Church Picnic!

Sunday afternoon found me drawing dozens of parishioners at a steamy (weather-wise) but fun-filled church picnic, held in an outdoor pavillion.

It was this priest's 75th birthday as well!

To my left as I was drawing, a magician put on his act which included sawing a woman into thirds! (wish I'd had time for a quick photo of that, but was too busy!)

More Fathers!


Thank you for having me! :-)
Just as I left, the thunderstorms began. What a RAINY season this summer has been.

Update: Just received a nice feedback from the church picnic's very hardworking organizer:
Emily was the best! She was friendly, fun, and fast! Her drawings were so good! Our parishioners would love to have her come back again next year. We would be sure to recommend her to anyone! Thanks so much!
Thank you Kim, and YOU did a great job running such a large festivity!

2nd Saturday!

Last night I was one of the street artists at Collingswood's 2nd Saturday. The weather was comfortable, a band a few stores up played classic rock (I even heard "Fat-bottomed Girls", one of my favorite Queen songs and NOT typical band fare) and I drew some interesting faces...including a stately Pekingese!

This lady dog was eleven years old and the center of attention to passersby as I was drawing her. Her owner had had her since SHE was eleven years old. I've never had a dog sit as still and attentively as Chloe. What fun!

This little guy was shy about being drawn til I started talking about baseball, and his favorite player, J-Roll, Phillies #11!

My 1st Logo Design!

Logo design is not an area that I know particuarly well. So when I was asked to provide an image for a restaurant business--owned by two brothers who wanted to serve foods based on the humble potato, I was a bit apprehensive. They knew they wanted a "peeler dude" surfing on a partially peeled potato, and that he'd be "in the tube" of the wave, but bring this to completion required quite a few attempts on my part before it resembled their vision. I think we finally got it, though! Now I can't wait to see what uses they will have for it!

5th birthday party!

Yesterday afternoon, amid more raindrops (of course) I drew at a little girl's 5th birthday celebration. This party had guests of all ages and I was able to do lots of family-color-caricatures on the deck under a tent. Happy birthday Stephanie!





This was also the first party I did where I was hired through Facebook! :-)

Baseball fans do love their caricatures...

Sometimes people ask me if I draw at football games, and I usually respond that I think baseball is a better fit for caricatures....it's more of a family-friendly sport. Last night, I drew at an Orioles-Red Sox match that was just the epitome of America's pastime in late summer. Happy kids with families, guys drinking beer with their buddies, the roar of the crowd as the game played out, the smell of sausage and pulled pork in the air...and lots of people being caricatured!
(The photo above is Oriole Park at Camden Yards from the warehouse side.)

This guy wanted to be drawn with glasses ON, of course! Fun for me!

This one is of a grandmother with one of her 14 grandchildren--wait til the other 13 see it!

I drew the dad, a Phillies fan, while my colleague to my right, Jerry Breen, did an awesome job with the son.

This guy asked for a "sexy brunette" watching him catch a homer, so I gave him a bimbo! Fun for me again!!
The black cloud with lightning was a way to fix a 'mistake'...when I asked the guy what his name was, he told me his buddy's name!?

Below are some scenes from the sold-out game (heavy on the Sox fans).

Phillyside Arts networking event

Last evening, my fiance and I attended a Phillyside Arts networking event at a funky, intimate little bar in South Philadelphia. The location was perfect because our favorite Vietnamese restaurant was just around the corner, but I digress...
Philly Side Arts is an "online marketing and networking service for the creative arts community. The primary objective is to help artists achieve their potential by providing online promotional programs for the artists to engage in while encouraging them to attend offline networking and educational events." We were able to meet the executive director, C. Todd Hestand, and find that the group isn't just for the traditional 'fine' artist, but 'niche' artists such as myself. When I joined, there were a dozen or so artist members-- now there are over 120. I was surprised to learn that the PSA link on my website/FB fan page has gotten them a good amount of hits. :-)
We also met a lovely artist, originally from Austria, Sybille-Maria Pfaffenbichler. She does beautiful mixed-media pieces depicting music and dance in a flowing, visceral way. Please visit her website at www.mozartandjazz.com
It's always good to meet new people! We had to go around the room and give a short 'who I am and what I do' spiel. To my chagrin, I was first---so I explained that my comfort zone was looking at my subject and easel-- with an audience behind me, not in front of me!

75th birthday caricature

Just completed this marker and artstix studio caricature for a gent who'll be receiving it tonight! :-)

My second comic strip!

My friend Celestia Ward and I collaborated on a second comic strip---which was just published in the quarterly magazine of the International Society of Caricature Artists:

Our first comic documented our adventures in caricaturing at the State Fair of Texas last fall, to which we'll be returning for our sophomore (and sophomoric) year soon!

Last day ( and night) at the fair

After drawing at a nearby gig, I made my way to the fair to draw some more!

It's a day of mostly families and small children (the beautiful baby contest happens on Saturday afternoon) and I've always loved drawing little ones...






The last photo, of one of Gary's drawings, started a small run on Dora-the-Explorer-themed caricatures for both of us. My Blackberry once again gave us reference pics.
AND IT RAINED AGAIN AN HOUR BEFORE THE FAIR CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st birthday party!

On Saturday, before I ever set foot on the fairgrounds for the last day of Kimberton, I drew caricatures at a sweet little girl's first birthday party! Everyone gathered on the back deck overlooking a beautiful backyard. Along with my caricatures, the kids enjoyed a face painter and a bouncy house, while the more daring guests, young and old, whizzed aloft on a zip line suspended between two tall trees!