Ricky, Derek and a Moustached Tadpole

Around the 21st of February my twitter account (@richnairn for those that do not know) went a little crazy for a few weeks, completely to my surprise.

This was all thanks to Ricky Gervais, not sure if you've heard of him but he's a little known actor and comedian, check his account on twitter (@rickygervais) he could really do with a few more followers. (the poor fella only has 4,192, 062 at the time of typing this blog)

Many of you may know that I like to draw group caricatures of celebrities, from tv shows to movies, if the face works I'll doodle it. So I had produced a little caricature of the stars of Derek, Ricky's latest hilarious and heartwarming creation set in a retirement home.

As always with these doodles, I tweeted it across to Ricky, not really expecting a reply.
Within almost no time at all I had a lovely little reply simply saying, "Great Work!"

It's a simply wonderful thing to receive nice comments about your work, but little was I prepared for the power Ricky's words have. My twitter "interaction" panel went insane. Tweets came through like crazy with all sorts of lovely peeps saying how much they liked my work and this was such a huge boost to my confidence. I began saying thank you to each of them and realised this was a futile task, so opted for broader "I would like to thank everyone.." messages.

I quickly became friends with @tadpole_hitler, a twitter user who runs a Derek fan art site at www.tadpolehitler.com, who wrote a lovely little article about my work and even was so nice as to put an advert for my site on their home page.

I had originally loved the character of Vicky, played by Holli Dempsey but had not included her in the pic as at the time of drawing it she appeared to be a one episode character. But while I was receiving these comments she appeared in another episode and Holli herself left some lovely tweets about the pic. And so it was destined to be.. Vicky appeared in the picture, along with an ornamental frog.

And the flattery continued. In all my years of caricaturing I've never received such appreciation for my work and it was a truly flattering experience. Just when my head couldn't swell any further I received comments not only from Kerry Godliman who plays Hannah in the series, but also from Charlie Hanson, the series producer.

The whole crazy experience had a great finale for me when I realised a life long dream as I got to work as a caricaturist on the set of a movie.

It just so happened that Mr Gervais was on set too so I left a couple of prints with the crew for him.

To make sure he got it I tweeted,

"@rickygervais there's an A3 copy of the Derek caricature waiting for you somewhere on set, hopefully you'll get it."

and I received the reply.

"@richnairn Got it! Amazing. Thank you."

For a show that references how nice people can be, Derek has sure lived up to it's words.

Thank you everyone for a truly brilliant and flattering few weeks!

Celebrity Group Caricature

Some of you may have noticed I have commenced work on a series of group caricatures of famous tv shows and movies.
There will be more and more of these appearing throughout the year as I have a list to work through.

The idea came from last years Misfits picture which received lots of great comments from the stars.


The first one I drew this year was Red Dwarf X. It was great to see the boys back on our screens so I had to show my appreciation by doodling a picture of them.

I tweeted the first draft to Robert Llewellyn (Kryten) and he pointed out that he is the tallest character and I had drawn him the shortest (oops). 30 seconds later I had adjusted it and I tweeted it over to receive a lovely reply saying,

"That is just too damn clever sir, thank you most kindly"

I also hear friend of mine who knows Craig Charles passed a copy onto him and he tells me it was well received.

So next I moved onto my favourite American comedy, "The Big Bang Theory"

I tweeted this one to the stars but I believe they were in middle of receiving awards so not surprised I didn't get any feedback, but I did get lots of great comments from friends and followers so many thanks!

Last week I completed a caricature of my favourite tv show, "Dexter". Lots of great faces to draw.

This one was greatly received by a couple of the stars and friends alike and I was over the moon to receive a message of thanks from David Zayas who plays Angel Batista in the series.

So what's next? I have received a few suggestions and have a few ideas myself.. more to come soon!

