First after-prom of season

After my wedding gig in the afternoon yesterday, I went home and tried to take a nap in advance of my later wee-hours prom gig. I never did get to sleep! Here are some of the highschoolers I drew at my first post-prom gig for this year, with more to come...





Now, I can say I drew in Central Park, just like my friend Elgin!

Riverfront wedding

Yesterday afternoon, I drew in one of the more picturesque locations I have been to in my caricature career. The occasion was a wedding and reception held on Philadelphia's riverfront on another breathtakingly lovely spring day.



The 'Spirit of Philadelphia' went out on the river during the ceremony, giving the bride and groom even more well-wishers...

...and a tall ship glided by, too!

The new husband and wife came in, and the drawing commenced:



I drew the bride and groom in color, (after she had changed into a lovely beaded gown) which they then put into a sign-in mat. Thank you both for having me draw on your special day!

First outdoor gig of 2009...

...and it was a beautiful, sunny, seventy-degree day!
The occasion was a new bank branch's grand opening in a quaint little town. I was provided with a canopy and a big flag sign saying "Caricaturist!"

This mother and daughter were big casino fans and wanted to make sure I included the name of their favorite on the caricature. They both actually screamed when they saw it (with delight, I think!)



Because the event was on a weekday, many of my subjects were workers from nearby businesses...The above threesome said they were very "close-knit" and that the caricature was going to hang on their office door. The nurse below asked me to draw her "sexy" because she is 41 and her boyfriend is 28!! She said that being the older woman evened out their life expectancies, since men don't live as long as women!:-O

Senior Appreciation Day (high schoolers, that is)

This morning, I found myself right at home in an all-girls Catholic high school (I went to one myself!) drawing the seniors during their lunch period. Other special treats during Senior Appreciation Day were a chocolate fountain, music, and a handsome young man who juggled his way into the ladies hearts...





I snapped this photo pre-event while he was warming up. Of course, during his performance I was so busy drawing the girls that I didn't get to see a thing, (generally, I place my sitters' chairs so they can see what's going on) but I could hear him interacting with his audience, and he has quite a rapport! Afterwards, we chatted about how lucky we are to do what we love for a living.

4-17-09 Just received some wonderful feedback from the teacher who hired me for this event. Thanks so much!!
We hired Emily to do artwork for the seniors at our school on their class day, and she exceeded expectations. Punctual, good-humored, organized, friendly, incredibly talented, and accommodating. She worked non-stop and was very courteous and professional. A great resource for any party or event!

Digital 40th birthday commission

During my trip last week, I had my laptop and Wacom tablet with me, and was able to do this commission for a 40th birthday party. The client was the birthday boy's mother, and she called to let me know they were very happy with it!

Spring Break trip....

I haven't blogged ( or caricatured!) for a bit because I took another westward trip. This time, it was an early graduation gift for my daughter Madeline, from my fiance and I. We saw alot in a week! Here are some highlights:

We drove down the Pacific coast from LA to San Diego to visit the world-famous Zoo.

The pandas were amazing to see!

We especially loved the meerkats! So cute and playful.



Of course, we made time to stop in our favorite restaurant in CA(or anywhere)--Matsu, and they had both caricatures I had done of the chefs proudly displayed in the sushi bar! :-)


Then it was on to Mexicali, Mexico for a few days...






Finally, in LAX airport on the way home, we ran into none other than weight-loss guru Richard Simmons! He was happy to pose with Madeline, and give her a great big kiss on the cheek. He even turned out to be on our flight home, to make an appearance on QVC (the cable shopping channel that sells his fitness DVDs). Go Richard! :-)


So, now it's back to a busy springtime of gigs and commissions!

O's Opening Day

Despite the dreary, drizzly, chilly day, the Oriole and Yankee fans turned out en masse for Opening Day at Camden Yards, ready for the 2009 baseball season to commence. I saw many people attired in April appropriate attire: hoodies and warm clothing, and also a few crazies in shorts, flip-flops and t-shirts! I myself had on my wonderful Under Armour thermals, and they really do keep a body warm. Here are two couples that I drew--one for each team!

O's Fanfest

Yesterday was the prelude to baseball season in Baltimore, where I found myself once again drawing fans of our national pastime!



This one was a challenge! The dad asked me to draw the two kids as a shortstop and second baseman in a double play. While I know what a double play is when I see one, it happens so fast, I needed him to explain exactly what I was to draw each boy actually doing. They also asked for an Oriole bird to be included.

This little sleeping angel was a total joy to draw. His mom tried to wake him up, but he was so deeply asleep that I just went ahead and drew him like that! This one attracted a lot of "oohs" and "awwwwwwws". :-)


Lots of happy faces turned out for the day. We're all hoping Opening Day doesn't get rained out tomorrow...

Emily's Cyber News: Good and Bad

Good news or bad news first?
I'll tell the bad news first, to get it out of the way and hope that is it short-lived. My main website's server, Register.com, has been hit with a cyber-attack and as a result, theirs, mine, and many other people's websites that they host are not accessible for the time being. As my website is VERY important to my business, I am upset about it, of course. They are working on it...and I hope it comes back intact.

The good news is that my page on Philly Side Arts, has generated some interest! According to their recent newsletter, my page of caricature art was the second most viewed last month out of 78 artists! Wow! And their home page got more visits from people who came from THIS blog than any other! THANK YOU BLOG READERS!! :-)

Congratulations to the top referring artists (the artists that have linked to Phillyside Arts from their own website and have sent the most new visitors to the Phillyside website from that link) from the week of March 2nd: 1) Emily Anthony, 2) Dave Glass, and 3) Ali Williams.

March's top ten most viewed artists (out of 78 artists): 1) Daniel Chow, 2) Emartiste, 3) Mary Harju, 4) Jennifer Renshaw, 5) Adam Vinson, 6) John L. Langsford III, 7) Sean St. Patrick, 8) Dave Glass, 9) Angela Lackey, and 10) Bridget O'Grady

I hope to utilize PhillySide arts in a more meaningful way as the year progresses. They hold events and such in Philly. However, spring is when live caricature season heats up, and judging by the amount of emails and calls I have been getting, it looks promising even with this economy. I hope that holds for many businesses besides mine. :-)

Take Your Child to Work Day 2009

Every year in April, a day is set aside in many workplaces for employees to bring their child(ren) to see what a typical workday is like for their parent. Some places even provide fun meals and treats such as caricatures for the kids!
This year it will be held on Thursday, April 23. I was actually booked for this in advance for 2009, but my client just called and decided to book me for their employee picnic instead! So, I am now available that day for anyone who would like to add a fantastic souvenir for the kids who attend. Please visit www.emilyarts.com for more information and samples, or just scroll through my blog to see my many kid-friendly caricatures!