Drawing live

Thought I would share with you some thoughts about drawing live at weddings, parties and other kinds of events.

It really breaks down into three areas when drawing live. This has been my experience. Let me explain.

You have the caricature which is the art aspect, then you have the person sitting in front of you to be drawn which is the customer aspect and then finally you have the audience watching you draw which is the entertainment aspect.

So you have Art - Customer - Entertainment

By approaching it like this you will find it works out and everyone will have a good time.

The Art is important and I am always trying to constantly improve on my drawing abilities and get the caricature to look 'just like them' so not only will the customer be happy but I will be happy with what I have drawn. There is also speed in drawing as people will wait in line to be drawn but I do not want them to be there too long!

The customer is important as they are often a little nervous to sit for a caricature, so I use small talk to try to put them at ease, so that they will enjoy the experience of sitting to be drawn. While they are talking to me, answering questions I ask, I get a chance to see their features as they move and smile etc etc.

The Entertainment is important as everyone should have a good time as they watch. So I am aware that the audience are just as much a part of me drawing someone as the person who is sitting in front of me. Make them smile and laugh and you can't go wrong. It leaves people with a positive memory of the experience and of myself as well, which often leads on to more work!

So as you can see, there is more to it than just drawing!