Post Apocalyptic New Year

Well here we are, five days into a new year despite the doomgloomers trying to wish disaster upon us all. Now is a quiet time of year for me, a few weddings and parties along with a handful of commissions. January is the manageable month.
This year will be seeing a change in my business, without my wedding to organise I feel more hands on with the caricatures so I'm planning many exciting things to come.
I'm currently working at the Oasthouse Theatre in Rainham, a delightful little theatre that Im signwriting and adding quirky illustrations to. This is obviously in between party and commission work but it is a fun little sideline. It's also entertaining to listen to the actors perform overhead as I paint.
In May I have been asked to entertain at a party celebrating what would have been Peter Cushing's 100th Birthday. I've always been a huge fan of this classic actor, not only for his great performances in classic hammer movies but also for his charm and personality. It is indeed an honour to be involved in this event, I sincerely hope it goes well. I am booked throughout the year at many parties and weddings so am truly looking forward to every one of them. Best of luck brides and grooms, believe me, it's not as scary as you might think.
Mai and I will be moving premises later in the year so I should at last have a study to work in, rather than filing paperwork in a box and illustrating commissions on the dining room table.
So an optimistic start to 2013 I think, let's hope it's justified.

Namedrop alert

 I think every artist, be they a caricaturist, painter, musician, actor etc is somewhat fed by their ego. Every art is a passion which comes from the artists need to communicate but it is necessary to feel as though what you create is enjoyed by those that witness it.
When I work a gig drawing live caricature the quality of what I do is generally dictated by the reactions of those around me, the more laughs and pleasure I get, the better my work comes out.
It's a confidence thing.

To achieve appreciation from your peers and those already in the public eye gives you an even greater sense of satisfaction, as society would have you believe that those people are harder to please.

For this reason the last few weeks have been particularly enjoyable for me.

Mai and I recently had the opportunity to be in the audience for the filming of one of Derren Brown's latest shows, you may have seen it, the one where a girl lacking confidence in her singing ability has to confront a huge audience.. well, we were among the audience in that smoky theatre. Having just drawn a caricature of Derren in the theme of his "Apocalypse" show it was such an honour to witness his abilities first hand. Sadly I hadn't brought a copy of the picture with me and could have kicked myself when one of his crew sat in front of me. For those that don't know, Derren Brown is also a master caricaturist.. to have received critique from him would have been fantastic.

A few days later Heston Blumenthal was making an appearance at Dickens World to film for his latest show. I've always been fascinated by this real-life Willy Wonka and having been asked to bring a caricature along for him to sign for the bar, of course I jumped at the chance. Heston himself was an absolute gentleman, showing such appreciation for the copy I had printed for him. To my disappointment, I realised I had drawn him with his old glasses on which he didn't seem to mind. I also put my foot in it further when asking him to sign the picture for the bar.

Concerned for his time being taken up, I said,
"You're not busy at the moment are you?"

Obviously for a man who fronts a hugely successful restaurant and a popular tv series this question must have come across as absurd.

Despite this, he posed for a photo and Mai and I also had the chance to witness the events being filmed and sample a few of his dishes which I have to say were amazing.

Last week, my ego had another boost when we took a trip up to Bluewater for a signing from 3 stars of the incredible E4 series, "Misfits". Joe Gilgun, Karla Crome and Nathan McMullen were incredibly friendly and their reaction to the picture I had drawn was one of the highlights of my career. They were so appreciative and shook my hand despite the fact that their time was tight with a huge crowd waiting to meet them.

As if this wasn't enough when I was browsing twitter later that evening I was honoured to see that Nathan McMullen was using the picture for his twitter header. Much appreciated.

Am I a bit of a fanboy? Hell yeah, fanboy and proud.

Our Wedding

Can you hear that? It's the sound of moths fluttering away from my keyboard as I attempt to write the first blog I have written in an eternity.
Most blog sites tell you never to mention that you haven't written in a while but what the hell, I have good reason. The same reason that puts many couples in a social whirl for months on end.. that being that I finally had my wedding.
Ok, it was a while back now, the 14th July 2012, but it's taken me this long to get back on track, well almost. The thank you cards have still yet to go out. Terrible huh.
The day itself was incredible, despite the gods warring above our heads and a torrential downpour that would have had Noah concerned, and also despite the fact that my head was pounding from a little over-indulgence in the pub the night before. What can I say? I was nervous.
We were scheduled to be married about the HMS Gannet in Chatham Historic Dockyard, followed by a reception at Commissioners House http://www.commissionershouse.com/ 200 yards away but the weather had other ideas. In a quick change around by the amazing staff we ended up having 2 wedding ceremonies for health and safety reasons, the first was an intimate affair with close friends aboard the boat and the second at the house so  that our huge audience could get to see the ceremony.

