Young Bearded man on Queens Bound A train Sat evening

I boarded the train at Chambers Street after an enjoyable afternoon in the city. I sat down next to this young man who had such a great face for caricature I could not wait to bet started. I had already been drawing for a little while much to the amusement of onlookers, and was in such a generous mood that I'd been literally giving caricatures away throughout my commute today. "who are you drawing now?" his female companion asked... I'm drawing your boyfriend, I replied. He has a great face!! and went immediately to work having just passed Jay Street Boro Hall. Thanks, He replied, but Im getting off next stop. I knew that the Hoyt street station was less than 30 second s away so I quickly made a gesture of him promising that I'd upload a memory sketch this evening. THIS is the final drawing.
One man was so impressed, that he gave me his business card and "demanded' a call! this was my second "demand" of the day, the first being an Advertising executive that Im currently doing a logo caricature for.
Definitely a good "hunting day!"

Gig Photos

Havent Posted any live gig photos in a long time so here are a few
I really enjoy talking with the people who I draw and they never fail to inform , educate and entertain me with the stories of their lives, who they are, and what they've experienced. The man at the top is a painter and we had a fascinating discussion about painting , getting the likeness, expressing the soul of a person, all of those great things that only artists can share. After the pic was done, he kept looking at it incredibly as if in disbelief. It was wonderful. I could imagine this guy in his younger days with his hair slicked back wearing a zoot suit and fighting off the gurls with a stick. The older man in the bowler hat was a pro dancer in his younger days and did a lot of tap dancing overseas particularly in Asia. His stage name was "Flamingo" given to him by an appreciative fan who commented on how he floated across the floor with style, agility and effortless grace. Flamingo told me the story of how while in China he noticed the locals would carry these incredibly large bundles on their backs, which forced them to walk in a certain way to keep their balance. He incorporated that walk/shuffle step into his dance routine and called it the "Chinese Shuffle" It became his signature dance move.
Being a dancer myself, I could have talked to this guy for hours, but had to tend to the other guests.

REAL LIFE ANIME CHARACTER On The L Train!

In Route to a gig yesterday, I saw this guy on a 8th Ave Bound L Train sporting this BRILLIANT Tweety Bird Yellow Afro with this long yellow Fu Manchu Style Goatee. The Contrast of his Brightly colored hair next to his dark Chocolate Skin made for a dazzling combo. It wasnt enough to try to draw him, I boldly asked him could I take his picture to feature on my blog. To my surprise and delight, he smiled and compled, even posing long enough so I got a good shot.
His hair reminded me on an anime character which there ARENT too many African American ones, Gotta Love the New York Subway! You DONT see people like this ANYWHERE ELSE!!!
What I loved most about this guy was his confidence to be himself. In a world where every one is checking everyone else, or the media to tell them what to wear, hw to speak, what to listen to, here's a guy who says, I LIKE THIS STYLE, AND IM ROLLING WITH IT! He's a walking billboard for unbridled self expression, that's for sure! THIS is the real performance art using your own body as a canvas.

studies in Blue

...Girllie Mann with attitude on the Queens bound R train

Loved the attitude on this little Gurlie man I saw on the R train Yesterday...He caught be drawing him, suckled his teeth, Poked out his bottom lip, and turned his head oh so dramatically, just to show his annoyance. I loved drawing every bit of that personality.

DOORBUSTHA JEANS POSTER GURL

Now THATS a lotta Jeans! LOL!
This is a great example how real people can enable you to develop great character design. I was having a meeting with a client, when this woman passed by. I immediately stopped in mid sentence, and started drawing her much to my clients delight. While watching her I marveled what kind of jeans might fit a woman possessing such a tremendous backside. In a flash the doorbuster jeans idea was born! Of course, I already had my model.

Beauty and The Beast On The Rockaway Park A Train

On The Rockaway Park Train The Animals run Free and Sometimes sit next to ya...Dont feed the animals though... ya might lose a finger...

