Drawing Tip

Here is a short video sharing a 'TIP' on how to draw the human face!

Apologies for the volume levels, you may have to turn your speakers up!

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Alex Reid

Alex Reid has won Celebrity Big Brother!

My original sketch as seen above is still available for sale, just let me know if you are interested in buying it!

This is a busy weekend for me. A wedding tonight in a new venue, so I hope to make a good impression on both the wedding party and the staff at the venue!

Then tomorrow I am at a wedding fair and hope to talk with many new customers about my services!

Wedding Caricatures

Some photo's of my live work from an event at the end of November in 2009!

The photo's were taken by Albane Photography, click here for the website

The photographer was the loverly and very talented Albane Gand who is based in the Folkstone area. I can highly recommend her to anyone who wants to hire a truly professional photographer!

It is one of the pleasures of my work, to meet such great people who are guests and also other professionals like Albane. It is so interesting to discover what other people do as a career and how they earn their living!

Caricature commission completed

This was done yesterday and I have already had a response from the client, who said that she loves it and that it made her day.

The caricature is of my clients late father, they are are holding a special Golf Day in his memory and wanted something special to be printed on the invitations.

I feel very honoured to have been asked and have to say that drawing the caricature was great fun and everything fell into place, I was in the 'zone' as we like say!

In fact I think it is one of my best caricatures ever and I am quite proud of the finished piece!

Reference photo now added so you can see the likeness.

iPad from Apple...

Announcement in the last hour... looks VERY cool and I will be able to draw on it too!

Xie Zhenhua

Rough sketch scanned into photoshop and then finished, this is China's lead climate change negotiator, Mr Xie Zhenhuar

Brian Cowen

Above is the Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, drawn in my live style which takes about 3 minutes.

The caricature was drawn on A4 paper using a Markette marker pen and then scanned into photoshop to be saved down as a jpg file.

catch up...

After yesterday I am trying to catch up some things both business an personal, we have a leaking pipe from the shower and need a plumber asap!

I will post again later but for now please forgive me while I attend to a few things...

Sad day

Today is a sad day as we attend the funeral of my best friends mother who passed away last week. I then have to leave for a job that has been booked for some time. A difficult day all round.

Sunday Review

The Apple Magic Mouse

This mouse is a move forward for Apple in that it is a usable wireless mouse that is actually worth considering.

You see Apple have had a poor reputation when it comes to a computer mouse and many Apple/Mac people have purchased other makes or manufacturers models of computer mouse and used them with their Mac's.

But not anymore!

My son bought me a new Apple Magic Mouse for Christmas and I have been using it everyday since then.

I really like it! It actually works and does what it is supposed to do! All the functions work correctly on the mouse, it has not disappointed me at all! Now that's a first!

The Magic Mouse is a great piece of design, what you would expect from Apple and it feels smooth and 'connected' in your hand. The top surface of the mouse where you have your hand, is smooth and silky with a reflective surface that gives it a look of 'glamour'!

For a full product description and the functions of the mouse, please click here to stop by the Apple website

I love the way you can now scroll up and down and from side to side.

My only critique is that sometimes in Google Maps when you move your hand around on the mouse, the zoom function activates and the screen can suddenly, without warning, zoom in and out. But that is a minor issue with all things considered!

I am a big fan of the new Apple Magic Mouse and can highly recommend it to any Mac users who have not yet made the switch!

So the new Apple Magic Mouse receives...

A full 5 Steve rating!

Competition Winner!

Congratulations to Nicola Martin who's name was pulled out of the hat!

Nicola wins the 3 postcards of Krugers work!

Sorry to everyone else who took part but thank you for taking the time to enter.

I shall be running more competitions each month so keep an eye out for the February competition!

Have a great weekend to y'all!

The Pope

Here is my take on the current Pope, may God have mercy on me... LOL

The original black and white sketch sketch is available to buy direct from me (see scanned image of the sketch above), price includes shipping/postage/packaging worldwide:

Buy now for £50 ($75)

Send me an email to confirm purchase at cartoons@drawn4u.com

(Sale is on a first come first served basis, this is the only sketch available, an original and no copies of the sketch will be made at anytime!)

Competition time!

Yes this is your chance to win 3 postcards of Sebastian Kruger's fantastic work!

