This was a really interesting job. I had been hired to draw Caricatures at an Assisted Living Facility. It was well lit, and quieter than the usual Parties where I work. That meant it lent itself to small conversations with the Residents as I drew them. Elders, they said some very interesting things.

For instance, there was the (80-year-old?) man who had been affected by Agent Orange way back during the Viet Nam War. It sent him down a difficult path for the next (60?) Yeeears. A lifetime. Affected by the experience he had lived through I asked how he felt about War. I asked how he felt about the government. I wrote his answer on his Caricature. It felt like a good attitude for avoiding all sorts of situations in which we might feel tempted to Second-Guess-Ourselves. Peace. And there was a sweet lady who seemed troubled that she wasn't being a good enough hostess. (even though the facility had hired me to Work there). She kept saying that if she knew I was coming, she would have baked a cake. And more.

I only spend a few minutes with each Person that I draw. We usually don't chat, and when we do, I wonder why Guests say to me 'How long have you been doing this". Or 'My Aunt paints pictures.' And I'll say just about anything to get them to be animated so I'll see something interesting to draw. But sometimes

Sometimes people are intense. without even trying. They are just 'making conversation.' And if I keep my mind open to it, I find intense blessings in a nary a moment

My Caricatures are for Confident People. People who know that they look Fine, but they want to laugh at how they would look if THE SHAPES ARE EXAGGERATED. To be Cartoons instead of realistic portraits.

It doesn't mean anything. It is just things like Circles getting bigger or drooping into Ovals.

I feel like I am getting stronger in my ability to interpret the Movements of Shapes. To morph what I see into what a funny cartoon could be.

I drew the First Picture here directly. While glancing at a person in a public place. I felt pleased with what I drew, but I felt like simplifying the picture when I got home. I drew the 2nd picture by looking at the first picture, and remembering what had inspired me to make the decisions that I had made. This one turned out the be The Best Sweetest Picture of the group

even though I then Caricatured that Caricature, and came up with the 3rd picture here.

All 3 are fine. But I didn't know that the 2nd one was the Best one until I continued my path

Do you think the Party Guest would have preferred the Caricature that was better? That's the Last Caricature in this post.

Drawing quickly, I drew this CARICATURE at a recent Birthday Party. Well received, I went on to the .... Next! Then, when I got back to the studio, drawing for Myself, I hoped to.... add more dimension? I wasn't successful in doing that. Yet. But I did end up with a much better Caricature when I switched back to the style of my Original Caricature of her ~ but this time with the additional Exaggerations.

Wait. Wait. One more. How about this latest one. The last one that I just posted here

Oh ~ the last 2 are my faves. One not more than the other. There's obviously more than one drawing that can be made of anyone ~ just like there's more than one photograph

hmmmm.... how about more voluptuous lips.... while flipping those teeth Upwards. towards me. as though I could see the Bottoms of them....