Friday at the Fair

The weather was beautiful, the rides were whizzing, the food was sizzling and the caricatures were cranking!

These three sisters were drawn in succession, their mom told me they had driven an hour and a half to get a caricature from me. Wow!!!!! They were friends with the family of the little kids shown below:

...whom I'd drawn two years ago and whose photo was on my sample board! Click here to see my drawing from then. Scroll down to the photo of "Ethan and Claire".

I had a blast drawing this couple, especially her hair!

This little boy said "Oooooooh!" when I used my Copic Wide marker to do both his sister's and his hair.
Below, my colleague Gary was starting to think he'd never get to do a non-baseball theme at this fair. However, tonight a couple came up and asked him for a theme caricature...he asked what theme, and they said "STRIPPER!"


Her reaction:

Her BF said it was fun watching passersby react to what Gary was drawing!

Thursday at the Fair

My night started off with a pen fiasco!

Usually, I am very careful and meticulous about refilling my Copic Sketch markers. Unfortunately, I overfilled one and when I uncapped it, it oozed out on my hand...but not my clothes, not my easel, and not my ring. So, I'm happy about that part! I got most of it off by scrubbing later, but my index fingernail is gonna look pretty goth for awhile.

It seemed to be kids-in-pairs night...

Little Bro here was camera-shy.

Gary was kept busy drawing baseball themes, which he does so well.

I wandered over to the Drown-the-Clown booth where said clown was insulting everyone and making big bucks doing so. There used to be one called "Rage in a Cage" that in previous years was right down from my booth-- and he'd attract huge crowds. I'd be drawing someone and we'd both be laughing over what that clown was saying. This year's clown seems to be a protege of his...

Wednesday at the Fair

My fiance John came along to this fair for the first time-- he's usually been away working this time of year. Hence, I have some good photos from a different vantage point than my own:

Below is a shot of the watching audience, which I am usually only subconsciously aware of while drawing...

Here are two little brothers whose names I was very careful to spell correctly!! Especially as I had to hear their dad spell them over the roar of the "Ring of Fire" ride which is to my left.


Below: "Not-on-model" versions of Barney and Elmo... :-)

These two ladies were on a return visit to my booth for an updated caricature...

My friend and colleague Gary "Toonboy" Smith is drawing with me this year, which is a good thing! Crowds have been huge the first three nights; whether that is because many of the rides and attractions are new, or everyone is doing "staycations," I don't know.

I am next to my favorite fair-next-door-neighbors, the Sausage family...(not their actual name :-)

And finally some late-night fair-goers...

A few of Tuesday's faces...

I love it when they DON'T smile!

And I love it when they CAN'T STOP smiling!

This boy's mom told me he LOVED the Beatles ( as do I!).

Formerly, I used white C-7 Christmas lights in the tent, but my newfangled rope lights are so much easier to deal with...no bulbs to replace.

Opening night of the fair...with FAIR weather, even!

The heat wave broke!!! Drawing last night was a breeze, literally!

I'm in my same spot once again.

The bottom two of these are leftover hand-customized mats from when Marlo was my sidekick at this fair...I just reworked the number to be this year's. (She has since married a charming prince and moved to the exotic foreign shores of Ontario. I miss her!)

First caricaturees of the fair!

"Make us look goofy."

I told this guy he reminded me of Radar O'Reilly. Google it if you don't know who that is... he did while I was drawing him!

This guy's mom pronounced it "brilliant" ! ( she was British :-)

"Can you make me lassoing a cow?"

Yes, this girl actually held that expression for me!

Sweet 16 sign-in caricature

This past weekend was the occasion of this pretty teenage's Sweet 16 party. I couldn't be there to live-caricature as I'd been booked elsewhere already, but my work was there-- in the shape of this digital caricature of the birthday girl...

I'm hoping the client will send me some photos of her daugher with it, all matted and signed. :-)

From broiling sun to booming storms...

I've caricatured in both..and that's just today!

My trusty easel umbrella (and SPF 30 sunscreen!) kept me from roasting. The O's game time temperature was 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
Maybe I should have set up in HERE!


I didn't go for super-realism and draw this little boy's rivulets of sweat running down his red face...

By the 8th inning, the temperature had dropped twenty degrees and the skies literally opened the floodgates in a matter of moments. I ended up under this two-foot-wide overhang for a little while before giving up.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Pool party...

The sweltering heat continued unabated on Saturday as I drew at a community pool party that I've done twice before, but for the kids. This time it was for the grown-ups. When I arrived, the DJ showed me the newsletter the members had received:

Awwww! How nice! (And add the writer the the huge ranks of those who can't spell 'caricaturist' ;-)
So I got right to business drawing those who could drag themselves out of the pool on such a hot day:






The lifeguards wanted a group caricature WITH shades and whistles...it's hanging in a place of honor in their office already!
My little drawing ability was only one of an assortment of talents that the club hosted for the evening. There was also a stilt-walker and a fire-eater ( well, actually he was the same person) and a young lady who was a contortionist/gymnast. I never know what I will get to see at any given gig! Enjoy the pics and video (all taken without budging off my caricature chair!)
(Below) as the gymnast was warming up, the off-duty lifeguards planted themselves right in front of her and became instant fans!