Seen above, these postcard examples show the amazing skill and talent that Sebastian has with his work. He is one of the top caricature artists in the world today.

I have been fortunate enough to meet Sebastian in 2003, in Orlando at the NCN convention.

So how can you win these 3 postcards of his work?

All you have to do is email cartoons@drawn4u.com with the answer to the following question:

Which European country is Sebastian Kruger from?

Please include your mail address in the email and the winner shall be picked on Friday, 'out of the hat' from all correct entries and the Winner shall be announced on Saturday January 23rd here on that day's blog post!

Good luck!

Caricature completed

This was done earlier this week for a client who wanted to have a caricature for their wedding invitations. There is little exaggeration but the finished piece met the brief and both my client and myself were very happy with the result!

It is always great to know that customers are very pleased with the work I provide.

Caricature

This past weekend the enquiries have started to fly in for commissions. A mix of birthdays and wedding invitations but some have such a short deadline, I am unable to meet their requirements as I do not like to be overloaded with work and then be forced to work too fast or in other words, the quality can suffer if the work load is too high.

Anyway, along with the requests for commissions the enquiries for my live caricature services at weddings are also flying in now. It is that time of year where people are planning the final elements for a wedding or maybe, are very forward thinking and looking to find out about my services and prices for weddings later this year and even into 2011.

Sci Fi abstract art

Just playing around after watching the National Geographic channel on television and this weird spaceship design popped into my head!

I know, I'm strange... but it goes with the territory I guess..!

How many of you are there?

Found this fun website via Twitter where you can discover how many people in the USA share the same name with you!

Its a bit of fun and interesting!

I have 45 people that share my name but I think that is quite low, I was surprised as I imagined there would be more. But then again, that makes me unique almost!

Click here to visit the website or click below on the graphic showing my results!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Simon Cowell

My take on this television 'Fat Cat' who knows how to put n a show.

He is now going to produce the X Factor in the USA and as far as I know, he will be using Las Vegas as a base for the show?

Caricature book

My good friend Paul Moyse has his new bok on Caricature out NOW!

It is a wonderful collection of his work which is of a very high standard.

Paul has received positive acclaim from of the top artists in our field for his work and has made a big impact in the world of caricature art.

Click here to visit Paul's website for the book and place your order

I made contact with Paul in late 2005 to early 2006, if my memory serves, Paul telephoned me to ask for some advice on working as a full time caricaturist.

He was then still in a day job but wanted to explore the possibility of quitting his job and going full time as a caricaturist.

That was the first of many telephone calls and the start of a god friendship between us.

In early 2006 I mentioned to Paul that one of the best things he could do was attend the NCN convention that year in Orlando. Paul said he was tight on finances but I encouraged him to go away and worry about paying for it all later.

Well all credit to Paul, he did make the trip to Orlando and attended his very first NCN convention.

The convention did really help him and he very kindly thanked me in Orlando for 'pushing' him to go and join in all the art, fun and friendships.

He has been even more gracious by including me in his list of his Thanks and appreciation in the front of his book and that means a lot to me. So thank you Paul from me.

I have always tried to encourage others in this business as in 2002 when I attended my first NCN convention in Las Vegas, I received some great support and encouragement from so many members of the NCN.

It was because of that I also made the jump in 2004 to go full time, up until then it had been a part time activity for me.

Today I still encourage and support many artists, including Paul and also continue to be contacted by people who are in that starting place, thinking about caricature as a career and wanting advice.

I enjoy helping others and will continue to do so.

So do please buy a copy of Paul's book as you will see his fantastic art and how he has come along way in such a short time!

Welcome to the Jungle

A friend of mine has this great website where she makes and sells really cool Sock Monkeys!

Click here to view the site

They are wonderful and made to the highest standards. They also make for great gifts or as a loverly treat for yourself!

Jill, who makes the sock monkeys has also just started a new range of Socowls!

The area where I live

These are some photographs that I took last year of the area where I live, Langdon Hills.

If you enter this data into Google maps 'SS166TN' you will be able to see my house and the surrounding area!

I am based 30 miles east of central London but surrounded by countryside. It is a really place to live and very handy for accessing London and the home counties.

