The FunFaces.com Blog!

2011-07-08T11:40:00.005-04:00

My job is fun! Here are some recent live (retail) drawings I've done.

Tournament of Champions wrestling tournament

Two stars of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", Grayson Russell and Zachary Gordon. They were signing autographs for the kids.

You can always find interesting hairdos at wrestling tournaments!

Columbus Arts Fest:

Clipper's games at Huntington Park:

(is this the next Lindsey Lohan?)

Digital caricatures

2010-11-18T12:45:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of digital caricatures I've done recently. I've been practicing with digital media to improve my technique. I'm feeling more confident now with the tools and am getting results more to my liking.

Here are the latest...

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Phat Daddy's Car!

2010-11-09T14:46:00.005-05:00

I posted some of the drawings I did for Phat Daddy's Pizza back in April, and here are some pictures of the drawings on their delivery car. Very cool! (thanks Roger!)
Note: I didn't do the tomato.

I will be drawing free caricatures at Phat Daddy's (15 First St, London, OH) on Monday 11/29 from 6-9 pm for their customers. I've done this for several years now. The drawings are posted on the walls and just about every nook and cranny of the place is covered with drawings I've done in previous years. It's great fun, and even more fun to see some of the kids that I've drawn numerous times through the years grow up before your eyes in time lapse caricatures.

I'll try to get photos of the walls to post here. I never remember to take my camera to that gig, but this year I'll try to do so.

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recent stuff

2010-04-30T09:56:00.005-04:00

I drew this lovely gal who is originally from Moscow, Russia at an Ohio State Active Minds event. This gig came during a 10 gigs in 10 days streak in mid-April. That stretch was both exhausting and exhilarating because after a really slow winter, it was great to draw daily and resharpen my abilities.

Here are a couple of drawings I did for PhatDaddy's Pizza in London, Ohio-- a restaurant where I have drawn several times and the owners have scanned the drawings of customers and have framed and hung the drawings on the walls. These graphics will be made into decals to put on their delivery vehicles.

A portrait commission for an author in Quebec, Canada. He wanted a serious look and something that looked somewhat antique, so I used a vertical hatch technique that made it look a bit like a woodcut. I'm pretty happy with the result.

Also in April, I was booked for a gig in Louisville, Kentucky with two other artists, Tad and John. Afterwards we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for a late dinner, but the highlight was the visitor's bureau which had a Colonel Sanders shrine inside. The place was closed, but I took this shot of my friends posing next to the ghostly apparition of Col. Harlan.

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Gigs from an April weekend 2010

2010-04-16T12:08:00.006-04:00

Here are some sketches I did over the last weekend. The first few are from a EMS workers conference (a six and a half hour job!), and the last one is a sketch I did at the stand at Huntington Park.

I'm currently in a streak of 10 straight days of gigs (except Tuesday which I voluntarily didn't work) which ends this Saturday when I have two jobs. Pair that with having 10 portraits to draw this week in my studio, and you can understand why my hand is a bit sore right now! I'll have only one gig in the following week until I start another streak of gigs starting with the following Saturday in which I work a 15 hour day from 10 am to 3:30 am. I then work nine out of the next ten straight days!

I had drawn this young man last year at the ballpark, and he came back with his girlfriend to be drawn together. I don't usually draw knight/princess themes at the park, but this was at their request and a lot of fun for all.

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Recent Gigs: BGSU and Bridal Show

2010-03-15T13:21:00.010-04:00

Here are some photos from recent gigs I've done.

This first group is from the "Big Playground" event at Bowling Green St University. It's like an afterprom of sorts with games and activities to give students an alternative to drinking. I enjoy working at college events because I am always very popular and the kids are always so full of energy which motivates me to draw well.

[click photos for larger view]

On Friday 3/12 I drew at a bridal show at the North Pointe Conference Center to promote my services to do caricatures for wedding receptions and wedding gifts. The event was really well done and I met many great couples. Hopefully they will call me to entertain at their upcoming weddings or to caricatures for save-the-date cards, reception displays or for bridal party gifts. I had many positive comments and lots of questions were asked, so I think they will!