In The Presence Of Warriors Caricatures From The VA Hospital

Just back from a fantastic gig at the Veterans Hospital In St Albans Queens. LOTS of Great faces to do yesterday afternoon. Here's a few of em

BISHOP TD JAKES CARICATURE

Was looking over some old caricatues from years back and found this great picture of Bishop TD JAKES. For those unfamiliar with Jakes he is a The founder and Senior Pastor of THE POTTER'S HOUSE Church In Dallas Texas, whose membership is over 30,000
Bishop Jakes has gained worldwide noteriety not just for his preaching, but also for his philathrophic efforts in Africa, and in other parts of the World. He is also a NY Times bestselling author of 30 odd books,the current one, "REPOSITION YOURSELF", still doing phenomenially well as of this writing. As much as I enjoy the Bishops insight and dynamic vocal delivery, As a crazy caricature artist, I think he's equally famous for his ability to WITHOUT FAIL totally SOAK his shirts and jacket with perperation after every preaching session! I drew this picture of him in "mid sweat" so to speak!

More can be read about him HERE:
http://www.tdjakes.com/site/PageServer?pagename=about_biography

Subway drawings for the week

Heres what came up this week.Excuse the pencil lines!

Would YOU have this caricature artist draw at YOUR PARTY?

Realistically, from the AVERAGE consumers point of view, probably not.
As a get older and realize that as a PARTY artist potential consumers aren't AS interested in how well I can ROCK and exaggeration, I find that Im toning down my PRESENTATION style when courting them for their life giving dollars. To do otherwise purely for the sake of "NOT BEING A SELLOUT" may feed the ego, while the body starves for lack of food.

Let's face it, a lot of us caricature artists do this NOT JUST for the Pure ART of it but to make a living. Anyone who is in the business of making money knows that unless they are exceptionally gifted and in high demand, that the CONSUMER is the one who leads the dance, dollars and cents being their dance card. When someone is shopping for a caricature artist they are looking for someone whose work is clever, appealing, and pleasing to the eye. Outrageously drawn caricatures like the one I did here, and LOVE, mind you, only make them run to find an artist more appealing to their eyes. The general public is not as educated on what caricature is in OUR world, and unless they have artistic aspirations, really DO NOT CARE. Think about it; Do you want your little Joey looking in a similar way that Ive drawn myself to hang on your wall? JOEY may LOVE it, but Mom and Pop are paying for it, so THATS who you SELL to.
The great thing about selling to what appeals to people is that you ALWAYS find a few at the event who WANT this extreme pic and you can be free to go wild on them.
I know that some may not agree with everything said, but it's just been my experience, having been an "extreme exaggerator" and noticing what people end up BUYING. Believe me, it's RARELY this. At least not from ME.

YMCA? No Way, In FAR ROCKAWAY! ... latest Wave Newspaper Editorial

Yet ANOTHER delay in the Building of the YMCA that residents have been promised for YEARS> The Building of the facility provide much needed jobs in the area as well as a welcome diversion from the vast amount of "NOTHING" that exists in Far Rock Going to DA BEACH can get Old real fast if youre a resident.
Halting of building is now due to it not being "energy efficient" what ever THAT Means....

astract Caricatures

As any experienced party artist will tell you, each particular caricature gig has it's own special challenges.For me, My pet peeve is LIGHT being an old timer who never had the best sight anyway, Being able to see REAL good at a gig is a necessity. I always always ALWAYS emphasize to potential clients the dire need i have for them to put me in a setting where their is ADEQUATE LIGHT. Now you'd think that this shouldn't have to be SAID at all. I mean, an artist is DRAWING a picture of a live human, which means he must be able to do two things, one, SEE the person he is drawing clearly, and two, to SEE the paper he is drawing the person on.
And yet.... Ive been at gigs that have the most elaborate table designs, the biggest balloons, miles of gourmet cuisine, and a a Primo DJ, and yet when I walk in the door I hear the words.... HMMMMMM..... so.... where should we sit YOU???? Usually it's next to the DJ. Artists and DJs go together like Peanut Butter and Prime Rib . DJ's THRIVE on DARKNESS and low lights Like vampire bats, and dont care one wit if the artist is comfortable...

