Event at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa

Thought from ending of April to May was quite month for caricature booking due to Singapore's General Election 2011,. I managed to get a booking last week.Mr Yong was doing his Chinese Fan Calligraphy in the event.

The Originality of the Caricature Artwork

For beginner who learn how to draw caricature, all of us start from zero, and most of us was try our best to copy the artist that can be inspired us. Thought that is the way or the quick to learn.

Anyway, as a professional, after certain years, especially you started doing live drawings for sometimes, you should develop your own style, else you level was unable to improve or you just someone became a copycat.I noticed that especially happened since early 2009 till now, regardless whether the artists are using marker as medium, pencil as medium and so ford, the style of caricature during live event drawing not as big different as the year before 2009.Maybe all of us should do something about it to make the world more interesting.

Caricature Job

That was great to met Katherine Mah (http://www.littlecrystalpaints.com/)who doing body art in one of the event I did recently! Katherine was one of the best body art i met in the event market. That was great to seeing her and her team doing well. Obviously, their succeed was due to their right attitude, only concentrate on doing their job in a professional way, never like other artist who like to spend unnecessary time to jealous about other people or talk bad behind people. Hence, they are one of the team that like to use by many event companies.Some of my guests ;p

Event Caricature and Queue Control II

Unable to do Caricature for Sleeping Children/Baby
I found sleeping children or baby was very difficult to do.

In live quick caricature, the outcome of a sleeping baby or children was bad; thought such caricature only can be done in studio that having plenty of time, not in an event that having crowded and long queue.
Moreover, after you spent big effort to try it out, the parents will tell you: "Doesn't looks like at all!" Hence I strictly not doing any sleeping children or baby; such type of drawing, beside studio works and for editorial purpose, it belonging to fine art drawing, not suit for live caricature at all; unfortunately, lots guests in the event did not understand this.

Not Drawing photos or photos from mobile phone which given by the guests during Live Caricature
Many people thought during our live caricature drawing session, we can be able to draw their wife/husband/children's caricature (whom not presented in this event) from their mobile phone since they queue. Thought they did not understand that we taking much longer time to draw caricature from a photo due to a photo was giving limited info compare with the real person, moreover, the photo's quality, the clearness of the photo, when the photo being taken, the angle of the photo etc could caused us spend more then 25 minutes to produce the drawing.
We are hired to entertain the guests that attended this event with a limited time frame of booking, the organiser can't afford us only entertain 2-3 guests in an hour's booking for a 20pax -900pax (or more)'s event.

Event Caricature and Queue Control

Doing caricature in the event under "Free Drawing" category, as a caricaturist, we not just purely in-charge doing the free drawing for the guests during our booking hour, we need to know how to control the queue effectively.

Usually, in the last 30 minutes of my drawing session I will check the queuing guests and cut the queue by telling them I can only draw that much of people within the last 30 minutes and give respectively paper to each guests in the queue that I am able to completed within 30 minutes.

At this moment, you can found many people in the queue who wanted the free drawing became very "creative" like asking if can squeeze 2 or more persons in a drawing so they can get more people being done.

Frankly speaking, most of the time I insists only 1 person allowed to be drawn in an individual piece of paper is because 2 or more people being drawing in same piece of paper will take longer time, it involved time taken in positioning of the persons being drawn and the right scale size of the heads to be drawing in this paper, it definitely not suitable for an event that having big crowd and queues with limited working time frames.

Caricature at Safra Jurong

This is my very first time in Safra Club Jurong, and was great to do caricature for the event here.I like this special designed big sized playground!This things was very cute as well.My lunch and dinner of the day ;p

The Art of Crowd Control During Events

Whether you are in charge caricature drawing, airbrush tattoo or doing any complementary items in the events, I am very sure you always face the big crowd or people queuing for their free stuffs.

After many years’ experience doing event, I found that crowd control for complimentary stuffs is one of the very important thing we need to do.

To me, crowd control is an art. You can’t expect there is always having event officers or crew to help in the crowd control, hence you need to control by yourself and I found that is the best way to make the show running smoothly.