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Funsketch: Ellen

2010-03-15T13:12:00.005-04:00

(click for larger view)

In warming up for the chalk portrait below, I did this sketch of Ellen DeGeneres for fun. She has some fun features to work with. I've only done portraits in this medium, so it was fun to do a caricature using conte chalk.

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Their Three Sons

2010-03-10T13:29:00.006-05:00

I recently completed a chalk portrait for a long time client who has had me draw a portrait for each of their three sons. What a great tradition! I hope they keep having kids!

Below are the three portraits, the most recent is first. The other two are from photos supplied by the client, so they are a little dark, but the color was the same as you see in the first.

2010

2006

2004

March Means MORE! Sale

2010-03-02T14:18:00.001-05:00

Prices were slashed in February, but March Means MORE! Now is your chance to get more for your money, more artwork and MORE add-ons for less! In addition to keeping prices low for this month, you will get FREE add-ons such as pets and vehicles, and any size upgrade is half off!

These special prices will only last a short while, so order like a lion and be treated like a lamb because at Caricature Art & MORE, March Means MORE!

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Announcing-- the NEW ColumbusCaricatures.com!

2010-02-03T11:00:00.004-05:00

I've remodeled! Announcing the roll-out of the new and improved ColumbusCaricatures.com!

Please check it out and let me know what you think (and if I have any typos or goof-ups!) http://www.ColumbusCaricatures.com

I'm also in the process of updating my website at FunFaces.com and CaricatureArtAndMORE.com, so please check those out as well and let me know what you think!

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Valentine's Sale!

2010-01-19T09:47:00.003-05:00

To celebrate a new decade, to spur an ecomonic recovery, and just in time for Valentine's Day, prices for all media for both caricatures and portraits have been dropped to the minimum price each category. For instance, I offer four different b/w media to choose from, but they are now all on sale for the price of the least expensive medium. Prices for additional people have also been slashed!

Now is the best time of the year to order a gift for someone special, so forget the melty, fattening chocolates and quickly wilting flowers, show them that you care with a gift that will last forever (and save some well-earned dough!). Tell your friends and neighbors, too!

Just go to FunFaces.com and select either the Custom Caricatures page or Portraits page to view the samples and place an order. Wait times are currently about a week or so, but the schedule can fill up fast! Sale ends 2/28/2010, so hurry on over and save!

Happy New Year! (Christmas 2009)

2010-01-16T10:34:00.011-05:00

The last time I blogged, the work I was doing was for Christmas gifts, so I couldn't post them for fear the recipients might see their gift in advance (yeah, unlikely, but still didn't want to risk it). Work was kinda slow this year (I hear it was for just about everyone), but here is the artwork that I did in the months of November and December of '09.

This one was for the head honcho at the local CBS affiliate, WBNS-10. The client gave me pretty good reference on this one, and other than having to do some tight turns with the pen to do the logos and type so small, it was a fun one to do.

(Click for enlarged view)

Earlier in the year I did a pencil drawing of this subject (a company owner's farm house) that was used for company t-shirts for their annual picnic (held at the same place). For Christmas I was asked to recreate the drawing in watercolor to give as a gift. I rarely do realistic trees and grass (most of my "landscapes" are part of a cartoony background in a caricature!), but this was fun to do because I got to tap into my "inner-impressionist".

The hardest part of this one was doing the railings because with a watercolor, dark colors are painted around lighter ones, so if you are painting a very thing light colored thing, you have to be very careful painting around it so as not to obliterate the light color you're trying to preserve. Some artists use a masking fluid to cover over parts they don't want to accidentally paint over, but I just go with the "hold your breath and pray" method.

(Click for enlarged view)

This one is done in "ink wash" (or b/w watercolor). I've included the pencil sketch version as well to show how I first provide a detailed pencil sketch for the client and then use that sketch to do the final artwork. This one was for someone retiring to a life of yachting and golfing. Sounds good!

