Caricature Express

Oh My Goodness! Oh My Goodness!
I just got back from Sag Harbour.
The day was a whirlwind - from the
moment that I found out that I had
been awarded Best of the Best by
the Readers of Dan’s Papers.
Best of the Best Caricaturist. Me.

I consider Dan’s Papers to be the
most established paper out in the
Hamptons. It’s The place to be.
And they chose me as the Best Caricaturist!
I work out that way a lot, but I
had no idea that this sort of voting
went on!

So I went to the presentations today.
Met as many of the ‘Bests’ that I had
time for. Each person there was so
interesting. Best Doctor - who told me about
Botox - smile. Best Hairdresser - who recommended
that I get my hair stacked more in the back.
Best Aerial Photographer who was so excited to
meet me because she’s been dreaming of a
business-campaign that would need some Caricatures…
Best Vineyard.

We all took a picture with owner Dan Rattiner -
I guess it will be in the next issue of Dan’s Papers.

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

In addition to all the parties I’ve been working, I’ve been doing a lot of Studio Caricatures too. Including the Political Scene - it’s so expected that it’s a Caricaturist’s place ~

Here’s one where I tried not to sway the voters’ opinions. A company that makes yummy Smoothies wanted to get people to vote for their favorite Smoothie - and it wasn’t clear whether people would be voting for Drinks or Political Candidates. At first I thought I was making a banner for them:

But then I was told that it was for postcards. And the client had all sorts of changes requested. I preferred my own color choices, but of course I delivered what the client wanted. Both my original design and this new design - they both have something different that’s good about them:

I was very fortunate when I was doing the Robeks job.
Because my web-designer was around,
and he taught me some neat things with PhotoShop -
such as how to use ‘Color Burn’ with the ‘Brush Tool’
(He actually did the Color on the post-card-sized Obamas).
So now my PhotoShop skills go way beyond ‘Paint Bucket’.
And someday, maybe someday, a Waakum Tablet
(I hear the Cintiqs are fun.)

And here are 2 recent gifts created from the information that
my client gave me about 2 men who were Retiring:

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

Ever have some idea posted on your wall for years
before you get up to it? I sure do.

Last Thursday, I finally got myself out to meet the
Berndt Toast Gang. Joe Visichetti had invited
me years ago.

No camera! There I was with people that I’d only heard of,
and I didn’t have a camera.
My cellphone (camera) wasn’t working for a change -
the company said they’d send me a new one in 5-days,
but that’s a different story.

Anyway, here I was, lunching with the Berndt Toast Gang.
No camera, I did what I could. I drew their pictures!

Here are a few of the people I drew:

Dan Danglo. He did Story Boards. Worked for some
of the famous studios. Worked on things like
Felix thet Cat and Mighty Mouse:

I talked with Dan for quite a while. Found out his
approach for quickly getting his ideas to come to life.

And there was Jerry Jurman. He was the first person
who welcomed me when I showed up. Jerry has made
some of the most excellent photographs:

I wished they had us all at one table. But maybe this
was the best. Because you really got a feel for the different personalities
at the table. Still, I wish I could have talked to
Stan Goldberg (who does Archie)
or Bunny - who does the Lockhorns:

And here’s a full-figure sketch I did while Roberta Fabiano
entertained us:

Makes me feel like I should be going in to something else -
like cartoons. But we can get so scattered.
I’m happily busy round the clock doing
Caricatures, Face-Painting, and Balloons.
Sometimes other work when it just lands at my doorstep.
I’m good with illustrations, signs, logos, portraits, oil-paintings, story-boards….
But to seriously pursue each thing is a separate career.
If I was to do any of them, it would be
Illustrations.
I naturally love to tell a story with my pictures.

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

Well, kind of.
Last weekend I worked for the Montel Williams Foundation.
It was an event in which people walked in the Park
wearing t-shirts that said something about giving 100%.

When I arrived, I recognized the famous tv personality.
He was very approachable (and busy with other people -
I had to respect I had been hired to draw the guests.
To do a job.) So we just passed a few words.
And his Frisbee landed right near me while I was setting up.
I tossed it over to him, and could have swooned when
he said that I did that very well.

I wish I would have the sense to take photos of the
famous people that my job brings me in contact with.
This time, though, I was pleasantly surprised when
I saw Montel Williams in the background of one of the
photos I took of my Artwork:

Actually, though, I was a litl disappointed with the
pictures I drew that day. I was tired and
they stationed me right in the hot sun.
I got decent likenesses, but I wasn’t as wild and showy
as I would have liked:

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

I love how Art is so in the moment.
Like life. The decisions that we make,
the things that we do or say - all in the moment.
My Artwork is always affected by my Reality.

When you stop and think about it,
we see the wildest things!
We all do.
But we’re just so accustomed to it
that our eyes don’t just pop out in disbelief.
I mean like the drooling slobbering person
who was sitting in front of me
(ohnly a baby, but he is still a person).
Or or when we watch a kid whine and have a tantrum.
Or hide her face by squashing it in to her mother’s body.

And it’s not just children who do outrageous things.
Lol - one day I was even talking to an immigrant (grown-up)
who was working on the street with me.
I knew he talked English just fine.
But when I started talking about licenses,
permits, taxes, etc, he literally bent down and hid
his head in his balloons. Conversation over.

What a thought train this entry is turning into.
The guy with the balloons - that reminded me of
some pictures that my friends recently sent to me.
Because they recognized my pictures on an immigrant’s
display on 42nd Street. (He’s currently displaying
old stuff that I drew years ago.) When they confronted
him, he, lol, said that “if he displayed his own work,
nobody would stop.”

Here’s a picture of him drawing beside samples that I had drawn
for myself:

To Hire Alison Gelbman, the real Artist whose own pictures attract people’s attention:
(516) 579-4706
optidust@gmail.com

Thank you Elgin. Thank you Kenly.
I feel like my friends in NY know me and look out for me.