But Ive gotten ahead of myself..

On with the story.
At this party the agent tells me point blank, at least he was honest... "I aint gonna lie to ya, the lighting is Piss Poor in here!" "but there's an outlet under the table so you can plug in yours.
He was right. The light was Poor. It was lit enough so that you could find your way to the bar, and even look a little like Brat Pitt in the Dim Light but for what I needed to do, I might as well have brought a seeing eye dog with me. My light cast ugly awkward shadows on peoples faces that made me unable to draw in my usual beautifully flowing semi realistic style... Within Three drawings, which were poor, I KNEW if I didnt do like the BORG and adapt, this party was gonna be a disaster.

I adapted.
Remembering how Hirschfeld one of my earlier influences worked with pure line quality got the essence of the face and had FUN. If I was gonna have a good drawing night I had to LET GO and abandon myself.

I did.

It was magical

I felt carried along, able to quickly and confidently pull the "quirks" and personality out of those faces faster than I normally would with my conventional style. I KNEW I was on a roll when I KEPT hearing behind me, HOW in the world does he capture them with SO FEW LINES??

Sure is good to have a coupla "emergency styles" in your artistic toolbox which is why I ALWAYS keep LEARNING and RELEARNING this art that i love so much.

Subway Prophet

As is often the case on Sunday, The Lord's Day, There was a prophet preaching the gospel on the train I was riding. This particular man of God had a very commanding appearance. Well over six feet tall... I swear he must have been around six ft five or more, complexion the color of a Hersey bar with a bushy,yet well trimmed salt and pepper goatee. You could almost see him wearing a robe sandals and carrying a shepherds staff. He spoke very articulately, slowly , and precisely, as if he was accustomed to being listened to and uninterrupted when he spoke. As soon as he finished his sermon, he rushed over to see the results of the caricature! LOL!

So Unique... I had to draw him TWICE.

There are SOME people that you reallllllly gotta ASK ....... NICELY... to do their caricature. My new friend, "UNIQUE" ... yeah, that's his name... is one of them. His appearance is truly as unique as his name is, and I literally approached him and ASKED to draw his pic to which he happily complied.
He had this star tattoo on his neck. I asked him if it hurt to put it on. In true "gangsta tough guy" mode, he simply replied,









yeah.

most memorable face of the weekend

EASILY the most memorable face of the weekend. I had this great gig last Saturday that you "die for". PERFECT lighting, EASY to get to, Joyful, GENEROUS accommodating host, and guests who LOVED LOVED LOVED highly exaggerated caricatures! what more could I ask for? I was in artist heaven.
THIS man's face was sooooooo er.... compelling, that I actually had to prepare myself mentally before drawing him! He refused to remove his HAT because of self consciousness about being bald!!! THAT'S the least of your worries! I told him as I tore into this face with unbridled ferocious joy!!! He had a drop dead gorgeous wife though, but I cant quite remember her face! HIS was that...er... devastating as to block out the memory of hers....

GARY COLEMAN CARICATURE by Subwaysurfer Elgin Bolling

Poor Gary.... the Beloved child star reached cultural icon status early in his career and was never quite able to break free of his childhood sit com persona. Fans have a tendency to NOT let their child stars grow up, and Gary's case was intensified more than most, due to his diminutive size because of his medical condition. The bubbly, amiable ... Child star who delighted millions across cultural and racial lines, grew into a bitter older man. It's sad what Hollywood can do to you. You ask yourself , "IS FAME REALLY WORTH IT???" Even with tragic figures like Gary to tell us otherwise, people still reach for the stars made of tinsel that ultimately leave you grabbing at air.....

GETTOE FABYOULUSS CHARACTER DESIGNS

Caricature Couple.... a Female Crocodile and her husband...

