Well, it's the early hours of Wednesday morning and I've only just recovered enough to blog about Sunday's wedding fair.
It will be brief but that was what I call a Wedding show! We set up behind our good friend Phil from www.tshirtwonderland.co.uk and pretty much as soon as I'd drawn one caricature many more followed. Mai handled most of the talking for me as it can get a bit crazy so apologies to anyone who thought I was a mute.
Many thanks to all of you that booked me for your weddings.. my informal paperwork will be in the post to you this week. We truly had a great day as I hope you all did too.
Tina Green, organiser of the Kent based Wedding Experience truly knows how to put on a show. If you are having a wedding soon and want to see a good show you would really benefit from visiting her latest, of which there are many.. Check them out at www.wedding-experience.co.uk
One man's struggle to survive in this world with a job considered by many to be bliss.. working as a cartoonist/caricaturist. There's pencils to be sharpened and faces that need a doodling.. It's a tough life but someone's gotta do it!
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Monday, 17 October 2011
Leeds Castle Wedding Show
At the weekend The Artful Doodler attended a new wedding event at Leeds Castle.
It was an interesting weekend where I met a great deal of lovely people, had a few laughs and drew countless caricatures all of which seemed to go down well.
We turned up on the Saturday to find ourself located in a nice little booth with a decent size table to display our bits n pieces on. Stupidly I had failed to look thoroughly at the paperwork and hadn't realised that we weren't supplied with a tablecloth.. whoops! Luckily the lovely lady on the stall for Demelza House next to us loaned us a cloth which was red with white spots, it actually went very well with our crazy display so I very much appreciated this.
And so the drawing began.. there was a steady stream of people wanting their faces doodled and we were entertained by our magician friends Spencer Wood and Adam Smith as they popped by with tricks in the quiet patches.
As the first day came to a close we had received a lot of interest but no actual bookings, which, as I insist on honesty in my blogs, is something of a rarity at a wedding show. I have been luckily enough in the past to always get a booking, even at the quietest of shows, but we put this down to the size of the venue and the fact that partitions make people feel they are missing things elsewhere. Possibly my highlight on the Saturday was staring goggle eyed at the Delorean from Back to the Future on display. I told Mai that as much as I loved it, we cant afford it for our wedding, one bit of craziness too far I'm afraid.
On the Sunday we returned to find our banner evicted from our pitch. Another stand that had nowhere to go had been placed in our area. This had meant we had to find another spot and so we pitched up next to the fire exit opposite (see Mai in her sales pose above). I was still busy with drawings on the Sunday, although I admit we did feel as though we had been treated a little unfairly, especially as the booth opposite still displayed the name The Artful Doodler on one corner.
I must have drawn between 40 to 80 caricatures each day of the show and my arms and legs were a bit creaky by the end. From this show I have no confirmed bookings as yet but time will tell. I think the problem with shows of this size is that it makes the bride and grooms look completely daunted by it all with so much to take in. Some shows I guess just aren't right for certain exhibitors and so sadly with the lack of bookings and pitch confusion I doubt I will return next year. Thanks to all who did have a picture drawn and if you are thinking of booking call me asap, as despite the lack of bookings this weekend, dates for next year are filling up fast!
For my next public appearance I will be returning to The Wedding Experience show at Detling next week which is always a good one for us and so I'm really looking forward to it. Pop along and say hello!
It was an interesting weekend where I met a great deal of lovely people, had a few laughs and drew countless caricatures all of which seemed to go down well.
We turned up on the Saturday to find ourself located in a nice little booth with a decent size table to display our bits n pieces on. Stupidly I had failed to look thoroughly at the paperwork and hadn't realised that we weren't supplied with a tablecloth.. whoops! Luckily the lovely lady on the stall for Demelza House next to us loaned us a cloth which was red with white spots, it actually went very well with our crazy display so I very much appreciated this.
And so the drawing began.. there was a steady stream of people wanting their faces doodled and we were entertained by our magician friends Spencer Wood and Adam Smith as they popped by with tricks in the quiet patches.
As the first day came to a close we had received a lot of interest but no actual bookings, which, as I insist on honesty in my blogs, is something of a rarity at a wedding show. I have been luckily enough in the past to always get a booking, even at the quietest of shows, but we put this down to the size of the venue and the fact that partitions make people feel they are missing things elsewhere. Possibly my highlight on the Saturday was staring goggle eyed at the Delorean from Back to the Future on display. I told Mai that as much as I loved it, we cant afford it for our wedding, one bit of craziness too far I'm afraid.
I must have drawn between 40 to 80 caricatures each day of the show and my arms and legs were a bit creaky by the end. From this show I have no confirmed bookings as yet but time will tell. I think the problem with shows of this size is that it makes the bride and grooms look completely daunted by it all with so much to take in. Some shows I guess just aren't right for certain exhibitors and so sadly with the lack of bookings and pitch confusion I doubt I will return next year. Thanks to all who did have a picture drawn and if you are thinking of booking call me asap, as despite the lack of bookings this weekend, dates for next year are filling up fast!
For my next public appearance I will be returning to The Wedding Experience show at Detling next week which is always a good one for us and so I'm really looking forward to it. Pop along and say hello!
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Potato!
As being a caricaturist involves drawing faces, it's always nice to meet those with the most famous faces, i.e. celebrities.
I'm not normally nervous around celebs but for some reason when waiting to meet Leigh Francis' creation Keith Lemon in Bluewater last week, I suddenly became a little worried. Not only is Mr Lemon a wild tv personality but my other concern was that I had a caricature to pass onto him and I suddenly realised while flicking through his new book, The Rules, that he was something of a caricaturist himself. Was I about to be laughed out of Waterstones?
The queue was long but the book served as good entertainment and I sniggered to myself while reading that Owen Wilson has "a nose like a tallywacker" and other such gems.
And then I met the man himself. Following a large group of people laughing and joking with the star, I simply mumbled that I was a caricaturist while he signed the book, handed the caricature over for a quick photo and made a fast getaway.
Oh dear, you'd think after 15 years doing this I would be more assertive.
I have other celebrities I hope to meet soon and with any luck I can fake confidence in myself!
Will keep you posted..
I'm not normally nervous around celebs but for some reason when waiting to meet Leigh Francis' creation Keith Lemon in Bluewater last week, I suddenly became a little worried. Not only is Mr Lemon a wild tv personality but my other concern was that I had a caricature to pass onto him and I suddenly realised while flicking through his new book, The Rules, that he was something of a caricaturist himself. Was I about to be laughed out of Waterstones?
The queue was long but the book served as good entertainment and I sniggered to myself while reading that Owen Wilson has "a nose like a tallywacker" and other such gems.
And then I met the man himself. Following a large group of people laughing and joking with the star, I simply mumbled that I was a caricaturist while he signed the book, handed the caricature over for a quick photo and made a fast getaway.
Oh dear, you'd think after 15 years doing this I would be more assertive.
I have other celebrities I hope to meet soon and with any luck I can fake confidence in myself!
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Singing Horses
Courtesy of my good friend Sue, here's a fun little link that is both amusing and so SO addictive...
http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/singing-horses/
Who knew horses could sing?
http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/singing-horses/
Who knew horses could sing?
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