(Click for enlarged view)

This one was done as a gift from her to him. This scan is a bit dark and the colors a bit more bold than the actual painting, but I didn't know that until now because I just replaced my monitor yesterday and am discovering that old one was going bad quite awhile before it finally gave up the ghost two days ago. That said, orange is a tough color to work with because it is so bright and hard to create from color mixing. Fortunately I've done annual soccer team caricatures for a high school whose team colors feature orange as the main color, so I had a bottle of liquid orange watercolor paint that I bought for that project that I used for this one.

(Click for enlarged view)

That's all for now. More to come soon!
Happy New Year!
--Steve

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Two sisters, two wedding gifts!

2009-11-19T15:12:00.004-05:00

Over the summer, both my sister Katie and sister Sara were married. (congrats girls!) I'm very happy for both of them and gave them each a practical gift ("The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands" by Dr. Laura Schlessinger) as well as an impractical gift-- an artistic interpretation of their engagement photo. Here are the results:

(click for larger version)

Ethan and Katie
watercolor

Tony and Sara

b/w watercolor

Catching Up...

2009-11-17T14:11:00.011-05:00

Long time, no blog...

It was a busy summer working at the ballpark and doing my fill of gigs and studio work. I have plenty of work to show off, but I'll do that a bit at a time to keep you all in suspense. haha

Here are a couple of pieces from the Summer of '09:

(click for a larger view)

A gift for an accountant. (Digital b/w)

A birthday gift for his wife. (Digital color)

A 50th Anniversary gift portrait. (Acrylic on canvas)

The Stand at Huntington Park

2009-06-30T10:23:00.007-04:00

Here are some photos of the caricature stand at Huntington Park. Business is much better in this location than the original location, so things are looking up! It's been a lot of hard work, but I've had a lot of fun and am starting to see some profit.

Last night was my best night yet at the park! I drew 39 people and was busy for almost the entire game, including a bit before the game when usually no one gets drawn because they are so focused on finding their seats.

(click on photos to see a larger version)

A couple of happy customers! Usually the drawings have a baseball theme, but the heads filled the page, so I just made it fun with a little "rabbit ears" action. Because I was so busy, I didn't take time to take client photos, but this should give you an idea at what I'm doing...

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Caricatures at Clippers Games!

2009-06-17T10:10:00.005-04:00

After three months of trying, I now have a caricature booth at Columbus Clipper home games at Huntington Park! The booth started business on Saturday the 13th, and I am hoping to continue working at home games through the end of the season.

Thus far sales have not been great, but we may need to work out location and pricing to find the best combination. If you are in the Columbus area, come by the park and say "hi"!

I'll try to post pictures soon. Stay tuned!

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Gig Photos from May

2009-06-04T12:20:00.008-04:00

I had several gigs in May (which is why I didn't have much time to blog), and here are a few of my favorites from those gigs:

(click on any picture for a larger view)

Strongsville HS Afterprom, 5/1/09

Dublin Senior Center, 5/19/09

Ohio State, 5/30/09

... and then, right after this gig, I must have dropped my camera because the LED screen is now cracked and now I have to get a new screen or a new camera. I hate these stupid fragile digital cameras! That's the third time that this has happened. They are really weak and rendered completely useless by the most minor of dings. I'm thinking of switching to either a rubber camera or a cheapie without the luxury of a screen on the back. Ugh...

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Caricatures on two wheels!

2009-05-15T15:44:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, by pure coincidence, I get different clients who will order similar things at the same time. Last week I had orders for a man on a motorcycle at the same time as an order for another man on his bicycle. One is for Father's Day, the other is a graduation gift. That they are going the same direction is coincidental because the direction is based on the angle of their faces in the photos they sent me.

(click to see larger version)

Live Caricature Comparison

2009-05-06T10:54:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I take photos of people holding their caricatures at gigs to have a record of the drawings I do, however, often the people hold the picture with a different look on their face than what I saw when I drew them. At a recent gig I drew Dave, and he posted his drawing on myspace and sent me a link. From his photos, you can see the expression that I tried to capture.

