Quick On The Draw

David the Caricaturist

Back to something a bit different...

I was at a party a couple of years ago and saw a bit of a crowd gathering in the corner of the room. The crowd stayed all night and only seemed to get bigger.... and bigger.... and bigger... So, I decided to mozy my way over to see what all the fuss was about. When I got there I could see a caricaturist busy drawing away on his easel while guests watched and queued waiting for their turn.

Now, I've seen caricaturists when I have been abroad in tourist hot spots and whilst they seem steady as far as work goes they never seem to be inundated. But, stick a caricaturist at an event or party and it seems that the guests go 'mad for it' (to coin a good old Northern phrase)!

The caricaturist who was working away that night was a young man called David who I discovered is based in Sussex. But, he told me he travels throughout the whole of the UK pretty much and does some pretty cool corporate events as well for folks like IKEA, Goodwood, Samsung etc... he did say that he is popular in Dorset and works a lot in Blandford Forum, Dorchester, Poole, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Wimbourne, Lulworth and other places too...

I managed to track down some web info on David and you can check some examples of David the Caricaturists work here. I even managed to get some video footage of David in action:

After chatting to David it seems that caricaturists are extremely popular for weddings and they work really well during receptions (afternoon or evening) and work as a great way to break the ice for guests. It provides a talking point apparently to entice guests who have never met before to interact and start chatting.

After I went over and witnessed David in action it has to be said that it is quite a hypnotic process to see. To watch a blank sheet of A3 be turned into a piece of art in front of your eyes... and in a very short time! That's one thing to remember... these caricaturists are expected to hit the mark in a very short amount of time per person because although they don't get paid per sketch/drawing/caricature, they are put under a lot of scrutiny from bookers who want to ensure they are getting their money's worth.

But, yep... in short, a great idea and addition to any kind of party or event. There are lots of artists out there so it is worth looking to see what sort of style you like, becuase, some caricaturists can be a little 'sharper tongued' with a pencil than others.. if you get my drift ;) IE. they can make you look particularly grim! Not that this is a problem for everybody though and apparently some bookers like to have the worst brought out in their guests as it makes for great fun. I suppose this is where an experienced caricaturist will come into play as they will perhaps be able to gauge who is and isn't 'up for it' so to speak.

Anyway, for caricaturists in Dorset, get yourself on Google and see who you can find, what styles you like and what the prices are (as these can very quite a lot as well).

And that's it for today! Have a blast :)