Live Caricature Shenanigans
Rather, some pre-relocation ramblings to distract me from finishing packing!
Live caricatures. Depending on your exposure to live caricatures, your reaction to that term could vary dramatically, and I totally understand reactions from both sides of the spectrum. My reaction is generally one of nostalgia and fondness.
When I was a kid, I discovered Mad magazine (5th grade, to be exact!), and was instantly smitten by the masterful artwork that filled it’s pages, particularly that of Mort Drucker, Jack Davis, Sam Viviano and Angelo Torres’ movie and TV parodies. I had never seen anything like that before, and my world was instantly opened up. From those guys to the non-parody illustrators who also graced its pages- Gerry Gersten, Bob Clarke, Drew Friedman, I poured over these pages religiously, hoping to learn anything and everything I possibly could.
Eventually I got the opportunity to put my money where my mouth was and start trying to make a living at drawing when, after my first year of college, I answered an ad to go draw caricatures at the theme park for the summer, I leapt at the opportunity.
Growing up, I’d seen artists drawing at my local Six Flags park just outside of Chicago, and I most definitely annoyed these artists to the point of exhaustion. I’d sit and watch them draw, ask questions and generally be a nuisance. I didn’t care- these were celebrities to me. I couldn’t believe how anyone could have someone sit in front of them and so easily bang out a seemingly perfect likeness of that person… and get money for it! I was smitten, and now I was faced with the opportunity to join their ranks.
What follows is a really great story, but I’ll get into that in a future ‘Stack. For now, all I can say is, I parlayed 20+ years of live caricature experience into whatever the hell it is I do now, and never take for granted all of the summers I sat and drew…and drew…and drew…thousands of faces over the years. The practice was better than any schooling I could get; I literally wouldn’t have had near the successes I’ve had without that background.
I rarely draw live anymore, but when the opportunity comes along to do a live caricature gig, I’ll take it, especially if work is slow. It’s a way to go back to my roots, I guess. It’s always anxiety inducing, and probably good for me to shake off the cobwebs now & then.
I had one of these gigs last Sunday. I also decided to do the unthinkable (for me): actually take some photos of a few drawings! (I really hate doing this, for multiple reasons, not the least of which is ‘Is this drawing really good enough to save for posterity??’ But I digress…)
With that, here’s the 2 photos I managed to take from this gig…
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F821100e0-9e9e-4e4b-a414-dc29632a20c2_3024x4032.jpeg)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F13ce86f0-3bcb-48bf-829f-025086e59699_2192x2923.jpeg)
To me it ain’t always like riding a bike, but after a few warm up drawings, I find myself getting into a groove, same as when I’m in the studio. Only this might be better: nobody throws tips my way when I’m at home!
Short newsletter this time- in the AM the movers are coming to shlep my stuff across town to a new place, and I’m literally shutting down my computer after sending this off to complete the final phase of packing!
I haven’t told my cat, Moira, yet. Not sure how open she is to changes in scenery.
Wish us luck!!
Some days, Substack has Serendipity riding on its shoulders. I was just thinking of a little caricature drawing some guy did in the waiting room of the vet's office when I and my daughter took a little birds in. (Not a good thing to do BTW no matter what good intentions we have.) Anyway, I thought about that whole line of artwork in public that is so commonly seen in parks and resorts, but WOW it takes a special kind of artists to whip those memorable pictures out. I'll bet every one done is stored in a scrapbook somewhere. I still have a portrait (not a caricature) done at Disneyland when I was six. A pastel, no less. Your twenty years in that field is the stuff of memories, Ed. Bravo! A life well lived.
Meanwhile, good luck to you and Moira for a successful settling-in to your new digs.
Did you use the Tombow (plus a bolder marker) on the live drawings?