TOO ANGRY TO SIT DOWN

It appears tat this lady was a little too angry to sit down in the two available seats. Or maybe she became aware that I was drawing her and didn't want to give e a front view! At any rate, she made for a great caricature regardless f the angle.

Drawing The boy with the stinky drawers....

One of the great things about keeping a sketchbook is occasionally finding artistic ges that you totally missed. Since I'm constantly drawing from life on the streets and trains of NYC, a lot of my stuff gets literally buried between the pages of my sketchbooks. For me, it's like Christmas to find a really great caricature/cartoon like this one, which causes e to literally laugh out loud and say to myself,"did I do that?". I drew this last summer on the train. I'm sitting there in my seat, and along comes this hip hopper in "full swagger" wearing his summer braids, wife beater tee shirt to show off is scrawny yet muscular physique, smoking an illegal cigarette in defiance of the no smoking subway ban, and sporting a youthful urban fashion that I will never understand....the swung low pants. Usually these pants are purchased a size or two, bigger, held loosely with a belt so that the underwear is exposed. Not only is this unsightly looking, not only is it a prison style that indicates you're "one for business" but it's...kinda unsanitary. I decided to draw him in a more urban setting, hence the sidewalk, and also to create more visual balance, have him "smoking"from both ends. The final picture was done in the Art Studio app on the iPad.

William Shakesphere iPad caricature

Talk about a different and unexpected assignment.... I'm currently working with a client who commissioned me to draw some character designs for a board game he is currently developing, and one of the characters is William Shakesphere. I must admit, I've never had a request to draw that before, and was very excited on how I would interpret the character.

The client wanted the illustration to be a full body shot, no gross exaggeration, and recognizable. I immediately thought of the style and approach that Alex Toth used when he was commissioned to draw characters for Saturday morning toons back in the day. The design had to be elegant and simple. As has become my habit, these days, I drew the character in such a way that if it were being animated, it could be easily copied, and quickly reproduced. I looked at pictures online to see how Shaesphere had been depicted by other artists, and then gave it my own particular flair, as I did with the period clothing, after researching that. Google and YouTube make research like this a snap.

I couldn't resist adding the skull as a accessory, and within a few hours, I had a character design but artist, and client could be proud of.

What I love about assignments like these, is the opportunity to draw people and things I wouldn't ordinarily draw myself. Another great benefit if drawing William Shakesphere, is the potential of bring new viewers to my blog who come, not necessarily because they like art, per se, but because they like William Shakesphere. Hopefully in the process of viewing this illustration, they will be encouraged to check out the rest of the blog.

I'm giving a subtle hint here, fellow artists, so listen up.

If you want to increase traffic to your blogs start including pop culture pieces, as well as "traditional" drawings like Will, here. The goal is to get new people looking at your work, and if you're selling something, hopefully, they will be impressed and encouraged to buy something.

Speaking of buying... It's time for another...

UNAPOLOGHETIC SUBWAYSURFER CALL TO ACTION!

If you are impressed with this character design and have a project that you feel my talents are suited for, don't estate to let me know! Prices are not "cheap" but they're negotiable, and more affordable than you think!

Newsletter illustration of couple on Jetski

Just completed this assignment of a couple on a Jetski for their company Newsletter. The hardest part was drawing the Jetski jussst right! they loved it.

As an artist, I have been fortunate to have rubbed shoulders with, taught by, influenced by, and even "stolen from" some of the best caricature artists in the world, all of whom have contributed to, influenced, and enhanced by approach to caricature.
One of my favorite character artists, is Terry Dunnett, affectionately known as TEL from Australia. (http://www.terrydunnett.com.au/Tels_Caricatures/Home.html)
In addition to being an excellent draftsman, Tel is a master of drawing accessories. By "accessories" I mean supporting items in a picture that the main characters interact with. Examples of accessory items, are cars, planes, snowmobiles, and jet skies. Prior to being exposed to Tel's work, I focused pretty much on the individual figures, and pretty much "winged" everything else. Even though my clients did not complain, I knew deep down, I had compromised, and given into lazy drawing. In comparison to Tel, whose accessory items were just as meticulously detailed as his caricatured. Visually, this added to the overall unity to his pieces as well.

That's when I started really concentrating on getting the accessories correct.
If a client takes time to mention they want a particular car or golf clubs in a picture, then obviously the item is an extension of them. This is the Bain reason why they should be given as much attention that you give to your favorite part of the drawing.

This particular jetski took me days to get to my satisfaction. It's not perfect, but definitely better than I might have done, years ago.

