Saturday, April 26, 2008

Coors Brewing Compnay Porter House Gig SPECIAL Shout out to Thomsons Art Supply Inc




Overall the praty was great . A lot of the guys got drunk really fast and began requesting my WILD caricatures. They were literally THROWING eacth other in the hair to be drawn. I managed to get some shots of what I did , but as usual I was more into the drawing than the photography. I will get better...


Very very SPECIAL shout out to the folks at

Thomsons Art Supply Inc.
Located at

184 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
http://www.thomsonsart.com/

It was like a dream come true. RIGHT across the street from my gig was this fantastic art store. Not only was the store very well stocked, but the staff was professional and courteous. Phil I draw primarily in pencil and Phil turned me on to the creatacolor NERO black lead for my mechanical pencil and let me tell you it's by far the DARKEST lead Ive ever used. It was perfect for my line drawing as these drawings are evidence.
According to the blurb on their website,the store is Centrally located in downtown White Plains, New York, Thomson's Art Supply has been serving the Westchester art community for over 75 years. Our 2 story establishment is overflowing with the finest artist materials, drafting supplies, hobby equipment and much more. By catering to the specialized professional and local art student base, we are able to provide the neighborhood with an extensive range of art resources.

My only regret is that the store is NOT in my neighborhood, but definitely worth the comute to get to!

Coors Brewing Company Gig at the Porter House in White Plains I get to meet Vladimir



I arrived early at the porter house and was delighted to find out there was a fabulous art store located right across the street from the bar!! immediately I rushed over and brought some last minute items for my gig and even managed to place some of my party contact info in the store itself.

The first person I met at the gig was my fellow caricature artist, Vladimir Bellvue.
Vladimir has, as we say in the caricature business, one of THOSE faces.... one of those faces that when you see it, your mind automatically starts speculating on how you can bend and stretch it. I was looking forward to drawing him as I make a habit to do with the artist I work with, and it's usually something the other artist enjoys too, since I also have "one of those faces'.
I introduced myself to Vladimir and noticed right away that he was exactly the armest individual.
"hi! my name is Elgin!'
Vladimir.
"wow! you've got a great face! I cant wait to draw you! Draw me too!
blank menacing stare
"er... how did you get here?"
train.
"er, how long you been doing this?"
ten years.

Okay... so he's not gregarious. No harm in that... Im maybe too talkie... still < I dont usually find caricature artists to be so...stoic. I immediately sat infont of him and started sketching his face and showed it to him.
Blank stare.

Okay...
As people began to come in , a couple sat in his chair and I immediately came up behind him to watch his technique. Perhaps he warms up when he's drawing, i thought. "mind if I watch?" I inquired, fully expecting to get my usual ,"sure" reply I get from other artists.
He looks at me with those deadpan eyes and says;
No. It's a little distracting..

And that was it.
For all you would be caricature artists out there, take notes. When you go to a gig and meet another artist... be friendly.The other artist is not your competitor. In fact, the other artist there can spur you on to be a BETTER artist and performer, regardless of your level of ability. Not to mention that we artsits sometimes refere people we like for other gigs which means M-o-n-e-y . A caricature artist who thinks someone watching is "distracting" is like a clown who doesnt want people laughing as he goes through his routine.

Here are my renditions of Vladimir Bellvue after he told me that I was "distracting".

Metro North Caricature 4:59 To White Plains



Dontinuing onward on my journey to the Coors Brewing Company gig at The Porter House in White Plains, I boarded the Metro North Express train that would have me at my gig in 20 minutes. I really enjoy riding Metro North the best. Their seats are comfortable and spacious and you can get an EXCELLENT view of fellow commuters.These were the best two faces I captures in 20 minutes.

Subway Caricatures 3:30pm Manhattan Bound A




I had a great gig yesterday for The Coors Beer Brewing Company at the Porter House Bar/Restaurant 169 Mamaroneck Ave in White Plains. I Did my usual "warm up" on unsuspecting commuters (heh heh) on my way over. The train was unusually crowded for an afternoon, but I managed to squeeze off a couple of "shots" here they are! BANG! BANG! Drawing on a very crowded train is always a challenge because people are constantly shifting catch their balance and avoid other passengers, and often times someone can step right infront of your victim and abstruct your view. Another added element is that sometimes my neighbors want to talk to me about the picture, or about how their cousin, aunt , grandmother, dog draws pictures too. This soetimes alerts my subject to my prescence and totally ruins the picture. I had to sketch these drawings in about 1 minute. The guy took a little longer as I kept going back to his face to modify it.