Oh my goodness. Last minute Events. Today is Friday. There I was intrigued by Line Speeds, when

a job came in for Saturday. In which I am supposed to draw just four 4-year-old Children as though they were the President of the United States. Very Detailed On-the Spot Pictures. My Client suggested things like the Oval Office, or Air Force 1, etc.

I got a lot of research to do. A lot of Presidential Picture ideas.

The first thing I did was to Google images of the Oval Office. I drew a picture just mapping out what goes where. Then I drew a 2nd picture because I don't want a dorky pichur with no pizzazz ~ no movement. And I liked how I included the 'Oval' to clarify Shapes for 4-year-olds who, like I did for many years, might wonder why they call the office Oval. But looking at the two pictures, I'm feeling like the first one ~ simple ~ just the answers ~ feels better?

I have quite a bit of experimenting to do like asap. But it would be a good idea to get some sleep, and have a date to go Swimming this afternoon, and I'm on for making Dinner, and the day just goes......

I didn't know Why I was focusing on Digital Caricatures tonight. I booked an Event for Digital Caricatures like a Month from now. I have plenty of Other types of Party Art to handle before it.

But I did. I just like to Connect with the IPad

and then..... I drew Another Digital Caricature the next night. To practice and be real familiar with the equipment. Which I am.

This Client requested that I include a little Cartoony Jungle Animal on each of the Children's Caricatures. She wanted them drawn At the Party. In addition to the Caricature. In Color. And..... Animal? Which ended up causing many of the Compositions to require Bodies also.....

It involved all sorts of extra things to do on each picture. The Guests still want to get their Caricatures quickly. So I just kept draaaaaawing.

I could see why a person might want something like that. It's cute, and it could be fun for a child to relate to something like that. But me ~ It's usually my experience that the Simpler the Picture, with a Statement, drawn with as few lines as needed..... aka the Short Story..... that's what gets the quickest Party Fun Surprises. It felt chancy to switch gears and swing into it when Adult came for their Caricatures. Like an exercise to Alternate Control with Freedom.

Not easy to do. I felt so grateful that it all worked out so well. I drew Almost as many Caricatures as I usually do

I took a personal evening. Went out to Dinner and Dancing. Just before I left, I found an email from my Agent requesting Fashion Sketch Samples for a Client that we would want to get right back to. No big deal ~ I could just send some Fashion Sketches that I previously made. But it's not as easy as that. She said he wants a different Style than I usually draw. She said No enlarged head and Not cartoony.

I could do that. I Enjoy doing that too. Fashion Sketches, as well as Caricatures, are Exaggerations. But a completely different kind. A completely different mindset. I used to do lots of those.

Soooo...... I got to work on them when After I came in from Rhumba Dancing! When I thought I was going to be ending my long day.

It started a little rough, but I quickly got into it again. Here's my experience of drawing Fashion Sketches tonight. From random photographs that I found on-line.

Having had so many experiences of Drawing at Events, I was able to impose the Reality of what would be happening at the Event. I am a Party Artist. Guests don't have to be professional Models. They don't have to stay perfectly still. I knew I would be working with happy moving Guests and I would only have about 6 minutes to Complete each drawing.

At first, I had some ostentatious ideas about flowing lines blah blah blah. Then Reality set in as I tried to draw the tough pose of the first girl. It was Not a graceful pose. This is actually my 2nd pass on this one. I was copying the pose while trying Not to use things like negative spaces or being too literal ~ because that's how it will be at the Event. This picture was feeling stiff and I was doing too much thinking:

For my 2nd picture, I decided to make up my own pose. But I felt like I was strangling this one too. Came out okaaaayyyy, but it took too long. And it still has a stiff feel to it. I was thinking that I would know what I'm doing before the Event, but for now, I was trying to 'ready-design' at the same time as I was drawing:

This 3rd picture is a mix of the first 2 approaches. BTW ~ this was the last leg (hahaha ~ I made a pun) ~ This was the last leg for this blue Marker. I could barely finish the pants. I'll get my better Supplies together before I go to this Event.

I was still feeling stiff with this 3rd drawing:

So I decided to try the same Reference Photo again. Ahah ~ The change is happening. I'm loosening up. I'm Enjoying Drawing these Fashion Sketches now. This is when I remembered the feel of how I used to make FASHION SKETCHES. The picture isn't as stiff. Now I'm feeling like all I have to do is to keep practicing in this Style, and I'll be fine at the Event.

The next picture might be my Favorite one of the bunch. At this point, I was feeling Very Comfortable. Very little in the way of Predraw. This sort of ability usually pops up when the Event is going smoothly and People are warming up to the Activity.

So I made another picture. In this case, a black Color Stick was more appropriate at some spots than a Marker would be. So I will bring Both Colored Markers And Color Sticks to this FASHION DRAWING Event.

I know that we usually get 'naturally fashioned' people ~ even at FASHION SKETCH Events. Many of them don't show up in Designer Clothes ~ but that's a Fashion too. And they all choose their clothes because they want to look good in them.

I also didn't want tonight's practicing to be only Women. So I chose a Man to draw next.

This time I went right into that smooth Fashion Sketch Approach. I was feeling so happy with the way things were going that I forgot about not getting Cartoony by the time I got down to the Shoes. This picture is still FASHION SKETCH Material. But if the Audience gives me the Wow Reaction that I usually get with my Cartoony Fun Party Attitude Pictures, I might feel tempted to Keep them Laughing. Getting Wilder and Wilder in subsequent pictures.

So for this Upcoming Event ~ in which the Client Predetermined what he wants me to do ~ regardless of what feels most Entertaining in the Moment ~ for This upcoming Event ~ I would have to tighten up on the Next Drawing. Hopefully not starting my process All over again ~ in which the next picture would feel stiff and I would be struggling to smooth out again.

If I continued drawing tonight, we could see where it would go. But I'm feeling too tired now. I didn't plan on doing all these drawings today.

Art is a Process. Interacting with people is a Process. It's not like we just press a button and creativity comes out.