For example, during my caricature drawing session (stationary type, not roving type), I will estimate how many people I can draw within the last 30minutes, and then I will quickly go to the queue and past my colorized papers to the limited peoples in the queue, I told the queue I can only draw these amount of peoples within the last 30minutes’ working hour, hence basically avoided any disappointment and frustrations.

Some artists was passing own made queue number to the queue in 30 minutes in advance as well, it work as well.

Birthday Party

Just did a birthday party last week and glad to met Alex the Magic Clown in the event.I have a piece of birthday cake sent be the birthday girl! Heehee!

Drawing from photo during Events booking?

Doing portrait or caricature from photo usually taking longer times, this is because of the limited detail and info you can get from the photos, hence many artists would charge in a higher rate to draw from photos especially client required to be done in a short while.

Hence, during then event booking like family days, dinners and dance etc, I usually do not accept any drawing from photos or mobile phones, because of we are doing live drawing and all of us charging in hour’s basis, we are hired to entertain as many guests in the event as possible within the booking hour.

If we take in any photo during the event, then we have to ignore or stop the long queue and going to spend at least 25-35minutes to do just only ONE drawing from the given photo, and you will get complaint as well as losing the purpose so call entertaining the crowd.

Drawing from photo, you need to spend lots energy and concentration to observe the photo to be done, if there are limited timing given and moreover there are people waiting or the related guests or organizer asked you to draw faster caused the unpredictable result yet you get blamed; because portrait or caricature is not just an action that ‘just take a pen and draw on the paper’, else why they unable to just draw themselves? Haahaa!

The worst was the photo given is the photo that taken few years ago, hence they will get the real person and come back later to compare his/her current look with the drawing you did just now from his/her photo and tell you “Is doesn’t looks like me at all!” in front the big crowd, this is a true thing commonly happened in Asia country.

As an event caricaturist, you have to prepare for that. Heehee!

Two hand’s Calligraphy

I am the one who use two hands to draw in Singapore, or I am one of the artist who draw using two hands (because nowadays could be more and more artist using two hands to draw in Singapore), then this calligrapher was much more better then all of us. Look! He can use his leg to grab the calligraphy brushes to write, one hand holding 2 calligraphy brushes to write and having lots more special writing unique skills!That’s what I talking about. This calligrapher is Mr Tan, sometimes you can see him doing busking at Ang Mo Kio Central area.

Woodgrove Secondary School Events

Engaged by an event company to do caricature for Woodgrove secondary school’ funfair.That was great to met balloonist Sara in the event.I felt many years younger while work in this school; I am ‘Back to School’! Heehee!Interesting booth!

Event at St James Power Station Singapore

Went St James Power Station for an event last week. St James Power Station is a great place for clubbing and dining.Eileen Wee was in the event doing Emcee.Airbrush tatto artists Ivan and Lee Lee was in the event as well, I just forgot to take some photo of them.Scene from ‘War of the World’ movie down here? Is Tom Cruse operating this machine down there? Haahaa! St James Power Station just next to the cargo loading station.

Roving Caricaturist at Christmas Party

Did caricature at Chijmes Singapore for a Christmas Party, the drawing was mainly emphasizing to the children guests. It was an outdoor roving job. In thought today’s morning and noon’s weather was warm and expected that should be a tough job to work in such warm environment this evening, but fortunately it have a rain and stopped before the show start!I did a side view caricature! Heehee!

Just a Sunday

Did a birthday party at HardRock Café Singapore, just took some photos. Saw this busking artist playing chinese instrument outside Orchard Mrt.ION Orchard shopping centre still in progress.Some beautiful promoters giving leaflets on the road.Nice cute ‘teddy bear’ Christmas tree.Everyone was very busy choosing their stuffs, are you in the pictures?

Caricature at Hilton Hotel Singapore

That was great to do caricature for nice guests dinner and dance at Hilton Hotel Singapore.Met my old ‘colleagues’ the musician Michael, Ahmad Sahab and Leonardo in the event.Their jazz music was very nice! That was “The Girl from Ipanema” and the rest of the song.There are some events going on at the Orchard Road.