Nuthin but TEETH that's what i thought when She smiled! LOL! did this caricature of a couple and believe it or not, she LIKED it!! SOME women actually GET IT that caricature is for FUN! I sure had fun drawing THIS!!!!

In Loving Memory of James

There are some friends in life, that you meet during a transitional period, who unexpectedly connect with you, affect you, and leave you the better an for knowing them.
James Was that kind of friend. Someone I met unexpectedly on my journey. I was a Sunday School teacher and Worship Leader, at a small church that consisted Nigerian congregation members, with a few Carribeans thrown in. James was a member whom the pastor ad invited to come, and we became fast friends after a few Sundays. James was a very private man, who was not given to much conversation, even to the amiable pastor or the church, but he did open up to me. Perhaps it was because we were both "Yankee boys",or maybe it was because we both grew up in Brooklyn. Whatever te reason, I shared many a pleasant, thought provoking conversation with James each Sunday afternoon following morning worship. Like all people who attend church, James was not without hs problems, and was motivated to attend church to solve one of them:Drinking. After spending many years dealing with this habit, he'd finally decided he'd had enough, and sought to enlist Gods help in ridding him of it.

Old behavior patterns, he found out ,are a challenge to extricate oneself from immediately. He was not ridiculed in his struggle, but encouraged to keep making progress, and for a while he did...

But then times came when nhe would miss a Sunday or two. his reason was that he felt ashamed of a drinking binge the preceding Saturday, and as a result fell prey to the great lie that keep so many people from God. "God is mad at me, I've et God down". Ad like Adam, when he sinned, Jaes would hide himself refusing not only to attend church, but also to receive calls. It got to the point, finally, that he refused to even discuss the natter at all, and became angry wgen it was brought up.

You can never force help or friendship on people, so I withdrew, hoping that James would have a change of mood, and would soon return to church to continue our endless conversations.

I never got the chance to hear his voice again. The last time I saw Ja es he was lying still in a hospital bed paralyzed from head to toe. Apparently he had an episode where he drank so much, he lost his footing climbing a familiar flight of stairs, and landed hard on his head and back. Lying there in that hospital bed, the only thing he could move was his eyes and mouth. I asked him to give me a sign if he could hear and understand me, a d he gave me a slight smile.blew me a kiss(the audacity of him!) and winked at me. I takes to him for a while like we used to, only this time the conversation was one sided. He could make sounds, but his speech was too low in volume to be heard. I asked him could I sing a song to him that he liked, and with his eyes, he indicated, yes, and I did so, holding back tears and choking up as I sang. I looked over to see a single tear trickle down his cheek, and told him I'd be back to see him again, soon.
Of course, in true cliche fashion, I never got that chance, as he passed away days later.

The picture at the top was the first ever I drew of him. It was my habit, to draw new members and visitors as they came to the church to make them feel welcomed. I just loved giving people something tangible to take home with them. The original picture is now in the possession of his sister. I was flattered that she would want it. And was glad to have drawn it.

NUTHIN BUT GUT!!!

This Guy's belly needs it's own zip code... He probably adds it as a dependant on his taxes and counted it as an extra tenant on the census....Spotted him leaning on the A train subway car door bound for Manhattan. This guy was immense. About six ft five or something, and Most of hs weight was in that gut. Amazing how fat s distributed on some bodies...the rest of him looked kind of normal, proportion wise. This is one example of why I love doing my live drawing on the subway train, rather in a sterile studio environment. You'd never get a guy like this to pose in an art class.

BLACK TERMINATOR WOMAN ON THE A TRAIN.. "I'll be BLACK!!" .

If she had a tag line, it would be "I'LL BE BLACK!!!"

Now WHERE did my Hubby GO??? Wife Loses husband on the B Train...

Okay... I KNOW that OPPOSITES attract... but there must have been something fundamentally off kilter in the universe that drew THESE two together.
She was a tall, amazonian, brick house blond, and he was a so diminutive in comparison that an Ipod to him would have been a laptop. They were obviously in love, and once again my mind began to free associate as I started drawing them on the train. SUDDENLY their KIDS came over to see what I was doing and began cracking up which alerted the husband who came over and started laughing too.