Langdon Hills has some interesting history such as the plotlands area dating from the late 1920's, that provided plots for holiday chalets to be built by hand by Londoners who purchased a plot. During the second world war these holiday chalets became retreat homes to help avoid the bombing of London by the German Luftwaffe.

My wife's godfather who was a boy then, lived on the plotlands with his mother and recalls those days during the war. Sometimes a stray bomb would fall in the plotlands area and often they would watch air battles above, between the RAF and the Luftwaffe, as Britain fought off the Germans.

Chris Evans Radio 2

BBC Radio 2 has a new breakfast presenter!

Chris Evans who had the very successful drive time show on BBC 2 has now transferred to the breakfast show. The former presenter, the one and only Terry Wogan quit to explore other options with television and BBC radio and I think to have a sleep in for his mornings. Terry is about 300 years old and so needs his mornings to himself!

Anyway, Chris Evans has the breakfast slot and I have been a big fan of his previous drive time show, that aired from 5pm until 7pm. I would listen when I was driving out to a gig and Chris always made me smile.

Early mornings are not my best time as I work evenings and finish late, so I rarely get out of bed that early!

Anyway, above is my caricature of Chris Evans. Click on the image to view full size.

Below a short clip on how it went together in photoshop...

How to draw

Well after a weekend where I thought I may have a problem with the weather and possibly find myself snowed in, the result of my travels to the events I was drawing at were good with very little disruption. The roads were clear apart from the minor back streets and the drive way to the hotel where I was drawing last night and apart from some skidding in the snow on the way out of the drive way, I managed to drive home safe and sound.

The two events I attended this past weekend were a 40th Birthday party and a Wedding. I am pleased to say that at both events I proved to be very popular and was able to draw a lot of the guests. It always feel good when you know that people really like what you draw and actually appreciate the skill involved in creating caricatures.

As I was drawing over the weekend I found myself asking the question, "how do I do this?". This may seem odd but I am asked this a lot and other artists and students who are starting out show an interest in how I approach the subject of drawing the human face.

Well I really do not think of myself as an expert as there are many other artists out there who are far better at drawing the face then myself and I respect and admire them greatly.

But I do have a lot of experience as on average I draw around 8000 faces every year.

So here is a brief description of what happens when someone sites for me.

As soon as I look at the face I am to draw I immediately pick out key points of the face that show overall shape and relationships between certain elements, like the nose and mouth.

What I am doing is looking to see what parts are small and what parts are large and what if any are odd in their shape. I then look to see them in a relationship together, so if the person has a long nose, I look to see if they have big ears and a long chin as well. This all happens instantly for me and has developed over some years.

how I leant about this process was by attending the ISCA annual conventions and sitting in on seminars on how to draw and look for caricature in the human face. My good friend Dion Socia has given a few seminars on this topic of approaching the challenge of 'seeing' the caricature in the face and I have leant a lot from him.

As I go through this process which takes no more than one second, I then imagine I can see what I want to draw on the actual face of the person in front of me, as if I have a blueprint overlaid on their face.

This then confirms to me what I wan to draw and then next challenge is to transfer that to the paper.

This is why when I am drawing someone, I spend the majority of my drawing time looking at the paper and what I am drawing. I have committed to my memory the caricature and only need to look at the person's face for quick reference but that is still important. I could not look at someone and then draw them without them sitting in front of me. I still need them there so I have my reference to work from.

I hope that makes sense!

What keeps it all fresh for me is my desire to constantly improve and get better as an artist and my goal each time I am out drawing at an event is to nail the likeness of every person I am drawing.

Last night I overhead someone talking about one of the caricatures I had just drawn. What they said was probably one of the best compliments a caricaturist can receive.

This is what they said as they looked at the caricature of their friend and then spoke to the friend:

"That is exactly what I see when I look at you!"

When I heard them saying this behind me I was very happy and smiled to myself. That meant so much to me as it sums up what I am trying to achieve. It is not just about a drawing that makes someone look funny, no, it is about the likeness and representation of art in this cartoon format we call caricature. It is meant to show that great skill and many hours of practice have gone towards allowing the artist to arrive at a point where they are creating art that is admired and enjoyed, in other words it is about the line work.

I love art and always have ever since I was a small child. I am very fortunate that I can draw. I cherish my skill to be able to draw and absolutely the fact that I can make my living from drawing. The joy and satisfaction is when others who are being drawn and also those who want to watch me draw, enjoy, appreciate and just love what I draw for them.

I hope I can become a much better artist and always have the hunger inside to push myself on towards that goal.

CONFEX Earl's Court 2010

This is a digital caricature that I drew at the CONFEX exhibition in 2008, one from the archive so to speak.

I have quoted for a new client for the CONFEX 2010 show this year at Earl's Court and I hope to hear next week if I have been lucky with my quote and get hired!

I really enjoy drawing on clients stands at such exhibitions, you get to meet so many interesting people and it opens your eyes to the world out there!

Often as I draw at an exhibition, a crowd will gather to see what is going on and a small que will form as people wait in line to have their caricature drawn.

If your an exhibition organiser why not contact me to discuss your ideas, my fee is very competitive and I do everything in my power to make having my services on your stand, something that you will value.

You can enhance your stand by giving your visitors a FREE caricature they will love and want to display in their offices!

The paper is preprinted to display your business details!

Call me now on 0796 000 6799 and from the USA, call 011 44 1268 418214

Wedding Fair COME & SEE ME!

I shall be exhibiting be at the following Wedding Fairs and would love to meet you and discuss your Wedding plans.

I can even draw you for a FREE caricature there on the spot!

31st January 201o - Friern Manor by appointment only

21st February 2010 - Gaynes Park, Epping FREE admission & parking

Click here for the website

28th February 2010 - The Oysterfleet Hotel, Canvey Island FREE admission & parking

Click here for the website

Please do come along and enjoy meeting many other wedding supplier professionals, many of whom are good friends of mine!

Snow snow snow

Well we are snowed in as a country!

It seems strange that a few inches of snow can bring a whole country to a stand still. Parts of Canada and the USA have ten times more snow than we do and yet seem to cope and get on with their daily lives!

Our major roads here in the UK are clear and mostly OK to drive on but it is getting from our homes and out onto the major highways that is the problem. We are not set up to deal with the snow around the suburbs and in rural areas it is even worse!

One aspect to the problem is that over the last 20 years we have had much milder winters and any snow that has fallen has only been for a day or so and then soon melted away so driving on any road used to be OK, the country got on with it's everyday business.

So no one thought we would need to buy more snow ploughs or set up plans to deal with such prolonged snow showers & storms. Our current and existing resources are not enough to deal with the situation we now find ourselves in.

Whats the answer? I'm not sure as we are forecast more snow over the coming 4 or 5 days.

I have not seen or heard of the option to purchase snow chains for our cars? In countries like Sweden, I believe they have these as part of their winter 'tools' to deal with snow and ice. Maybe we should bring in that way of existing for our winter driving conditions. I know I will be looking to buy a set of snow chains for my car if I can get my hands on them.

Still, the children are having fun and it is very beautiful when the landscape is all covered in fluffy white snow.

I love the way the snow provides such a wonderful soft dampening of sound, so when you are out in it and talk, it has a new atmosphere to the sounds that you hear floating around you.

An event I had been booked to draw & entertain at on Monday next week has been moved back by two weeks and thankfully I am free and can still attend on the revised schedule for them!

YouTube promotion

The picture above is of an email I received today from a Wedding I was drawing & entertaining at in early December 2009, please click on the image to view full size!

Here is another video slide presentation that I have put together for YouTube.

If you would like a similar video for your business 'promotion',

I can help create one just for you!

All you need is a YouTube video channel and then I can create and upload the video to your channel on your behalf!

The cost for this service is £30 - $45

So why not enhance your internet marketing and create more interest!

Contact me NOW to discuss your YouTube video!

email cartoons@drawn4u.com

Celebrity Big Brother

Here is the next housemate from Celebrity Big Brother to get the treatment! Click on image to view full size.

Heidi is an ex madam who supplied high class prostitutes to the rich & famous. She now resides in Nevada where she looks after exotic birds and runs a laundry mart and has a pet grooming business.

I am making available these sketches for sale and again the original is priced at £80 and includes postage/shipping anywhere in the world, A4 prints available from £10 for UK - £13 for Europe & £16 for international postage/shipping.

Just email me if you are interested - cartoons@drawn4u.com

Big Brother

Celebrity Big Brother is back on television here in the UK, on channel 4 and shows everyday until the start of February.

Housemates are celebrities who are trying to gain some PR or more interest in their careers and media exposure.

You can find out more at the official website here: www.channel4.com/bigbrother

I usually find these programmes of little interest but watching the first show last night as they arrived and entered the Big Brother house, well it was an interesting mix of celebrities!

From established film and Television actors such as Stephanie Beacham to a complete nobody who's only claim to fame is as the ex lover of Rolling Stone's guitarist, Ronnie Wood.

So it should provide a lot of good content. Celebrities will soon find their 'mates' and also discover who they do not get along with and of course, the production crew of the show, will encourage the negative aspect to the fact that the celebrities are 'locked up' inside the Big Brother house with no outside contact what so ever!

Friends and enemies are always made and it should not be too long before we see the true colours of the celebrities in the house!

Here is my caricature of Alex (click on image to view full size):

The original A4 art is available to purchase direct from myself at a cost of £80 (including postage/shipping), first come first served basis and A4 prints are available to purchase priced at £10 each, Free Postage/Shipping in the UK - Europe postage/shipping add £3 - all other International postage add £6

Please email me if you would like to buy the original - cartoons@drawn4u.com

Click below to buy an A4 print direct via paypal:

Print plus shipping

UK print + shipping £10.00 Europe print + shipping £13.00 International print + shipping £16.00

I shall be creating more caricature sketches of the other housemates soon!

Wedding Caricature

Wedding Caricature is getting more and more popular as a form of entertainment. Couples who are getting married are finding that caricatures provide lots of great fun and also a wonderful memento for their guests to take away.

So often when I am drawing at a wedding reception, the guests delight in showing each other what they look like as a caricature. It has become a real ice breaker and often the bride & groom tell me that my caricatures have brought the two sides of the families, even closer together during the reception, as they compare drawings and share in all the fun & laughter!

The pictures above are of a wedding at the end of the summer 2009 and shot by Tony & Mandy of Storm Photography who were the wedding photographers that day. I have worked with Tony & Mandy before at many other weddings and their work is always fantastic.

Here is a link to their website that I recommend you click too and have a look at their portfolio and blog:

www.stormphotography.co.uk

They very kindly supplied me with the images above on a DVD and I am very grateful to them for doing that!

If you are looking for a wedding photographer at this very moment, then I highly recommend Storm Photography to you!

Them by me?

Above is my friend Christophe Bodard, a fellow caricaturist, drawn by myself a few days ago, just a rough sketch! (click on image to view full size)

I used a Prismacolor pencil - Violet Bleu PC933

You can view Christophe's blog here

Norman Phartephant

My very good friend Kenny Durkin illustrated the new Norman Phartephant Book and it is receiving a lot of attention on the internet! The book is now available to buy!

Kenny done a great job and his illustrations are a real joy to look at in the book! See the above image and click on the image to view full size.

Here is the link to the official Norman Phartephant website - www.phartephant.com

I am sure you like the book and maybe even wish to buy a copy, it would make a very cool gift for friends and family!

Norman is a great character and when an elephant lets rip with a fart, well you can't mistaken that he has let one go!

Stop by the official website to get the background behind Norman and lots of other fun stuff you can click on there!

Movie review

Inglourious Basterds

We start 2010 with a film review and what will become a regular feature for pencildreams.

This is the most recent film by director Quentin Tarantino:

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis (above is actress Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark from the movie)

Quentin is a film director par excellence and his movies are a must see and this latest film is simply superb!

I suspect you may have already seen it but if you haven't, well make sure you do in 2010!

The film works out its story and plot over chapters and the movie presents itself like a novel which is a Tarantino style that has been used by Quentin before and to great effect. It engages you in the film.

One aspect I really like about the film is that it uses the language of the characters so the germans speak german and so on, it gives the film a real touch of authenticity and the actors deliver an oscar winning performance as far as I am concerned!

I watched the blue ray disc and the sound came across exceptionally well.

The level of detail in scenes that are brutal and involve shootings and deaths are produced in such a way that it conveys real life feeling to the scene, you feel like you have actually witnessed something for real.

Quentin has done it again and produced an amazing film with a cast of excellent actors, some who may not be big names but can act their socks off and should become big names!

Inglourious Basterds recieves a full 5 Steve rating, a MUST SEE movie!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!