Lest I Not Insult You With Mine Sharpie
Did a caricature gig tonight, for the first time in quite some time - certainly in over a decade. There was a brief period in 1992-93 where it was my sole source of income, mostly (intermittently and with great difficulty) from Hiram-Walker as part of a Drambuie promotion.
Tonight was for a better cause - although I'm hard pressed to tell you exactly what it was. An awards dinner for an organization that prevents kids from getting splinters, or something. The award winners were Jim Doller's two older sisters, a fact which I hadn't known until I pretty much arrived there. A little odd, since Katie Doller was the one who hired me for it - you'd think she might have mentioned that she was the honoree.
As far as job performance, I'd give myself a B-. I started to find my rhythm by the end of the night, but I'd forgotten how to stay focused on the drawing while simultaneously shmoozing the posers. There was the usual parade of older women, asking me 'not to draw all the wrinkles.' One couple wanted me to draw their infant daughter from a photo on their Blackberry (side note: my first time handling a Blackberry). I did caution them that I was pretty sure I wasn't going to do it right, which I think they took as nerves. It's not nerves - it's that you can't really caricature a baby, since they don't have anything like developed facial features, yet. You need things like bent noses and crow's feet and baggy eyes to make a quick cartoon look like someone. Ever wonder why all cartoon babies look the same? It's because all babies look the same.
Anyway, given all that, I still didn't draw a particularly good generic baby, which I guess means it was nerves.
D.
Tonight was for a better cause - although I'm hard pressed to tell you exactly what it was. An awards dinner for an organization that prevents kids from getting splinters, or something. The award winners were Jim Doller's two older sisters, a fact which I hadn't known until I pretty much arrived there. A little odd, since Katie Doller was the one who hired me for it - you'd think she might have mentioned that she was the honoree.
As far as job performance, I'd give myself a B-. I started to find my rhythm by the end of the night, but I'd forgotten how to stay focused on the drawing while simultaneously shmoozing the posers. There was the usual parade of older women, asking me 'not to draw all the wrinkles.' One couple wanted me to draw their infant daughter from a photo on their Blackberry (side note: my first time handling a Blackberry). I did caution them that I was pretty sure I wasn't going to do it right, which I think they took as nerves. It's not nerves - it's that you can't really caricature a baby, since they don't have anything like developed facial features, yet. You need things like bent noses and crow's feet and baggy eyes to make a quick cartoon look like someone. Ever wonder why all cartoon babies look the same? It's because all babies look the same.
Anyway, given all that, I still didn't draw a particularly good generic baby, which I guess means it was nerves.
D.
posted by Dave Kopperman | 11:35 PM
2 Comments:
But babies ARE caricatures - they're all forehead and huuuuge eyes, tiny button nose, tiny pouty curvy lips and sticky-outtie ears. And the chubby widdle cheeks - can't forget the chubby widdle cheeks!
Eyes + cheeks = done.
Well, if you feel there's money to be made as a baby caricaturist, knock yourself out.
D.
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