from these photographs.

okay

I spent 6 hours Drawing Caricatures on a Boat today. Bat Mitzvah. Nothing like it to help me tap into my Best Party Speed. I drew about 14 Caricatures per Hour.

I felt so seasick that it was all I could do to lift my eyes to look a bit at the person I was drawing. And I didn't have the ability to fuss with my pictures either. I'm still ~ even now which is 7 hours after I got Off the boat ~ I'm still feeling woozy. As though I'm rocking back and forth on this desk-chair. Leading backwards with my head. Oh the Boat.

Here is one of the pictures I drew today. It shows the sort of Reactions that these Quick Caricatures get. The Guests had a Great Time! I like that.

What an experience!

Here's an example of what happens when your Party Artist has to deal with Backlighting ~ that's when she's told to Set Up in front of a Window.

I always accommodate my Clients ~ I always manage in the Space they provide for Their Party Entertainment. But I don't feel like they're getting the Best Possible Experience if they want the Artist to Set Up in front of a Window. I don't feel like they're getting the Best Possible Artwork if they tell the Artist to Set Up in front of a Window. The Artist really cannot see the Guests features.

The Artist Could turn around, so the Light is coming from behind her, and onto the Guests' faces while the Guests look out the Window, but I prefer to Set Up the other way ~ so the Whole Party can glance over at any time to see what's being drawn (Entertainment) and the person who is being drawn would be looking In Towards the Party ~ so s/he remembers that s/he is At Your Party.

The problem with Backlighting ~ the problem with having the Guest standing in front of a Window ~ is that the Guests' Faces are COMPLETELY IN SHADOW ~ because the Light is coming from Behind their heads. I feel like I can still do a good job, but it is stressful. So it slows down the Artwork and it affects my Vibe. It affects my ability to quickly draw what I see because I'm Not quickly Seeing the Faces. It affects the Artwork And it affects the Guest's Experiences.

Lol ~ Tonight I agonized over a Wink I had drawn at one of last weekend's Events. I had communicated what I wanted in the Caricature, everyone enjoyed it, but I felt like I should be able to draw a Better Wink.

So I pulled the picture into my IPad, felt my own Winks in the Mirror, looked at Winking People Online, and decided that the eye moves Down while the Lip moves Up. It felt awkward to change this stuff on the already-drawn face, but I did whatever I could to remember what happens when a person Winks.

I noticed that the eye moves Down while the lips move Up ~ causing the cheek to 'flex'. Also affected the nose and the area above the lip and even the resting side of the face.

Then ~ just a random experience ~ I came across this Winking Man that I had drawn at a Party several Years Ago. That time, it had worked fine. I didn't feel like I had to go figure out how I could do it better.

It's funny to see that I had just lifted the Winking Eye Up that time. Apparently I had noticed the way the cheek lifted up when the man Winked at the Party, and that was enough to communicate the expression. I liked that. The Short Story.

So now I see from my Studying that Winking can be represented by Either moving the Eye Down OR Up. Either way is fine for CARICATURE ~ a picture that communicates without needing tedious reality. I could choose which way to handle it based on what's happening in the individual picture. But I do want to either lift it Up Or squash it Down. Just 'closing' the winking eye didn't feel like enough to me