Caricature Express

Here are some pictures from a party where
I felt like I really fit in with the guests.
It was so laid back.

I was supposed to do ‘Walk Around Caricatures’, but
I didn’t have to move very much. Most of the time,
everybody was together in one chatty-group by the
pool. So I just sat down, joined them, an drew pictures.

I don’t really recommend this way for designing a Party.
I only did it this way because it’s what my Hostess wanted.
It cut back on Production (how quickly I could make them).
And it was more difficult for me to ’see’ really good Caricatures.
I think the hostess almost wanted me to be a guest - who
just happened to be a really good artist who felt like drawing.
But I prefer to respect reality - that I never met these people
before, and I was invited because it was my job.

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

I usually have so many things that I have to do
And so many things that I want to do
That I run around from this to that.
But a Funeral can really clear your mind.
Death doesn’t ask if this is a good time,
doesn’t ask if you can fit it in.

Even though it wasn’t someone I knew,
I stopped everything for a client who called
one day last June. Her 23-year-old son had
just died, and she wanted a Caricature to
display at the wake. The very next morning.

The next thing you know, I had four people
in my studio popping up with more and more
ideas of what they wanted included in this
Caricature - me thinking they should leave
because I really have to start on it right away.

The boy was to be mountain-climbing and skiing
and carrying a fishing pole. There was to be a
lake with fish and a barbeque at the bottom of
the mountain. And don’t forget his black cap
which he always wore backwards. And his
earring…..

Okay. Time to work on this. No question about it.
To be picked up in less than 24-hours. Out went
my elaborate dinner plans (although I did enjoy the
gym - I walked at 2.5 and 3.3 on the treadmill.
And I slid my hands for my upper abs. And I used
the medium-large ball for my lower abs….).

Out went the other Studio Caricature which had
been ordered that very morning (also on a tight
schedule, but not quite This imminent). Out went
my Party-Preps. And the laundry. And I was hoping
that my friend (who was coming back from Spain)
wouldn’t need a ride from the airport…..

I did it! 10 p.m. - Picture drawn and colored, I contacted
my client that it would be ready for Pick Up at 11 a.m.
the following day. I started to put the picture into
a black mat, and

The lights went out! There was no electricity in my house!
I pay my bill. But LIPA was having little service problem.

But I still have to mat the picture, write stuff on the back
of it. shrink-wrap it……

And my client would be coming at in a few hours.

I had planned to spend the morning refreshing myself from
the effort and cleaning up the house. But I would have to
finish preparing the picture instead.
Because the lights had gone out. Okay. Prioritize.

We can’t decide when to fit Death into our schedule.

Here’s the picture that I created.
I hoped it would be helpful.
Such a terrible thing to happen:

Just relaxing. Made up some pictures:

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

Okay. So here’s what happened at the Party.

The Guest of Honor didn’t show up until I was there for over half an hour. And
when she did, she wanted to go around to all the tables before
getting in to the picture.

So I was taken by Surprise. Having planned on drawing her first, I instead had
to try to leave room for her. This put a crinkle in my plans. Without the main person to relate to, I didn’t know how to design the picture. Without meaning to do so, faces started to frame the center which I was trying to leave available for the Guest of Honor. It started to look like everyone was rotating out from the center of the picture - designed like a Ferris-Wheel or something. Lalala -
it would look like I did it on purpose but I sure didn’t. It is a design, but I would not have liked it. Dorky. Contrived. Controlled.

It was hard, but I forced a change in the picture. I started flipping the people around. Took a chance, and it worked! Whew!

But then, when the guest of honor arrived,
the only way her particular look would fit
into the space that was left
was to put her sort of sideways.
Luckily, there was still enough
time to add other people around her,
so it softened the situation.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m an Artist or a Magician.

The more experiences I have, the more I know
how to deal with every contingency that comes up.

I fit at least 20 people on this one 22×28 paper. It sure
looks like a big group of people when they all stood
together. Wow

To Hire this Artist:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com