Now you think that with all this laughter and merriment that wifey would join in too....


Needless to say she wasnt pleased!!!

I sheepishly offered to GIVE them the caricature but wifey would have none of it. I did draw the kids though, much to their delight.

I could tell the husband really wanted the picture but wasnt about to argue with an amazon.

Mcdonalds Caricature.

Gotta love McDonalds. You always see the most interesting characters coming in. I was near NYU this time and this old grizzly lookin' Viet Nam Vet dude shuffled in, and immediately my crazy cartoonist mind began to free associate as he made his order to the young counter person with the dreadlocks. This is what I came up with.

CARICATURE OF TWO HOMIES....

Never get tired of drawing "da Brothas" they really WORK at that "machismo look
Really do love drawing African Americans. Since I live in an African American community, I of course get a lot of opportunity to draw and observe. Among AA youth, a lot of emphasis is put into having the right "look". This is understandable and sad considering the harsh environment and circumstances some of these kids have to endure on a daily basis. Having the right "look" becomes an initial line of defense in the Urban Jungle, and even your average street thug wants to pick out what he perceives to be an "easy" victim. Even so calked "civilized " folks who live in the hood have a kind of look that says "I belong here" from a purely anthropological standpoint it's fascinating....
Not all of these kids are thugs, despite their visual abd verbal posturing. Many if them are articulate in speech, intropective, and artistic. There seems to be a type of respect they have for creative types. I've had what other folks might consider thugs, encourage me in and admire my creative work. In some cases, I even catch one if them drop their mask have reveal a little if their personalit, like this kud I drew wearing the "doo rag".

A lot of caricature artists, especially white ones, shy away from caricaturing common, objective features African American features like large white noses, and big lips, for fear of being perceived as "racist" This is ridiculous. It's like accusing an artist as being anti Senatir because he draws a Jewish an with a big nise...who happens to objectivey have one.

I SWEAR THE NEXT ONE WHO PINCHES MY CHEEK IS GETTING A KNUCkLE SANDWICH!!

Ive gotten REALLY GOOD at drawing Babies! LOL! to think I used to really DREAD drawing the little tots years ago! Once you get past the stereotypical way of drawing and viewing them, if you really look carefully, they've got just as much personality quirks as anyone else, and they're facial expressions are really hilarious if you just pay attention for a few moments and look.

Subway Pencil Caricature portraits by Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

As much as I love to do gift caricatures digitally, I love the feel and look of a caricature done with my own hand in pencil. My approach to caricature drawing is not just for simple "party whimsy" but for fine art as well. This should come as no surprise, since caricature uses portraiture as a point of departure.

Let me create a beautiful pencil portrait caricature of you. Your love ones or for the someone who wants a unique personalized gift. Prices are affordable, and I am open, within reason to negotiation. Feel free to write me at
Cartoons4u2@aol.com
For more information.

"Bensonhurst Barone" Soccer Coach HERO!

I drew at a great party last week in Besnsonhurst Brooklyn, and got the opportunity to meet and draw, local hero, Peter Barone, the Soccer coach. No, Mr. Barone, isnt "nationally known" doesnt have his own line of sneakers, or has his pic plastered across a cereal box, but Peter coaches soccer to a group of local kids, most of which were at the party,and doinng THAT makes him a hero in my book. It's so important that children have role models to look up to, especially strong male ones who are willing to spend time, provide guidance and teach them the neccessary skills they need for LIFE. Peter may beel that he's "just teaching kids how to kick a ball" but so much is learned on the field about fair play, teamwork, being able to push hast pain and exaustion, and even being able to lose graciously after doing your best, are skills that children learn early and carry with them into the world that ultimately benefits their families, their workplace, their community and their world.



Not to mention that I think Pete's muc is a SCREAM to draw and I promised him that I would DO THIS HA!!! I personally think it's one of the best Gift Caricatures Ive done this year.