I want to remember this little girl - not just because I enjoyed drawing a Beautiful Caricature for her, but also because of her self-control. Here's what happened:

The Girl's Mother asked me to create the drawing. I told her where to sit, and I started the Artwork. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary - If I'd've thought about it, though, I would have noticed how calm and easy it was to draw her. That's a pleasure, but not all that unusual for girls of this age.

But then, near the end of the experience, the Mother asked me if it would be all right if the Girl ate some of her ices.

"Sure," I said. "As long as I can see her face at the times when I look up from my drawing, it's no problem at all."

"Good," the Mother said. "Because I know she's dying to have some of her treat."

"Really?" I said. "You mean she's been sitting here all this time, just holding her treat, and not eating it because she thought it would interfere with the Artwork?"

Yes - that was what was happening. I had no idea that she hadn't been eating demurely whenever she wanted. This little girl, what, 6, maybe 7 years old? This little girl had the self-control to sit so beautifully and wait. Not only for her picture, but even for the sweets that she was holding right in her hand.

Wow - Her fine features, her fine hair, and she might have been one of the finest people I've ever met.

Art is supposed to be Fun.

The game is different in each setting. It's different to draw at a Party than it is to draw in my private time. It's different to draw in a restaurant than it is to draw in the studio.

Here are 2 quick fun sketches that I drew in the car today. Quickly.

I was really on it today. Had a lot of business stuff to cull through after doing some real intense Yoga head-shaking, so there wasn't a lot of time to really develop some finished pictures. But I knew it unquestionably. I knew that I understood exaggerating. And how to draw what I see. Just didn't have a lot of time to do it. But I am There! A leap from struggle and learning to MASTERY!

Here are a few quick 'scribbles' that show my understandings.

In the first one, I revisited a color technique that I had been so pleased with before (but I had lost touch with it for a while.)

In the second one, I easily saw and developed the clean line-art to be as 3-dimensional as an overworked-shaded thing.

In the 3rd one, there are people that I drew while waiting in line at the phone store. What I like about them is that I was really seeing the Caricature, where the movement was, before drawing. So I had the qestalt in my mind before I even put the pen onto the paper. I was so There today.

Nothing too serious in these drawings. None of them are 'finished' But it doesn't matter. I have nothing to do with them. They're not Commissions. They're not anybody that I know. So there's no reason to belabor them. They're just here to remind us of Real Art.

I'm posting these here today because I'm trying to make sense out of it. To make sense out of Caricature - is it better than dull direct portraiture ~

I thought that if I saw them all together, I could judge it clearly.

First I made a direct simple Caricature of this lady. Easy to do - Nothing too exaggerated.

Then I exaggerated it a little. Something that I could still do in a first pass.

Then I let loose. Really blew out the nose:

Haha - yeah, like very funny. Nonsense. The first one, which would have been preferred by the woman - that one was the best one.

Looking at that 3rd picture - like, why was it so stupid? I realized that it could have been a lot better - if I had the feeling of the movement in it. Just shapes? That's dull. But it's funny to think how she could scrunch up that nose, squinking the eyes. I just want to try it. And Voila! The best picture of them all. Now this 4th picture has feeling, action, energy, Person-Al-ity. Yes, Caricature is better than Portraiture. If you want to look into the mirror, then do that. But if you can enjoy the Artist's interpretation, if you want to have fun.....