wedding, I was asked if I would draw cartoons of several groomsmen on beer mugs with my black markers? I thought it was a crazy idea but did my best to capture their likeness on the glass which wasn't easy, but I did it. To my surprise, the mugs were a big hit at the party, and soon afterward I started getting the request for groomsmen beer mugs for gifts, and as they say, the rest is history!

Today, I'm hand-painting groomsmen glass beer mugs, printing caricatures on coffee mugs and drawing cartoons for live events. I now offer digital artwork for wedding caricatures, groomsmen gifts, business caricatures, caricature birthday cards, retirement caricatures, sports caricatures, and graduation caricatures.