Ipad Gift Caricature of a Pirate King.

In addition to party caricature, Gift caricature is one of the staples of a successful caricature business. I especially love doing gift caricatures, because it also allows me to operate in the capacity of a character designer, especially if the client, like in this case, gives me full reign to let my creative abilities run amok! . My client wanted this picture  for a buddy  who possessed  a notoriously red beard. We immediately decided on a pirate theme and I went to work. creating the red beard character here. I wanted this pirate to look kind of classy, so I took a few items from Captain Hooks closet to clothe my character. .  When doing gift caricature, If possible, I like to play with, manipulate , and borrow from cultural icons that are immediately recognizable to everyone. I do ad my own flair so that its not outright plagiarism 

Overall Im vary pleased with the gift caricature. The only thing missing is a Pirate and a bottle of rum. But we're trying to keep things nice and sober here on the subwaysurfer blogggg.

This caricature was colored beautiful in my trusty ipad using the art studio app.

My client let me know that his buddy was notorious for wearing hats, so I did give him a Fancy Pirate hat, but couldnt resist doing one without the hat also. 

SnookerBingo.com Freelance work

Had a lot of fun drawing these Snooker Players for a recent client. heck, i didnt even KNOW what "Snooker" meant, it had to be explained to me! LOL! If you're into pool, as us yanks say it, then this site is definitely for you! Just make sure when you enter you stop all the loud talking. People are trying to play snooker here....http://www.snookerbingo.com/

Ipad Gift Caricatures

ipad caricature of Manhattan Female Yuppie with Latte By subwaysurfer

There she was withher bag, her boots, her designer Jeans, Her Two Inch Waistline, her Golden Locks, and her Yuppie Latte.... the universe is complete now. How could I NOT draw her? As beautiful as she is... I bet her feet stink in those leather boots...ah! The price of fashion! What's rancid feet, if you're being fashion forward!

ipad caricature of Scuzzy Scarey Subway dude by Subwaysurfer

he looked like a combination  burnt out rock star,slash homeless war veteran slashmaggot invested crackhead..... for all I know , he was just an undercover cop totally immersed in his character. Whatever he was, he is one of the reasons I love riding the trains of this city. You just cant find these kinda people anywhere else. Its like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get.... HEY! I should patent that line!

Id be interested in knowing who and what kinda... er... extraordinary people youve seen on the trains. Please feel free to comment! I wanna hear from you!

ANOTHER ipad Caricature of Canadian Rapper, DRAKE by Subwaysurfer

Those Heavey  Lidded Eyes, That Sad Mouth, The Large Box Head... Drake Is an Irresistable Character to Draw Alright! LOL So Glad that I was commissioned to draw this! LOL Heres another shot at him. Drake If you see this, I aint hatin' buddy, but since you are a celebrity, you should expect things like this.

This caricature recently caught the attention of the folks at lulu online look here

http://iluluonline.com/photos-hilarious-caricature-art-starring-drakes-face-nicki-minaj/

ipad caricature of Female Rapper Nikki Minaj

Im currently working on a project with a client who requested a caricature of Female Rapper Nikki Minaj. I normally dont listen to this genre of music too much so I didnt know who she was. When i got some  reference photos, I couldnt wait to draw the caricature. I dont know what the client has in store... actually I do, since weve worked before,LOL! it ought to be good. It was a challenge caricaturing Nikki, because like most attractive women theres its hard to eaggerate  facial features. However, Nikki has these superhuman, ah.. attributes that make her instantly recognizable.

These Pictures were created with a combination of tools including the Double sided Utretcht Design Markers, amd colored in the Art Studio App on the IPAD. I swear by ALL of these tools now for giving me the color quality and line effects I need to make my illustrations come to life!

GENDER BENDER NEEDS TO RETURN TO SENDER! caricature of man/woman on the Subway

Okay, Im not making a value judgement here, just callin em as I see em, and then, of course draw them. In a city as diverse as New York, when ever I ride the Subway trains I have come to expect the unconventional, the out of the ordinary, the outlandish, and the just plain strange. Yet with all my experience as a "visual caricature antropologist", the subway being my laboratory where I study and record human behavior, sometimes even I get shocked by the thing I see.
Folks, there are a lot of cross dressing , gender benders in NYC. They add color and life to the mosaic that IS New York City, but even among alternative lifestyles there certainly MUST be "rules of conduct, and presentation" and THIS had to be a definite NO NO!

