Time off tonight. I figured I would like to just draw some simple shapes.But I didn't just draw shapes. As soon as I picked up the Color stick, I thought my shapes into face parts.

My background is Realistic Painting, not in Linework. I always started with a Toned Canvas. So I decided to get a slice of brown craft paper to start again.

Not as bad as before, but not as fascile as it should have been. t's hard to imagine how the light falls on such a complicated structure as a face when you have one there to look at with controlled lighting .

It's my experience with Party Caricatures that the toned paper is only used for darker skin-toned people. Even light skinned people also have a skin tone when you're Painting them. They're not White, like White Paper. Maybe it's because we exaggerate when we draw Caricatures, like Light is almost White, so we leave it white? I don't know how it came about. But sometimes it's just easier to do what' expected.

So I started to make up a face. Again on white paper. But I decided to use a midtone color stick for the background. (also not a good idea ~ back to the paper conundrum some day). Anyway, I drew a light/midtone blue around 'the face area' before starting. I guess it's 3-dimensional. I don't really like it, but it will probably have a good effect on subsequent Caricatures that I will be drawing at Events. After I suffer the questions, I make better pictures.

Making it happen for my Clients. Improvisational experience. Exciting because we never know what will happen.

Not unusual for a Proposal Caricature, but the lady, who didn't know that her date had scheduled an Engagement Proposal, got a late start and then, lol, wanted to stop for a bite to eat. While the Artist was Set Up and excitingly waiting to do her part. That's me. I have to make it happen for them. Luckily, I left more than enoght time to get to my 2nd Event of the day, but I was starting to worry about it. My Client and his Intended arrived an hour later than expected.

Sometimes I draw the Proposal Caricature on the Spot, but I usually draw it ahead of time in my Studio. Just pretending to be drawing during the Event so I can focus on the Experience for the participants. They follow my directions, not knowing what is happening.... hold hands, look into each other's eyes, pose this way, pose that way.... that sort of stuff. This was the first tie that my Client ordered that the 22" x 28" Proposal Caricature be drawn on the spot.

He did sent me photos of his girlfirend, himself, and the location ahead of time. But he wanted to be sure we capture what actually happens Day Of. What dress, what earrings, what jacket is worn that day The weather...... Things like that.

Luckily I was able to plan out a little bit of predraw ahead of time. I was able to design the basic composition, and I was able to have an idea about what they look like. Because most of it was to be done during the event. The actual Caricatures and bodies. The inking. The colors. It was a large picture, but my Client wanted it to be finished in less than 1/2 hour. So she wouldn't get suspicious. We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

It worked out perfectly.

I had been feeling a little anxious (then relieved) when they showed up an hour later tha planned. I had gone over and over in my mind about what I would probably be saying. How I was going to be acting it out......

That brings up another issue. Where to set up my easel. I had handled 22" x 28" Proposal Caricatures before, but I never actually drew such a Large one on the spot. And there's only so much I could carry. I carried the large carstock in a cardboard folio, my regular 2-part easel, my drawing supplies in a sheeled cart, my own pocketbook and food, a sweater in case of weather.... Even if I had realized that I would need a bigger sturdier easel, it wasn't physically possible to carry it. I had to put everything into my car to drive to the train station, park and walk up to the LIRR platform, take all my supplies to my seat on the LIRR to Penn Station, walk to the Subway, wait for the subway (going up and down long staircases at some of the subway stops), take the crowded subway up to Central Park, and then walk all over Central Park to find the beautiful location that my Client had described to me. Carrying all my equipment.

Quite impressed, this Client chose the most beautiful spot ~ on top of the peaceful Park overlooking the magnificent City.

But I felt surprised to realize that the larger 22"x28" Picture topped my easel over. My easel ws designed for 11" x 17" pictures. Like half the size. So how was I to draw this picture when my Clients arrived?

Making it happen for my Clients. I would make it work for them. But what to do? What to do?

Sometimes I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel. I discovered that I could lean the 22" x 28" folio/paper onto the top of the cart that I use to transport my Drawing Supplies. But it was way to low for me to draw on. So what to do?

An Artist has to be Creative. I realized that the rocky lay of the land would make it possible for me to stnad a step down lower than this makeshift easel.

I had to choose a 'step' that wasn't quite as low as I would have liked ~ because another issue came up. The edge of most of the rock-steps was angled in such a way that the 'easel' immediately fell backwards. So I had to find a 'step' that was a flat enough. And designed in such a way that I wouls be able to stand close enough to the easel so my arms would be able to reach the drawing surface.

Okay. So back to the experience. Waiting. Looking for them to arrive. By the time they finally walked by, did I talk too fast? I wouldn't know. I wish I could have drwn out my lines more. Done more acting as I had dreamed of doing. But whatever it was that I had done, it worked. Here they are:

I bet you felt glad to finally see them too. The first picture in this post. Finally.

