Offending the Masters

This month's new NCN Face-off Challenge is to caricature an artist, from their own self-portrait, in their style. I chose Edgar Degas because there are many things about his art that I admire. His portraits are incisive in that there is uaually one feature that is so striking you have to look, and look at it. In this one, it's the eyes. Here is my first rough sketch for it...

And here is the reference:

It needs some work, specifically the nose and thrust of the chin, but today's deadline called for a first likeness sketch.

Charlotte by Jan Opdebeeck

This is my prize for taking 2nd place in the June/July NCN Face-off competition-- a beautiful caricature of my daughter Charlotte, by renowned artist Jan Opdebeeck, of Belgium. He's been the honored guest speaker, given informative seminars, and won prizes as a master member at our annual NCN conventions, and authored several books on caricature. However, to me, (and many other grateful artists) in addition to those accomplishments, he is a fantastic human being. At my first convention, when I felt quite small as an artist, he was gracious and accomodating. I learned so much about what was possible with caricatures from him.
THANK YOU JAN!!
By the way, my daughter Charlotte is a wonderful person, too--I am so proud of her. She is a nursing student. Jan caught her personality in so many ways; the colors he chose and how he applied them, the delicately textured background, as well as his gentle treatment of her features.

Series Sweep!

The Phillies won four games in a row against their arch-rivals, the New York Mets, the last one today a thrilling roller-coaster of a game that will have local baseball fans in a tizzy for ages. In between caricatures, I watched some of the excitement, but mostly I heard the delighted screams of fans and the dinging of the giant neon Liberty Bell as Phillies players hit home run after home run.
Afterthought: Here's one of my caricatures...

Full moon at the ballpark

Amidst a weird night at the ballpark, that included several people asking for caricatures from unsuitable photos, (one from a cellphone, which I turned down because it is just too problematic), a bunch of teens getting a triple caricature and then telling me they'd come back to pay for it (wondering if I'd get stiffed for the money-- eventually I caught two of them walking by much later and told them I would like to get paid--"What! Our friend never paid you??" which they then rectified) and lastly, a game won by the Phillies on a technicality, angering half the stadium....here is a nice couple that wanted a drawing to display at their wedding in October. I told them it would be funny if their wedding coincided with the Phillies being in the World Series....what are the chances??

Ballpark musings...

Here's a couple of cousins who totally got into the spirit of caricaturing, cackling madly throughout the whole process and screaming when they saw their drawing. The dad ended up getting three drawings of different combinations of family members,and took this photo for me (he'd asked to take his own photo, too!)

These two pretty ladies sat for me, explaining that the drawing was going to be hung in the blonde's dad's sport-bar-themed basement. I'm always somewhat nervous when attractive young women are the subjects, because sometimes they don't "get it" when I draw them "silly". Anyhow, these two seemed great throughout, until a male heckler walked by when I was 3/4 done and told them "Hey-- seriously! It doesn't look anything LIKE you!!" That happenes on a occasional basis, actually, and the culprits are almost always males who have had too much beer. My theory is that aside from being a jerk, someone who would do that just can't stand seeing a really good artist making money at something that seems so easy. Anyhow, judge for yourself if it --seriously-- looks like them...

They were relieved and happy once they saw it!

Mets Fans on Phillies turf...

Mom=Mets fan
Son=Phillies Fan
Caption: "I must have raised him wrong"

By the way, the son's team won...

Backyard Birthday Party...

Today was one of those parties where I was supposed to draw all the kids, but once I finished them--the adults ended up extending my stay because THEY all wanted caricatures...gotta love that!
Here's a few:


Oh yeah, here are two of the kids:

Me by Marlo Meekins

This is an example of masterful caricature on several levels.
My friend Marlo Meekins (blog listed on right) created this with a handful of markers--Copics, Prismacolors, Chartpaks, and a wonderful nameless Japanese brush point with hair-fine thickness. Her color choices and combinations give this vicious, pimpled likeness an odd beauty. She nailed my likeness in spite of the fact that I don't have a particularly easy face to "get". Many caricaturists I know (myself included) have conceded that. She also went for the jugular-- the humor in this piece is that I am not that awkward and ugly, but if I was, that's how I would look. However, that sensibilty in caricature--the insulting likeness--is generally not what clients want, and artists tread a fine line in determining how much is too much. It's an interesting debate that's been addressed by many caricaturists...artistic freedom vs. commercial viability. It helps to have friends with a caricaturist-mindset-lifestyle to draw! ;-)

More Phillies Phans

I pulled double duty today in that, after I drew at the birthday party, I headed to the ballpark to draw some more. Yes, the Phillies still have fans even though they are taking a nosedive in the standings...