You can see that I exaggerated his long face shape and mouth. I think I also captured his far-away eyes! Considering that it was done in about three minutes, I think I did a decent job with this one.

Let me know what YOU think!

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Latest gig photos!

2009-04-30T13:17:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I worked an all-day, nine hour gig for Verizon Wireless. I worked from 10 am to 7 pm with only a five minute break to grab a snack. Yep, no bathroom breaks! No lunch break! Someone call the union! haha But I had a great time and really enjoyed some fun people and good drawing.

I've posted photos from that gig and other recent gigs on my facebook page here: My Facebook Fan Page Please check them out and if you haven't done so, become a "fan" to get updates and exclusive offers.

Here a couple of photos to get you started...

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Wrestling Day

2009-04-28T15:33:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday I worked at the annual Tournament of Champions wrestling tournament. It was an all-day affair where I was there selling caricatures for $10 a person from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm. I had three pre-made wrestling bodies to choose from (and one cheerleader body) and put the heads on the bodies. For five bucks more you could get a custom body (I did five of those), and for three dollars more, I'd add color (I did several with color).

I've done this tournament for over a dozen years now, and this was probably one of my weakest years ever, the worst in a decade and maybe even the worst ever. Part of it was the change in the format of the event, and the venue was quite different. I was set-up in a different location, and that may have contributed to the slow day as well. I really don't know. I'm wondering how much of it was the economy, how much of it was my location and what, if any of it, was the clientele.

It didn't seem that there were many people that complained about the price. There was one mother with two daughters who said "is it 20 for two?" and walked away when I said it was. At the point she asked that, I was willing to give her a discount just to get someone to draw, but she left so quickly that I didn't get the chance. But other than her, there didn't seem to be people balking at the price as much as there were just kids that wanted to watch and not get drawn and people who just weren't interested at all (not even looking as they went past). I did have several people upgrade to color, so the ones that did get drawn didn't seem to mind spending a little extra.

It's very disappointing because I put a lot of effort into new signage and turned down another job and put aside some personal things to do this event. Combined with last year's Arts Fest numbers being down, this has been a very rough year for me as far as retail is concerned. These are really the only two retail events I do, but they are usually big money-makers. Unfortunately at a time when I need it most, the money is just not there. :(

The good news is that I have recently booked a few all-day gigs that will pay me a "day rate" which is a maximum I charge for a day's work. The first of these comes tomorrow when I will work for nine hours for Verizon. This should make up for some of the "lost" income from the weekend.

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Parents Day Sale! 4/20-6/12

2009-04-20T14:16:00.004-04:00

Parents Day Portrait Sale!

The latest sale from FunFaces.com is in time for Mother's Day and Father's Day. It's the Parents Day Portrait Sale! Mention "Parent's Day Sale" in your order and receive 15% off of any portrait ordered between 4/20/2009 and 6/12/2009.

Happy Mother's and Father's Day from FunFaces.com!

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Please become a fan!!

2009-04-17T11:23:00.003-04:00

Attention all friends, family and art fanatics! I'd love to add you to my facebook fan base which will allow you to receive updates on when I will be drawing live in a public setting, offering a sale or when I've added new artwork to view. If you have a facebook page, please go to the link below and click "become a fan" at the top of the page. If you don't have a facebook page, feel free to join up! It's free and a great way to network with others.

Click here:
Caricature Art & MORE! facebook page

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Portrait time

2009-04-16T15:24:00.005-04:00

This week I worked on a portrait to be given as a Mother's Day gift from a father to his wife. I really enjoy doing portraits, and wish I could do more!

(click for a larger view)

Little Joe

2009-04-09T13:09:00.008-04:00

This week I did a couple of new bodies for an old head. Well, it's a very young head, actually, but I had drawn two year old Joe, the mascot for Virginia's Cheers Sports late last year, and will probably keep doing new bodies as the need arises. Below is the original drawing and the new situations.