For the first part of their experience, I had to position them at the bottom of the rock ~ so they would be close enough for me to see what to draw. Then I asked them to stand on top of the rock. Because I knew the experience was wonderful Up There. Getting more exciting for them........ I had to hurry with my drawing. So many other things going on for me, that I could barely focus. "Just get it onto the paper, Alison".... that's what I told myself. "Keep it moving." Capture this scene of the moment. No chance to make a mistake. No chance to edit. She doesn't know yet:

Meanwhile, a crowd started gathering. They could see my picture developing from the street. Started with a handful of onlookers. Then I walked up to the top of the rock to pose my Couple, and as I walked down, the crowd was at least 6 rows deep and 20 people across. I tried to quickly photograph the crowd, but they apparently thought I wanted to photograph my Caricature ~ so they parted when I took the photo:

THE MOMENT IS HERE. I say "My picture is just about complete." I turn it so my Clients can see it.

She is not sure about what she's seeing from that distance. From the top of the rock. Could it be? She's making sure it is what she thinks it is. Could it be? Could it be? She looks at her date. This is it. It's really happening. She got the idea!

He looks so Happy. She's figuratively swept off her feet. Heart soaring. Heart beating. Gracefully living this magic moment.

He does it. This is it. Down on one knee Offers her the ring. The radiant cut diamond ring:

She says "Yes". Oh.

She neatly, boldly finished my Caricature:

Here are some photos from the Event. from the Experience:

Looking forward to it. I've been drawing in the Studio. But I can't post it here yet. Because I was working on an upcoming Proposal Caricature. Doesn't feel right to show it to other people before my Client gets to see and use it.

So I figure I'll just Tell you what I did so far. This Proposal Caricature is different than all the others that I've officiated.

I usually draw Proposal Caricatures from photos that my Client sends me. And then I pretend to draw it at the Event, giving more attention to the Couple's Experience. But this Client requested that I handle it differently. He wants me to be able to draw the Clothes, Earrings, Hairstyles, Landscape, Flowers Of the Moment. And of course, we won't know what his intended will be wearing until Day Of.

I guess I could just draw it all on the spot ~ I am accustomed to drawing lots of people on the spot at Parties and Events. But my Client specifically wrote: Loosely Quoted "Might take a little too long. I don't want her to get suspicious or impatient. However, I don't want it to be incomplete. Are you able to start some of the drawing in advance and then draw our attire, background, or whatever else. If you're unable to do it, that's ok. We can do the whole drawing in person." Unquote. I like to give my Clients what they want, so I'm trying to plan it out now, and then actually draw it Day Of. My Client wants (and it paying for) a much bigger production that what I could do in the short time he wants the Event to last.

So here I am, doing my beloved Predraw. He sent me photos of the beautiful place where we would be (I can't tell if it will be the same season as in the photos), and he sent me photos of himself and his 'future bride'. I wanted to pull the many reference photos into Photoshop, but that didn't work easily. I don't know what some people do that make their photos or paperwork impossible to download from their emails, but that was the case with this one. Took me a long time to figure out how to access the photos.

I'm not a fill-in-the-blanks sort of 'Artist', so I feel unsure of whether or not this predraw would be a waste of time. Depending on what I would want to draw about their attire and environment (he especially mentioned that she's into her earrings, and it would be a good idea to draw the ones she wears that day) and what sort of flowers are in the area (and what if it rains and we have to move to an alternate Indoor location altogether!?!).....

Good thing that I like to draw and dream about my drawings ahead of time. I figure that whatever I end up seeing Day Of, my Pre-Studying will be very helpful.

The next time I spend time on this project, I must look up 'Radiant Cut' diamond rings. My Client mentioned that the ring is 'Radiant Cut' as though I know what that means? I'm figuring that it's probably a diamond.

Sheesh. I can't post tonight's Caricature because it's a Predraw for tomorrow's Proposal Caricature. Of course, I can't let other people see it before my Client does.

After a month of countless emails and texts and photos and changed locationS, I finally felt ready to do the Predraw. This is a unique Proposal Caricature because my Client doesn't want me to draw the Caricature alone in my Studio and then pretend to draw it on-site like I usually do. He wants to catch what they look like and how they dress This day. And he also doesn't want me to take too long drawing on-site because he doesn't want his Lady to wonder......

So I did a Predraw of a basic composition and what the faces will probably look like ~ based on my Client's photos. Came out great. But I still have to ink it and add Color and actually draw the Faces and Clothes when I get there. I feel confident with this wonderful Predraw.

But Oh. I have to use Public Transportation to get to this location. I packed up the 22x28 predraw and my markers and easel etc. But when I tried to include the Larger heavy Drawing Board, it did Not fit in the folio that I use for 22x28 papers. I don't know how I am going to Carry several 22x28 Cardstocks And a bigger Heavy Drawing Board and my Markers, Travel Directions etc, and my 2-Part Easel ~ in the car and on the train and on the subway and on the Long walk from there to get to the destination.

I have done 22 x 28 Proposal Caricatures near this location before. But they were always drawn ahead of time in my Studio. So I only had to bring my regular drawing board for pretending that I was doing regular drawing until I had taken out the 22 x 28. I didn't need to bring the Giant Heavy Drawing Board Oh.

It's now 130am. I have to leave the house at 7am to get there in time. So there's no time to shop to try different ideas. I have to come up with something. Hmmmm..... Never a dull moment