HE/SHE entered the car carrying a large brown handbag, wearing a Hoodie, Oversized pants, Bown Brogan Shoes, a Baseball cap a bad Wig AND Noticable Razor stubble.

Did I comment on the stooped over posture and the fact that they were close to three hundred pounds?

At least the handbag matched the shoes.

But for all intensive purposes, this person looked like, to use a popular village expression, "A HOT MESS!"
If you're going to go out gender bending, I say, make sure you go ALL the way in the direction that you are shooting for, and be careful to cover up any NOTICABLE flaws as to your true identiy.

Razor Stubble is a dead giveaway, as is hair on your knuckles.

Who NEEDS cable? All I gotta do is ride the Subway! LOL!

ipad caricature of a pretty girl by Elgin subwaysurfer Bolling

There are those times when I draw a face and i see an undefnable "star quality" to the face that im drawn to pun intended. This young lady was pretty, not glamrous in the fashion model sense, but what I call urban pretty for lack of a better word. there was that feminine quality combined with that no nonsense edge that only enhanced her overall appeal. I drew this in a smipler cartoonery style that worked perfectly.

ipad gift caricature for client by subwaysurfer

this lucky fan took advantage of my year end digital ipad caricature sale and got his version by a subwaysurfer original.

 I have decided to extend the sale for a limited time. get YOUR digital caricatue at the insane discounted price! email me at cartoons4u2@aol.com for details!

ipad caricature of a scared indian woman on subway

I swear she was clutching her bag SO TIGHT and staring straight ahead with the most intense expression I'd ever seen on anyone I was trying to draw. Then it occured to me all at once that she MUST have thought I was a mugger getting ready to snatch her bag, rather than an artist who was snatching her likeness! LOL!
Picture colored in Artstudio app using the Ifaraday stylus pen on the ipad

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature of a woman who looks like a toad by subwaysurfer

There are some women who even MAKEUP can NOT HELP!... I bet when she walks into Mc Donalds the counterperson asks her, "Do you want FLIES with that?"

Yeah... I know.... I gotta work on my standup routine......


IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature of man with big nose and big hair

Once again, I am singing the praises of being able to do live drawing on the train of unwary passengers. This particular man actually CAUGHT me drawing him, and shot me the most contemptuous slightly annoyed expression that I NEVER would have gotten from a boring naked model who was paid to be drawn. Drawing on the train and in public places is the REAL life drawing because you really get a chance to SEE people with all their quirks. On the train folks try to intimidate me into NOT drawing them by shooting me expressions like this, not realizing it makes them an even MORE perfect target! LOL!! Aside from having such a great look, he also had a lot to make fun of! Long Nose, LOOOOONG neck, Crazy long hair in the front expecially... he was pure joy to exaggerate.  I used the ifraday stylus to color and go over the lines and also the Artstudio app for the ipad. Im loving the vivid colors that I can get with this ipad and its making it reeeeallly hard to go back to using conventional methods like paper, markers and art stixx.....

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad caricature of woman with a BIG MOUTH by Subwaysurfer

This is a mouth that only a Dentist could love because everytime he sees her, he knows his mortgage is going to be paid..... I saw this woman riding the trai and from the side she was awesome enough... then she smiled and I started to applaud on the inside... if you ever think for a moment that GOD doesnt have a sense of humour.... please think about this picture..... Did this sketch originally in pencil and painted it in the Art Studio app using the ifaraday stylus.

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

iPad caricature Of man with big forehead

This man resembled a human hammerhead shark.There was something in his face that said "athlete". Easily one of the strongest faces I've ever drawn. Originally a pencil sketch, I decided to paint it in the iPad ArtStudio app, and the results are outstanding! He looks even MORE ferocious in living color.
If I recall when I drew this originally, it was on a Queens bus. I must've caught him in mid sentence. It's one of the things I love about live drawing. You just DON'T get an expression like this from a model who is paid to sit naked, and pose.

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!

ipad cartoon of Black Man with BIG Nose and big fuzzy Hat

Looks like this guy has had too much New Years Celebration.... he had the Fuzzy Hat with the flaps raised way up, and this bleary eyed thousand mile stare... what stood out though was the enormous brown nose. I resisted the urge to reach over and honk it...

IF YOU LOVE THE LOOK OF THIS DIGITAL CARICATURE, WHY NOT GET YOUR VERY OWN? PRICES ARE VERY EFFORDABLE! JUST SHOOT ME AN EMAIL AT CARTOONS4U2@AOL.COM FOR DETIALS!