Original:
Updated versions:

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This week's art-- web caricature and pencil portrait

2009-04-03T11:32:00.006-04:00

This week I was commissioned to do a digital caricature for a fellow blogger. You can see the drawing as she used it in her blog here: http://lindaslongview.wordpress.com/about-the-long-view/

(click to see larger view)

I also completed a pencil portrait of the daughter of a regular client of mine. She gets an updated portrait each year of her daughters. What a wonderful way to record your child's growth!

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Digital art without the color

2009-03-31T11:40:00.007-04:00

This week I had two last minute commissions for digital artwork. One was for an invite cover and the other was for t-shirts. This first one was for an accountant who was having a retirement party.

This one came in at a time when I was doing my taxes, so I was in the right mental state for it... I had originally put a calendar with April 14th on it, a bottle of "Pepto" next to him and beads of sweat coming off of his head, but the client made me take those out. So much for trying to be funny... but I guess they wanted him to look like a "cool accountant". haha

This was for the t-shirt. I really didn't get the dancing card and dice thing, but that's what the client wanted, so that's what I did. I'll try to make anything work for a client!

Bonus art! I did this one of a certain R/B artist. It's a monochrome-- I scanned a pencil drawing and then converted the gray lines to a brown color digitally, and put in a background shape to give it depth, but also to accent the shape of her face which I see as being long and pointy.

all artwork ©2009 by Steve Campbell. Reproduction without permission is prohibited... and THEFT!
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Fun sketches

2009-03-25T13:03:00.007-04:00

Some sketches from last week.

A couple of celeb drawings from my sketchbook (yes, I started actually drawing in a book instead of on loose leaf paper):

A few sketches from "artist's photos" found on the web:

all artwork ©2009 by Steve Campbell. Reproduction without permission is prohibited... and THEFT!

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Celeb sketching

2009-03-18T11:14:00.011-04:00

I've been trying to draw daily since I've noticed that I've been spending so much time with marketing, paperwork, phone calls, etc. that work is no longer fun! As part of this daily sketching, I have been drawing updated samples for my sample sheets and displays. Here are a few celebs that I've drawn recently. I don't really like to draw celebs (since they aren't paying me!), but it's a necessary evil. Can you guess who they are? (gosh... I hope so!)

(click picture for larger view)

Last week's artwork

2009-03-18T11:10:00.004-04:00

This watercolor caricature was done for a man who is retiring from General Electric. He's running over the names of the programs he had to deal with (and hated) at his job. On commissions such as this, the client gives me a list of things the subject enjoys (in this case golf and his motorcycle) and I incorporate the props into the theme (retirement).

Reference photo:

Pencil sketch:
Final watercolor artwork:

(click for larger view)

Sketching artists

2009-03-10T12:37:00.007-04:00

Since I've just recently started blogging, I've wanted to see what other artist blogs are out there and what other people write about. In the process, I have found some interesting faces to draw to warm up my pencil for my paying work. Since I don't keep a sketchbook as well as I should, this growing pile of practice sheets serve as my unbound sketchbook. I may digitally color a few of these "funsketches" if I have the time. I'm enjoying the practice and the freedom to exaggerate a little more than usual.

(eek!)

More Radioheads

2009-03-09T13:26:00.005-04:00

Three of the six radio personalities from RadioEagle.com. See these on their respective websites at:
http://www.radioeaglegaylord.com/
http://www.1003thepoint.com/
http://www.radioeaglemarquette.com/

Sketches for fun

2009-03-05T15:10:00.005-05:00

I was up late last night and had an "artistic itch" that I had to scratch before I could sleep, so I did a couple of quick pencil sketches based on some photos I found on the web.

(click for larger views)

With these "fun sketches" I tried to do them quickly (normal speed for gigs, etc) but with a bit more exaggeration than what I would normally do for clients. My main goal was to maintain likeness while still using exaggeration-- without going overboard and making an overly-distorted, unbelievable head. I did erase a few of the sketchy first lines, and did go over a few lines with a darker pencil but they were each done in about 10 minutes or so.

