Recently, I donated this original digital caricature of our U.S. Vice President to a charitable cause, the American Lung Association, to be
auctioned off at a gala fundraiser (where I was hired to draw the guests, btw). This was accomplished, and it felt great to know that my contribution helped a little-bitty-bit. A copy was actually sent by the ALA to Joe Biden himself to sign, but hey--what with being second in charge after Obama, he's a busy guy. Maybe someday...
So I figured that was the end of the story, but my blog has led to another chapter.
A fellow member of
ISCA and friend,
Bob East, somehow found that my image was being used on a
Balkan political cartoon website... and without my permission. This is the catch-22 of posting any original images/content on the internet...it is there for anyone to use however they want, despite the fact that all my posted art consists of small, lo-res images, and most are clearly marked with my website address. (That's another can of worms--the "
Orphan Works Act"). This website's creator, to his credit, did not remove my website address from the painting and actually attributed it to me. And perhaps he would have sought my permission, but doesn't speak English.....so there is not really anything I can do. I've known of far worse instances of colleagues being ripped off; their work attributed to someone else, their work being used for someone else's financial gain, even used on foreign stamps, etc.
My blog serves a huge purpose in that it and my website generate interest in my work. Although I am passionate about caricature, I am also pragmatic about making a living from my passion. That means marketing and not hiding my lamp under a bushel.
So I will go on posting my work, but perhaps at smaller sizes.
Some artists feel it's a compliment when their work is used without permission, because someone likes the work enough to want it. I feel that, if someone likes it enough to use it for their own purposes, the artist should be compensated.
I particularly liked THIS decoration: 
Here are some of the faces that were a total treat to draw: 
The ladies' room was all about flower power: 
This after-prom had me seated right near all the action--the Guitar Hero and Karaoke-Video set-ups! I could barely hear but kids wanted their names written on their caricatures anyway. 
I had fun drawing the camouflage O's caps that were the game giveaway for Memorial Day... 
The school was wonderfully decorated to the hilt; we were situated in a hallway... 
...next to a gallery of wax-celebrities: 
Oh, yeah: I drew LOTS of high-schoolers! (Five hours worth!) 
Funnily enough, it turned out that the crazy balloon comedian from my Friday night gig, John Cassidy, was also at this one!!! He was in the gym, so again I didn't get a pic--but I sure hope to do so at the next gig of mine he turns up at! :-) 
When I got home after this one, the sun was up and the birds were tweeting. I love my job!