Birthday party!

Today, I had the pleasure of drawing at a little boy's first birthday, held in a picnic pavillion in a state park. Well, most of it was a pleasure---except the temperature!It was 95 degrees in the shade...there were droplets of sweat coming down off my forehead onto my glasses!
Here's the hostess getting drawn after I had finished her husband and son.
( I have no idea how I got ink smudges on my back!!)

And here's the finished caricature:

This young man was leaving for Army boot camp immediately afer the party:

Some other guests:

Phillies Phans...

Here are a few chalk-and-glove caricatures from the past couple of days.
A college-bound young man and his parents:

A hot-dog chomping boy and his best friend:

A young couple in love:

And finally, two somewhat-inebriated young wives whose sober husbands egged them on into getting a caricature. When I asked if they wanted me to draw their beers, one of the husbands said, "You'd better draw eighteen, then!"
Well, I drew five...

Fun couple of the night....

A damp, chilly night didn't prevent this couple from enjoying a caricature, and seeing the Phillies beat the Dodgers...

Company Picnic

Some lucky employees of a group of construction companies had their summer picnic today...in newly-inducted Baseball-Hall-of-Famer Cal Ripken's minor league park in northern Maryland. The neat thing about this park is that it is a tiny replica of Camden Yards in Baltimore, complete with a "warehouse" that is actually a hotel. So, along with the employee softball games and crabfest, there were three artists bent over their easels churning out caricatures...



Here's where I was bent over my easel...

Doggy-catures...

Here's a piece I just did for a repeat client:

Three cute little furry friends...people sure do love their pets!

Day camp event

Today, I was part of a day camp carnival. Funnily enough, I drew dozens of girls--and only one boy, in the very last few minutes.
Here are two of the girls:

Another baseball-fan threesome...

Getting some triples lately, along with the Phillies!

Finally, a perfect balmy evening at the ballpark

This family has been coming to me for an annual caricature for the past several years. The kids are triplets! Their personalities fit their faces--the girl is a little princess, the boy on the left is an affable little buddy, and the boy on the right is an intense, inquisitive lad. He wanted to know why I did everything I did in drawing his two siblings...

Company picnic

Worked at a company picnic today...here are two of the picnic-goers...

Another chilly (?!) night at the ballpark

After the previous two evening's sweltering temperatures, tonight's blustery chill came as a shock to Philadelphians clad in sandals, shorts and skimpy tops. Luckily, I had a sweat jacket with me, and I was told the stadium sold out its entire stock of sweatshirts and jackets!
These two adorable little guys had to make do in giant t-shirts...

Another rainy night at the ballpark...

Two more chalk-and-glove efforts...

Another sweaty night at the ballpark...

Oh, why did I pick this oven-roasted week to use the chalk-and-GLOVE method of coloring??
Here are my lecturer's-chalk-and-marker drawings.

Returning to an old method...

These are lecturer's chalks. They've been hidden in a drawer in my studio, languishing for several years, ever since I abandoned them for Prismacolor artstix. Somehow they called to me, and I decided to bring them to the ballpark-- and see if I could switch gears with my color application.
They are applied by wearing a cotton glove, which you then designate one finger for a family of colors. They transfer to the paper with a quick swipe. You do get a nice pastel effect, but the main drawback is that they are gritty and can be messy on the artist. My actual motive, I guess, is to see if what I have learned about color through using artstix, will cross over to other media when used live.

My camera battery was unexpectedly dead, so I didn't get my own photos of customers--however, my sister-in-law Nikki happened to come by ( with a camera---AND water ice for me, on the hottest night of the year so far---thanks Nikki!) so when she emails them to me, I will put them up.

Musikfest

After our gig, Marlo and I motored up to one of the country's largest music festivals, in Bethlehem, to work in the caricature booth. It was so huge and overwhelming that I forgot about taking many photos, but here are two. Thanks, Gene, for having us!
Here's Marlo at work..

And here's one of my efforts...

Company picnic in the company of friends...

Jumped at the chance today to work with some fellow artists whose caricatures are screamingly funny. (Click on my links to their blogs-- Marlo Meekins and Pat Harrington). Here we are after a hot and sticky three hours that went by so quickly...

Here's some of my output...