Our photographer Lollypop www.lollypopphoto.com darted among us like olympians as we rushed from one spot to another. Mai looked stunning as she appeared beside me in the first of four dresses (it is a Chinese tradition to have several dresses on a wedding day) during the first ceremony and I got to play it casual for the second ceremony and stare at the guests as they shared my initial reaction. Not only was her dress amazing but I was adorned in a suit which could only have been improved if topped with a better face. Not only were myself and the best man suited and booted but I discovered the groomsmen were too, something which was sneakily done without me knowing. All of this was provided by our friends at Tantrums & Tiaras http://www.tantrumsntiaras.co.uk/ and Mai's dress adjustments made by Deisy at http://www.deisys.co.uk/contactus/contactus.htm. Little did Mai know that she would be surprised with the groomsmen changing into Chinese outfits later that evening.
This was followed by a tea ceremony downstairs which had me a little lost, luckily Mai was there to show me the ropes so I could at least pretend to know what I was doing.
After some further chaos and running about we finally got to settle in for the Wedding Breakfast. Our marquee had been beautifully decorated by Bespoke Floral Designs http://www.bespokefloraldesigns.co.uk/ and my movie caricatured table designs had been hastily arranged by myself that morning.
In attempt to get the more terrifying aspects of the day over with we had opted for the speeches before the meal and so the best man and I battled the noise of the rain pounding on the marquee to generally crack jokes that would hopefully only offend on a minor scale. Our speeches were assisted by Cantonese passages from those better equipped, Mai-lin and her bridesmaid Julie.

We were then treated to an incredible selection of food including a hog roast and some impressive additions for my yeast free diet from the expert chefs at Lardercraft http://www.lardercraft.com/, and while we gorged we were entertained by my great friend and talented magician Adam Smith www.adams-magic.co.uk. Desserts were in the shape of cupcakes from Cupcake Queen (facebook) and we also had a huge carrot cake as our wedding cake from Dee at Bo Peep Cottages.
After informing people that sadly I hadn't hired a caricaturist and that they would have to draw their own pictures on the paper provided, I did let people know what the evening had to offer.
In the upstairs of our venue we had two great casino tables provided by the AK Casino Knights www.akcasinoknights.co.uk and a photobooth provided by Party Photobooth Hire http://www.party-photobooth-hire.co.uk/.
I don't think either of us really relaxed until around 9pm so when we did we hit the dancefloor to the tunes of one of the funniest DJs I know, Raf at Appollofunk www.apollofunk.com.
So that's about it, it took a few years to plan but was very worth it. If you are after wedding venues, supplies or entertainment you couldn't go wrong with any of the above. Just make sure, as I have told all of the brides and grooms that have booked me since, that you find some time to breathe during your wedding day. We found the day exhausting so I have no idea how those that worked that day coped.
Now I'm just off to plan the Renewal of Vows... actually, that can wait a while.

The Wedding Diaries: Hen and Stag

Well it's the early hours of the morning and I'm still awake due to the chronic indigestion that is the result of a weekend of indulging in copious amounts of alcohol and rich food.

Yes, it was my stag weekend at Center Parcs in Elveden Forest. Us lads weren't alone however as the bride to be was there for her hen weekend too, gothing up and sipping from straws that no self respecting man would place to his lips.

I am told that Center Parcs with it's fun family atmosphere try not to encourage hen or stag weekends but they would more likely need to fear the sound of snoring than drunken singing from a caricaturist in his late thirties. That is more than I can say for the rest of the party though, with madness aplenty among the wilderness.

Though I have a lazy demeanor, that isn't to say I refrained from drinking.. indeed I consumed far more than I intended and found that we were all going to bed when the birds started tweeting.

It was a varied group too, aging from 18 to 40 and I witnessed the bizarre spectacle of seeing people from hugely different parts of my life mingling together.. I truly shall get a shock when it comes to the wedding. Right, where's the Pepto Bismol?

Dickens beaten by the Queen

My first attempt at drawing caricatures was at the Rochester Dickens Festival 15 years ago. I dread to think what those first pictures looked like, indeed I am even embarrassed by pictures from a few years back.
The Dickens Festival has been a big part of my life since I was 6 years old so it will be strange this year when I will be absent from the festivities. I had originally scheduled my stag weekend for next weekend thinking the festival was this week but Jubilee madness has hit the nation.
So while I am getting drunk at Center Parcs, why not pop down to Rochester next weekend for some Dickensian fun, albeit without a caricaturist (as far as I know).