Two friends on the R train

Caught these two talking on The R train one evening. I drew them both on a small notebook pad which explains I hope, the odd placing of the figures. The girl kept looking down at her chest as if she could not believe they were really hers.... she seemed very proud of them.

Big Gurl in a hoddie

Yakin away on her cell phone....She was big And tall. Even sitting down she seemed taller than me standing up....

Hot day!!!

Random drawings of some folks I saw in Baskin Robbins trying to get refreshment from the ninety degree heatwave this week.

The Funniest one was the guy who just HAD to have his HOT latte in the ninety degree heat!!! now THAT"S a JAVA JUNKIE FOR SURE! LOL! Then there was this girl in the checkered skirt who was wearing a long sleeved sweater of all things in the heat....

Klingon Warrior on the L Train

I guess his Klingon Bird of Prey Starship was in the shop for repairs....

A Train Alien

Remember that SCi FI show back in the old days called "V"? If I remember correctly, the V Aliens talked moved, smelled and looked like humans ....until they stuck out that forked snake like tongue......I think I saw that on this chick while she ate her potato chips breakfast one morning during rush hour....

Number 6 train "YOU THINK IM PRETTY, DONT YOU??"

She had this look on here face that you didn't want to argue with...

The great Chris Chua

When I want inspiration to draw CHUA is one of the guys I look to. SO adventurous so extreme with his caricature concept I wonder how his mind processes all this madness and STILL gets a great likeness. Amazing.

old man young man

Clark from the F Train This Weekend

Clark here was bold enough to ask for his own caricature after seeing me draw a young lady sitting directly across from me on the train. How could I refuse?
This version is rather tame... I think I'll exaggerate it more later...heh, heh...

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.