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Radioheads!

2009-02-27T13:56:00.009-05:00

My latest project was for The Eagle radio station in Gaylord, Michigan. I did a series of their on-air personalities for their website and other promotional materials. There were a total of six guys and I did them digitally. Here are a few...

As usual, feel free to let me know what you think!

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Grandfather and Mother portrait

2009-02-24T13:12:00.010-05:00

My grandfather, Grandpa Madden, turned 90 on Friday! (Congrats Old-timer!) For his gift, I drew a portrait of him and his only child, my mother. It was done in pencil with watercolor as a duotone.

Duotones were common in the age of black and white photos-- a b/w photo or print was tinted with a color such as blue or sepia to enhance the photo or artwork. I chose a blue color for the drawing to give it a dreamy quality and because they both have beautiful baby blues. The drawing shows them together, but was taken from two different photos-- my mother's graduation photo and Grandpa's wedding photo.

(click for larger view)

Digital painting

2009-02-19T13:00:00.005-05:00

(click for larger version)

I loved Anna Faris in Housebunny! I'd never seen her in other movies, but before I even saw the movie, I saw a picture of her and was inspired to try to capture her in paint. This is a digital painting done with Painter Classic.

I saved copies of the file as it progressed, so I can post the progression later.

I can do paintings like this one in a digital format in about two days from start to finish.

What do you think?

all artwork ©2009 by Steve Campbell. Reproduction without permission is prohibited... and THEFT!
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Easter Sale!

2009-02-19T12:49:00.007-05:00

Announcing...

The FunFaces.com Easter Sale!

For a limited time, get 10% off of any order!

Mention the "FunFaces.com Easter Sale" in your online order or phone call, and receive 10% off! That's ten percent off of a live caricature performance or ten percent off of any caricature or portrait order. Offer applies to orders made between 2/15/2009 and 4/15/2009.

Happy Easter from FunFaces.com!

Current project: Lozier

2009-02-11T14:10:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I completed another caricature commission. This one is for one of my favorite clients, Lozier of Omaha Nebraska. This is a company that makes display products for stores (shelves, etc) but originally started as one of the first car manufacturers in the early 1900's.

This caricature was for a retiring member of the board and features the original 1909 Lozier car. Because there was no specific background requested, I enjoyed playing with the colors, mixing blues and yellows to create a harmony between blue/yellow/green.

(click for a larger view)

Latest art

2009-02-04T13:09:00.005-05:00

Here's the most recent caricature commission. This was for a 50th birthday for two friends who are going to Mexico to celebrate.

This is a "digital color" drawing. I use Painter Classic to paint digitally.

Weekend gig report

2009-02-03T15:57:00.005-05:00

What a great weekend... it was great to work three days in a row and get the rush of being able to entertain and get out of the office. Usually when I haven't drawn for awhile I'm a bit rusty, but for some reason I was "in the zone" all weekend and drew some very good drawings.

The party on Friday was especially good. I don't know if it was having a good pen, the artistic atmosphere of being at the McCoy Center for the Arts in New Albany or if the people were just well-suited for my style, but I thought I drew some good drawings that night and everyone was very pleased.

On Saturday, I drew full body caricatures for a group of teenage girls, and it's always fun to test my creativity and see if I can come up with fun gags to illustrate the activities that they say they want me to draw. Three of the girls asked to be mermaids... it's funny because mermaids must be popular again since Disney re-released The Little Mermaid. I haven't been asked to draw a mermaid in more than a decade!

I usually don't work on Sundays, but I enjoyed the Super Bowl party, especially because everyone at Rooster's was really nice to me (and fed me!) and because I was again drawing well. I think the highlight of the day was when I drew two of the waitresses who are pregnant, and drew them bumping bellies and making comments like "look out! watch where you're going!" and the like. They loved it and many of their co-workers told me how funny they thought it was. I also got a free United Way "Live United" T-shirt just like the one shown in the drawing I posted last month! How cool is that!?

