Company picnic/includes sun, rain, wind and thunder!

Luckily, the festivities were under a canopy. :-)

Cub Scout caricatures (and video!)

Last night, I did something a little out of my comfort zone, at a Cub Scout meeting. No, not the caricaturing part! Public speaking!! I always tell my subjects that I have no problem drawing in front of people, because no one is looking AT ME, but at my hand and what it's creating. However, I was asked to speak to a (fortunately) very small group of five boys and their parents, and give a demonstration, so that they could hear from an professional artist and get an Art Pin to advance to their next Scout level.

So, I drew the boys, and showed them my Wacom tablet and how an artist can use it to draw and paint in Photoshop---and specifically, that the computer is not creating the art. I also displayed Joe Bluhm's book Rejects, so they could see there is quite a range in what a caricature can be...
My daughters accompanied me to this event and one of them proved to be pretty adept at filming! Thank you Charlotte!


And thank you to this young Cub Scout and his grandfather for allowing me to film his sitting! :-)

My cake made it on CAKEWRECKS!!!!

Two years ago, I made a cake for my daughter's graduation from nursing school (along with her caricature). Click here to see my original post about it. After the party, I sent a photo of the cake to the very popular Cakewrecks website. It made it on there yesterday, along with some other hilarious medical cakes!!!!! Thank you, Cakewrecks!!!
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/05/bakers-wrecked-em.html


The comment section is hilarious too! :-D

Update: Cakewrecks was nice enough to credit me with a link to my blog right with the photo! Woo hoo!

My 'caricature reactions' video

I'm learning how to use Imovie! Here is my first project!

Haha, okay--that's just a screenshot. Below is the actual video. I just put a somewhat shorter version on my Gigmasters page, and it will probably turn up in a few other places too. :-)


Update: I have now been assimilated (by Youtube!) Resistance was futile. ;-)

Happy Mother's Day 2010!

5 x 7 colored pencil on gray Canson paper.

After-prom...under the sea

Even though it's only early afternoon, I can say I've already worked a four-hour gig today... at a high school after-prom, whose theme was 'Under the Sea.' Along with some very cool teenage faces that I got to draw, wait until you see how cleverly decorated the rest rooms were!!





There was even a big wooden sign for me. Gotta love the attempt at illustrating the word 'caricature'-- and especially love the fact that it's spelled correctly! :-)

I decided to video the reaction of these two characters, who had a huge audience behind me cracking jokes to them:


When I'd arrived at the school at my customary half-hour preceding the start time, the students were not there yet and the parents were still frantically finishing final details. When I asked one mom where the rest rooms were, she said, you HAVE to see the boys' room as well as the girls' room. And she was right!
1st pic is the entry way to the boys' lav, check out the urinal in the 2nd one, and the third is the sink area---just too cute!!

Now check out the STALLS!!


The girls' room was mermaid overload:



After seeing both these rooms, I came out and applauded the parents, telling them that they had the best-decorated lavs I'd seen in doing years of after-proms. They beamed!

Finally, in a bit of serendipity, I ran into a high school friend I'd just seen (and drawn!) at my own reunion a few weeks back, whose daughter attends this school---I had no idea! So, thanks Joann and hubby, for the care you took of me all night!

Speedpainting...Mr. Idle

On our ISCA forum there is a thread devoted to digital caricature speed-sketching and painting. Members can post anything done in an hour or less...I did this mild little study of Mr Nudge-nudge-wink-wink last night, and it took about 50 minutes ( while simultaneously enjoying the MPFC Youtube channel!). Have been an almost lifelong fan of this man and his cronies!

College Spring Fling

I spent yesterday afternoon in an outdoor pavillion, drawing an assortment of college students for their annual Spring Fling. This year, I kept moving my entire easel apparatus over to stay in the shade (last year, I got a sunburn on my left arm and shoulder at this event because I'd forgotten the sunscreen!) It got very windy and I had to move inside the lobby for a bit, but the drawings continued unabated...




(Above) She wanted her sunglasses ON!
(Below) Getting chapped in the wind tunnel!

(Below) Had to laugh when I visited the ladies' room---lav stall marketing was in full force! (yes, that's my reflection, LOL)

Your Sox are falling down...(swept by the Orioles!??!!)

...but that didn't stop Red Sox fans from getting caricatures yesterday afternoon!



(Above) This little guy wanted to dedicate his caricature to his grandpa for his 75th birthday, so he wrote "Love, Jacob" in a space I left for him on the drawing :-)
(Below) When a tourist couple from Japan asked me in halting English to draw their two children, I was a little hesitant as the baby was so deeply asleep...but it turned out to be one of my favorites of the day!



Making young guys look dorky...that's what I do!

Wedding reception!

Wedding receptions are always so much fun to do! On Saturday evening, in an indigo-blue-lighted tent, I drew the lovely bride and handsome groom, and many of their guests. It proved so popular that I was asked to stay longer...





Another distinctive aspect of this wedding reception was the choice of music. Between the bridal couple and the very affable DJ, they came up with some very non-traditional songs rendered in a traditional way. In the midst of drawing, my ears really perked up when I heard a lounge singer (I didn't recognize the voice) sing the line "she's overbored and self assured" !! It turned out to be a very swinging version of Nirvana's 'Smells likeTeen Spirit'. I asked the DJ, Carl Jr, at the end about it and he said it was Paul Anka's version. What a fun night!
Congratualtions, Lindsay and Jeff!