Overall a fun weekend and, not insignificantly, a profitable one, too! I'm hoping that these jobs will lead to some more soon because my schedule is pretty much wide open for the next few months, and I'd hate to think that such good drawing won't lead to more opportunities. I NEED THE WORK! haha (I hope that didn't sound too desperate!)

--Steve

Weekend gigs

2009-01-29T14:28:00.005-05:00

This will be a busy weekend!

On Friday I will at an anniversary party for a two hour performance. I'll be drawing head shot caricatures for a large group, and will have to do as many as possible in the two hour time frame. I draw about 15-20 per hour, depending on the complexity of the hairstyles and the speed of the people getting in and out of the chairs. While everyone there will probably not get a caricature, everyone can enjoy watching and seeing the results as the drawings make their way around the room with the recipients. I'd like to draw everyone at every event, but sometimes that isn't possible, and that's still okay. The nice thing about what I do is that you can enjoy it even if you don't participate directly!

On Saturday night, I'll be at a kid's birthday party for two hours doing full body caricatures for a small group of about 20 girls. Everyone will be drawn at that party, and I'm sure the pre-teen girls will really enjoy seeing what gags I can come up with to illustrate their favorite activities. I enjoy working for kids because they are usually more vocal with their praise than adults. While the money is nice, I think an equal part of the job satisfaction of doing live caricatures is getting the positive feedback from the audience. It's a lot like being a stand-up comic or a magician-- I feed off of the energy of the crowd and that spurs me to be even more of a ham!

On Sunday I'm doing a charity event for the United Way. It's a Super Bowl party at Rooster's in Chillicothe that is a fundraiser to help raise money for senior care. I don't usually work for free, but I do offer charity rates for worthy causes because I believe that it is good to promote charitable giving (I give privately myself) and contribute without concerning myself solely with profit. I suppose many charities wish that I could give away my services, but I am by no means wealthy, so I have to receive some compensation for my time in order to stay in business.

I'll let you know how the weekend goes!

Next week I have a couple of other gigs on Thursday, but nothing on the weekend so far. I'm hoping that someone will want to hire me next weekend for the Gallery Hop, and I've put ads on Craigslist.

For those not from Columbus, the Gallery Hop is an event that takes place on the first Saturday of each month in the city's art district. People flock to the "Short North" area and browse restaurants, galleries and shop in this unique part of the city. It's a fun and funky monthly event that brings an eclectic mix of people into the downtown area.

If I don't get hired soon, I think I will go down to the Short North and pass out some cards to shop owners and see if I can create some interest. Especially in the cold weather months, I would think that galleries and shops would want to do all they can to get people into their venues.

--Steve

Valentine's Sale

2009-01-24T11:58:00.003-05:00

I know that there are a lot of fears about the economy in 2009 and that people are looking for discounts or finding reasons not to spend, so I'm trying to do my part! To try to generate more sales during a traditionally slow time of year, I'm offering a $20 discount on all of my services. Customers who place an order and ask for the Valentine's Discount will receive $20 off the total of their order, including not only artwork but also any live caricature performances booked.

I've put ads on my website, but none of the orders I've received have mentioned the discount, so I'm trying to find a way to better publicize the savings opportunities. My suspicion is that most people go to my site and find the quality of the artwork to be to their liking and just click "order now" without looking at the price list or the advertisement for the discount located in the sidebar. Perhaps the sidebar is not the best place for the ad?

I will be sending out announcements to past clients via email to publicize this new blog and the Valentine's Sale, and hopefully that will generate some interest and orders. Any other suggestions on getting "walk-up traffic" to my site to take advantage of my sales would be appreciated!

--Steve

Happy New Blog!

2009-01-23T16:40:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Funfaces Blog! I hope to give valuable information here about my work and some of the things that I am currently doing.

You can find more info about me at http://www.funfaces.com

Here is the most recent caricature I've done. It was for the outgoing chairman of the Central Ohio chapter of the United Way: