Saturday, October 29, 2011
Preventing the "I worked extra time didnt get paid" Blues
We've all been there. I was there today, in fact. I'll tell you what I did at the end of my post, but in the meantime, read on to see what you can do to prevent this syndrome:
1. Know how fast you draw. This is imperative when booking your own gigs. The first question you should ask your prospective client is "How many guests do you expect?" then you can give them an intelligent estimate for how long they will need you, and if you perhaps might need to recommend another artist.
2. When booking your own gigs, explain beforehand that the above is an estimate, and if they want everyone drawn at their event you might go over, especially if more guests show up than expected (or if adults demand drawings when it's supposed to be kids only). Tell them nicely you'll be glad to pro-rate to the nearest quarter hour, and that they are paying for your time. Then put it in your contract (you do have a contract, right?). More often than not, as long as you explain this beforehand, your client will be happy to pay you for your time if you go over.
3. For agented gigs where you're slated to work for a certain amount of time: Again, knowing how fast you draw is imperative. I know that at most gigs where I'm drawing the public for "free" that I need to cut off the line about a half an hour before I'm scheduled to stop drawing (this happened today). Sometimes it's more if I have a huge line, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your queue for this reason.(It's also a good idea to take a headcount). Whenever I'm ready to cut my line off, I like to enlist the help of a big strong-looking guy at the end of my line. The more tattoos, the better. Briefly explain the situation and ask him to hold a sign that says "I AM LAST IN LINE." If you can get him sympathetic with you, he'll act as your bouncer. Again, I did this today.
But today, I STILL wound up drawing because people were cutting in line AHEAD of my "bouncer". If you see this happening, you can always take a piece of paper and number it from, say, 1-10. Give the remaining people in line a "ticket" and you won't have a problem refusing people who don't have one.
I didn't see this happening because I was too busy drawing today.
So instead, I got shafted.
Which happens.
And when it does, the professional thing to do is keep drawing til you reach the "end of the line" sign. Which I did. And boy, was I glad I did, because the last customer was one of the shop owners for the grand opening I was working. She was happy with my work (even though I was going faster than the speed of light at that point), but more importantly, she was happy with my PROFESSIONALISM. And she said she'd pass on a good word to my agent for me.
You never know when this might be the case. I find a lot of times organizers for an event go last because they were busy during the event. And although it might be a pain, it's still good business. Good word of mouth is priceless, especially in a specialized field like ours where people judge what we do by the one or two artists they stumble upon.
So do yourself (and the rest of us) a favor, be professional, smile, do those last few drawings as fast as you can, and leave with a smile.
Then go home and bitch about it on Facebook :)
Friday, October 28, 2011
Catching a likeness: Expressions
I drew a guy last night who wanted to look "sexy." "Sexy," he kept saying, "make me look sexy." Aside from the fact that he was really drunk, I also thought that was rather egotistical of him. But, I set out to make him look sexy because I thought it would make him happy, and that would make my agent happy, which would in turn get me more gigs.
When I turned the drawing around for him to see, he said, "Oh! You made me look... smug."
Yeah, I guess that was what I was looking for. Sexy and Smug. I laughed and said "Yeah, well, you want to look sexy, that's kind of smug of you." He laughed too and it was all good.
People throughout the years have told me that I really can capture a likeness well. It's not that I'm a great artist. It's a secret I'm more than happy to share. Here's my secret:
As soon as a person sits down, I think of ONE WORD that describes them. Sometimes, the word is "smug." Sometimes, "Drunk." Sometimes its wallflower, or hippy, or happy, or intense, or sadsack, or even Irish or Italian. Sometimes its cutesy, sometimes it's twinkly-eyed or troublemaker (my personal favorite). But I always think of one (sometimes more than one) word that describes them to a "T."
Once I figure out that ONE WORD that describes the person, I set out to give them an EXPRESSION that exemplifies this.
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures to my blog, I'll post some examples.
I remember a few years ago I was at a seminar where Joe Bluhm was talking about caricature. He said that the person's personality has nothing at all to do with the exaggerations in his drawings. While I am nowhere NEAR the artist that Joe is, I respectfully disagree. Years of studying people's features, expressions, gestures and body language have enabled me to peg a person the second I meet them (or the second they sit to be drawn). And this is what has enabled me to catch that likeness almost every time.
It doesn't cost anything and it's worth a try!
When I turned the drawing around for him to see, he said, "Oh! You made me look... smug."
Yeah, I guess that was what I was looking for. Sexy and Smug. I laughed and said "Yeah, well, you want to look sexy, that's kind of smug of you." He laughed too and it was all good.
People throughout the years have told me that I really can capture a likeness well. It's not that I'm a great artist. It's a secret I'm more than happy to share. Here's my secret:
As soon as a person sits down, I think of ONE WORD that describes them. Sometimes, the word is "smug." Sometimes, "Drunk." Sometimes its wallflower, or hippy, or happy, or intense, or sadsack, or even Irish or Italian. Sometimes its cutesy, sometimes it's twinkly-eyed or troublemaker (my personal favorite). But I always think of one (sometimes more than one) word that describes them to a "T."
Once I figure out that ONE WORD that describes the person, I set out to give them an EXPRESSION that exemplifies this.
As soon as I figure out how to post pictures to my blog, I'll post some examples.
I remember a few years ago I was at a seminar where Joe Bluhm was talking about caricature. He said that the person's personality has nothing at all to do with the exaggerations in his drawings. While I am nowhere NEAR the artist that Joe is, I respectfully disagree. Years of studying people's features, expressions, gestures and body language have enabled me to peg a person the second I meet them (or the second they sit to be drawn). And this is what has enabled me to catch that likeness almost every time.
It doesn't cost anything and it's worth a try!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
8 TIPS TO MAKING MORE TIPS
I've experimented a lot over the years and here's my best secret Tips for making Tips. Please feel free to add yours to the end of this post! I expect about 10% to 15% in tips at gigs or at my retail location. If you make more than that, you're doing great! If not, try some of these ideas below:
1. Give Better Service. (see previous post). I've gotten as much as $200 in tips for a three-hour gig because of my SERVICE skills set, which, I'm sad to say, is much higher than my art skills set. Service skills includes your salesmanship, professionalism, and ability to entertain. Your service skills are JUST as important as your artistic skills at gigs, retail locations, and to a degree, with illustration work.
2. Put out a clear cup with a while sticker label that says "Tips are Very Appreciated" on the side. You can also write something funny such as "Starving Artist Fund", though I've found the former to be more effective. "Seed" the cup with money. Higher bills tend to get customers to tip more. The last gig I worked was a "rich" crowd (entrepreneurs) so I put out a twenty. I received three twenty-dollar-bills in tips and many more tens and fives. My drawing partner was aghast. Why? It WORKS.
3. Draw faster. More drawings = more tips.
4.On the back of your drawing board, which customers are staring at anyway, is the perfect place for writing advertising for yourself. In thick black marker, write " Tips Are Very Appreciated." Or pre-print a sign on your computer and tape it to the back of your drawing board. Be careful you don't do this at gigs where tipping is frowned upon - you can always tape a piece of paper over it if necessary.
5. Everyplace you have "Tips are Appreciated", draw a SMILEY FACE AFTERWARDS. It might turn your stomach, but it has actually been proven among marketers to put people in a better mood, and if they're in a better mood, they're more likely to tip. Believe it or not, This actually works.
6. At gigs where youre allowed to take tips but asking for them is frowned upon: Near your tip sign on the back of your easel, place a line of double-sided tape down the back of your easel. Place a twenty on the tape and watch the seed grow!
7. At festivals or small retail locations: Set your pricing so that people are more likely to say "Keep the Change" (example: Charge $17.00 and people will likely give you the extra three in change).
8. Show some Cleavage.
Just kidding. Actually, the point of that was to make you smile. And if you can make people laugh, so much the better. LAUGHTER = TIPS. So use your drawings, your patter, and your OWN laughter to make people laugh. Isn't that the best part of what we do? People will love you for it and you will DEFINITELY see returns in your tips.
A word of caution: Some agents frown on the practice of taking tips. If you're working for an agent, make sure you find out their policy on tips before you take any.
Good Luck! And remember... TIPS ARE VERY APPRECIATED :)
1. Give Better Service. (see previous post). I've gotten as much as $200 in tips for a three-hour gig because of my SERVICE skills set, which, I'm sad to say, is much higher than my art skills set. Service skills includes your salesmanship, professionalism, and ability to entertain. Your service skills are JUST as important as your artistic skills at gigs, retail locations, and to a degree, with illustration work.
2. Put out a clear cup with a while sticker label that says "Tips are Very Appreciated" on the side. You can also write something funny such as "Starving Artist Fund", though I've found the former to be more effective. "Seed" the cup with money. Higher bills tend to get customers to tip more. The last gig I worked was a "rich" crowd (entrepreneurs) so I put out a twenty. I received three twenty-dollar-bills in tips and many more tens and fives. My drawing partner was aghast. Why? It WORKS.
3. Draw faster. More drawings = more tips.
4.On the back of your drawing board, which customers are staring at anyway, is the perfect place for writing advertising for yourself. In thick black marker, write " Tips Are Very Appreciated." Or pre-print a sign on your computer and tape it to the back of your drawing board. Be careful you don't do this at gigs where tipping is frowned upon - you can always tape a piece of paper over it if necessary.
5. Everyplace you have "Tips are Appreciated", draw a SMILEY FACE AFTERWARDS. It might turn your stomach, but it has actually been proven among marketers to put people in a better mood, and if they're in a better mood, they're more likely to tip. Believe it or not, This actually works.
6. At gigs where youre allowed to take tips but asking for them is frowned upon: Near your tip sign on the back of your easel, place a line of double-sided tape down the back of your easel. Place a twenty on the tape and watch the seed grow!
7. At festivals or small retail locations: Set your pricing so that people are more likely to say "Keep the Change" (example: Charge $17.00 and people will likely give you the extra three in change).
8. Show some Cleavage.
Just kidding. Actually, the point of that was to make you smile. And if you can make people laugh, so much the better. LAUGHTER = TIPS. So use your drawings, your patter, and your OWN laughter to make people laugh. Isn't that the best part of what we do? People will love you for it and you will DEFINITELY see returns in your tips.
A word of caution: Some agents frown on the practice of taking tips. If you're working for an agent, make sure you find out their policy on tips before you take any.
Good Luck! And remember... TIPS ARE VERY APPRECIATED :)
Increase Your Service Skills, Make More $$$
You can slave away all night and day striving to get better as an artist, you can win award after award at conventions for your art, you can get published on magazine covers... but how does this translate into better retail and/or gig sales?
Mostly, it doesn't. Most people out there think of us as magicians, in a way. They think this about ALL of us, even the beginners and artists who haven't worked much to improve their art. (for tips on improving your art, see my previous post). They'll buy it even if it's not the best because to them, it's MAGIC.
If you want to make more money as a caricaturist (and who doesn't?), you need to pay AS MUCH ATTENTION to your Service Skills Set as you do to the quality of your artwork. If you do, you'll have a leg up on the competition, because many caricaturists don't bother with this aspect of our business.
What, you ask, are "service skills?" Well, I'll tell you, since you asked.
Service skills for what we do can be broken into three major categories:
1. Professionalism (showing up early, being dressed for the event you're working, coming prepared, etc.)
2. Salesmanship (learning more about the art of selling is a key part of our job. I read everything that comes down the pike on sales, which is why I'm consistently the top salesperson on our crew)
3. Entertainment (Laughter=Moolah. But you knew that. Didn't you?)
In future posts I plan on touching on each of these subjects thoroughly, but for now I'll give you some tips to enhance each of these areas immediately.
1. Don't hate on your customers. The first time I heard Adam English sing "The day I killed all the customers," I blew soda out my nose with laughter, but I don't really feel that way. My customers enable me to make a decent living doing something I love. Yours do too. They are your bread and butter, so give them what they want. That's not to say you cant exaggerate, but gauge first whether the person can take it. You can also prevent hard feelings (and a loss of sales) by WARNING PEOPLE AHEAD OF TIME that you re going to mess them up! Do so in a humorous way and you're framing your art for them so that they aren't insulted but instead find it funny.
2. SMILE. SOOOOOooooooo important! Bell telephone company did a study back in the day and found that when the operators smiled when they talked, they had significantly less complaints. Your smile even shows through in your voice on the phone! When talking to ANY potential customers, even over the phone, SMILE.
3. Introduce yourself. People have anxiety about getting caricatures drawn. Introducing yourself sets them at ease. I always state my name, shake their hand (even kids), and ask their name. Then I use it when talking to them. I've received MUCH fewer rejections since I started doing this one simple thing. It connects you to the customer and allows you to form a RELATIONSHIP with them. And people are reluctant to reject my drawings once I've done that.
4. Don't "force" the sale. Don't you hate it when salespeople haunt you at clothing stores? If you've set up your pricing and advertising at your stand correctly, you can just point and then back off. I find backing off to work really well if your pricing is right. If not, experiment til you get it right. Your work should SELL ITSELF. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ASK for the sale. You should. Just don't be pushy. That sets you up for rejections because you're convincing people to sit who didn't want to sit in the first place.
5. Be personal. Ive seen artists barely speak to customers. Sometimes you get a dud who doesn't want to talk, but mostly if you can ask a few questions and get them talking about themselves, you'll have something to talk about.
6. Use Humor. Memorize a few dumb jokes. Ask kids if they're married, or what they do for a living. USE ZINGERS ON HECKLERS. This works really well. Gets the audience laughing and gets the jerk off of your back. I have quite a few that I'll be compiling for another post.
7. Explain what you're going to do. In his book, "The Accidental Salesperson,"author and Sales guru Chris Lytle states that this is paramount to good salesmanship. It puts the customer at ease. I just simply say "OK you can have a seat. Look right at me, and Ill tell you when to smile. This ll just take a few minutes".
8.If you love someones hair or dress or shoes, tell them so. Tell them what celebrity they look like (but not if the celebrity is Wilford Brimley... eck). Everyone loves a sincere compliment. That's the catch, though - its gotta be sincere.
9. This may be controversial, but ALWAYS flatter young teen aged girls. Word of mouth from making a little girl cry is bad business and gives ALL of us a bad name. This holds true for anyone that you can plainly see is either a stickler for details or vain. Mess them up and you'll get a rejection and complaints. Just do a quick flattering sketch and get them out of your chair as quickly as possible.
10. Be on time, better yet be early. Dress professionally. Have everything you need. In short, be prepared. If you do screw up and are late to a gig, own it. Apologize, and then offer a pro-rated discount for the time you were late, or stay later to make up for it.
11. Don't take rejections personally, they happen to all of us. Even Joe Bluhm, author of "Rejects," a book full of rejections he's received on his arawrd-winning artwork. DO NOT TEAR UP THE REJECTION. Not only is it unprofessional, it is rude, and it will guarantee that person never gets drawn again and will give you bad word of mouth. Instead, try this trick taught to me by NCN founder (not to mention my husband) Buddy Rose:
Say "I'm so sorry you don't like the drawing. Honestly, I didn't much like it myself either. Here, it's on the house." Nine times out of ten you'll still get paid. THIS WORKS. Of course, some people are out to scam you, but there really are very few people who do that. For those people (and you know who they are as soon as they sit down if you've been doing this long enough), tell them you can redraw them if you can stomach it, or just give them back their money AFTER they've given you the sketch. If they balk, its a scam, and you can compare yourself to Walmart, Would you get money back from walmart without returning the merchandise first? Of course not. They cant expect any less from you.
12. Being nice goes a long way. Treat people the way you'd like to be treated at a store. Answer questions even if you've heard them 10,000 times ("wheres the bathroom?") Watch salespeople and use techniques you like.
13. Have fun! If you're having fun, the customer will have fun. And you'll make more $$$!
Mostly, it doesn't. Most people out there think of us as magicians, in a way. They think this about ALL of us, even the beginners and artists who haven't worked much to improve their art. (for tips on improving your art, see my previous post). They'll buy it even if it's not the best because to them, it's MAGIC.
If you want to make more money as a caricaturist (and who doesn't?), you need to pay AS MUCH ATTENTION to your Service Skills Set as you do to the quality of your artwork. If you do, you'll have a leg up on the competition, because many caricaturists don't bother with this aspect of our business.
What, you ask, are "service skills?" Well, I'll tell you, since you asked.
Service skills for what we do can be broken into three major categories:
1. Professionalism (showing up early, being dressed for the event you're working, coming prepared, etc.)
2. Salesmanship (learning more about the art of selling is a key part of our job. I read everything that comes down the pike on sales, which is why I'm consistently the top salesperson on our crew)
3. Entertainment (Laughter=Moolah. But you knew that. Didn't you?)
In future posts I plan on touching on each of these subjects thoroughly, but for now I'll give you some tips to enhance each of these areas immediately.
1. Don't hate on your customers. The first time I heard Adam English sing "The day I killed all the customers," I blew soda out my nose with laughter, but I don't really feel that way. My customers enable me to make a decent living doing something I love. Yours do too. They are your bread and butter, so give them what they want. That's not to say you cant exaggerate, but gauge first whether the person can take it. You can also prevent hard feelings (and a loss of sales) by WARNING PEOPLE AHEAD OF TIME that you re going to mess them up! Do so in a humorous way and you're framing your art for them so that they aren't insulted but instead find it funny.
2. SMILE. SOOOOOooooooo important! Bell telephone company did a study back in the day and found that when the operators smiled when they talked, they had significantly less complaints. Your smile even shows through in your voice on the phone! When talking to ANY potential customers, even over the phone, SMILE.
3. Introduce yourself. People have anxiety about getting caricatures drawn. Introducing yourself sets them at ease. I always state my name, shake their hand (even kids), and ask their name. Then I use it when talking to them. I've received MUCH fewer rejections since I started doing this one simple thing. It connects you to the customer and allows you to form a RELATIONSHIP with them. And people are reluctant to reject my drawings once I've done that.
4. Don't "force" the sale. Don't you hate it when salespeople haunt you at clothing stores? If you've set up your pricing and advertising at your stand correctly, you can just point and then back off. I find backing off to work really well if your pricing is right. If not, experiment til you get it right. Your work should SELL ITSELF. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ASK for the sale. You should. Just don't be pushy. That sets you up for rejections because you're convincing people to sit who didn't want to sit in the first place.
5. Be personal. Ive seen artists barely speak to customers. Sometimes you get a dud who doesn't want to talk, but mostly if you can ask a few questions and get them talking about themselves, you'll have something to talk about.
6. Use Humor. Memorize a few dumb jokes. Ask kids if they're married, or what they do for a living. USE ZINGERS ON HECKLERS. This works really well. Gets the audience laughing and gets the jerk off of your back. I have quite a few that I'll be compiling for another post.
7. Explain what you're going to do. In his book, "The Accidental Salesperson,"author and Sales guru Chris Lytle states that this is paramount to good salesmanship. It puts the customer at ease. I just simply say "OK you can have a seat. Look right at me, and Ill tell you when to smile. This ll just take a few minutes".
8.If you love someones hair or dress or shoes, tell them so. Tell them what celebrity they look like (but not if the celebrity is Wilford Brimley... eck). Everyone loves a sincere compliment. That's the catch, though - its gotta be sincere.
9. This may be controversial, but ALWAYS flatter young teen aged girls. Word of mouth from making a little girl cry is bad business and gives ALL of us a bad name. This holds true for anyone that you can plainly see is either a stickler for details or vain. Mess them up and you'll get a rejection and complaints. Just do a quick flattering sketch and get them out of your chair as quickly as possible.
10. Be on time, better yet be early. Dress professionally. Have everything you need. In short, be prepared. If you do screw up and are late to a gig, own it. Apologize, and then offer a pro-rated discount for the time you were late, or stay later to make up for it.
11. Don't take rejections personally, they happen to all of us. Even Joe Bluhm, author of "Rejects," a book full of rejections he's received on his arawrd-winning artwork. DO NOT TEAR UP THE REJECTION. Not only is it unprofessional, it is rude, and it will guarantee that person never gets drawn again and will give you bad word of mouth. Instead, try this trick taught to me by NCN founder (not to mention my husband) Buddy Rose:
Say "I'm so sorry you don't like the drawing. Honestly, I didn't much like it myself either. Here, it's on the house." Nine times out of ten you'll still get paid. THIS WORKS. Of course, some people are out to scam you, but there really are very few people who do that. For those people (and you know who they are as soon as they sit down if you've been doing this long enough), tell them you can redraw them if you can stomach it, or just give them back their money AFTER they've given you the sketch. If they balk, its a scam, and you can compare yourself to Walmart, Would you get money back from walmart without returning the merchandise first? Of course not. They cant expect any less from you.
12. Being nice goes a long way. Treat people the way you'd like to be treated at a store. Answer questions even if you've heard them 10,000 times ("wheres the bathroom?") Watch salespeople and use techniques you like.
13. Have fun! If you're having fun, the customer will have fun. And you'll make more $$$!
How to Work with Agents
You've seen it yourself: artists who come to gigs unprepared. Maybe they're dressed inappropriately, maybe they give out their own business cards. Maybe they even (gasp) EAT AT THE GIG. Or maybe this is YOU.
If it is, you're in trouble. Because agents won't re-hire you if you behave in an unprofessional manner. Below is a list of DO's and DON'T's to keep in mind when working with agents:
DO Follow your particular agents rules. Not all agents have the same rules. Make sure you know what they are before you work the gig. They should be enumerated in your contract.
DO get a contract. It should have the name of the event, a contact person. place, time to start and end, what to wear, and HOW MUCH YOU'RE GETTING PAID. IMPORTANT. Most agents are honest, but not all. And you want to make sure that you get PAID.
DO some homework. If you're unfamiliar with your gig site, do a test drive a day or two beforehand. Make sure all your gear is packed in yoru car along with emergency supplies such as duct tape (this has saved me more than once when an easel has broken on me), extra paper, rubber bands and markers.
DO Dress to impress. You're the entertainer for hte evening. Jeans aren't usually acceptable unless it's a company picnic, and even then you're on shaky ground. For event bookings, my company always requires that the artists wear all black, no matter what the event, unless something else is requested by the client. Check with your agent, and when in doubt, dress UP, not down.
DO Arrive early. Here in las vegas, we have something called a "call time", which is anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour beforehand. You don't usually get paid for this time. Be there by call time, or in the case of a gig that doesnt have one, at least fifteen minutes before the gig is slated to start.
DON'T Eat or drink on the job even if the client offers it unless you have permission from your agent. Drinking of alcohol is ALWAYS prohibited. Often an agent is ok with you eating during a break as long as it's out of sight of the clients. When in doubt, DO NOT EAT. Eat before the gig, or sneak a granola bar and eat it on your break in the restroom.
DON'T act in an unprofessional manner. Smile. Be Polite. Don't swear. Brand yourself as a pro and agents will use you again and again.
DON'T give out your personal business cards or contact information. THis is HIGHLY unprofessional and could get you blackballed. Word of mouth moves quickly. You CAN however give out your agents cards. Some agents even have a slot for you to put your name so clients can request you again.
DON'T take tips unless you have approval.
DON'T take more than about 5 minutes per drawing at gigs. THe client will be unhappy and it reflects porly not only on you but on your agent as well.
DON'T take breaks unless the agent gives you the go-ahead.
and finally,
DO ask the client to give you a good review to your agent if you've done a good job.
More ideas? Add yours below!
If it is, you're in trouble. Because agents won't re-hire you if you behave in an unprofessional manner. Below is a list of DO's and DON'T's to keep in mind when working with agents:
DO Follow your particular agents rules. Not all agents have the same rules. Make sure you know what they are before you work the gig. They should be enumerated in your contract.
DO get a contract. It should have the name of the event, a contact person. place, time to start and end, what to wear, and HOW MUCH YOU'RE GETTING PAID. IMPORTANT. Most agents are honest, but not all. And you want to make sure that you get PAID.
DO some homework. If you're unfamiliar with your gig site, do a test drive a day or two beforehand. Make sure all your gear is packed in yoru car along with emergency supplies such as duct tape (this has saved me more than once when an easel has broken on me), extra paper, rubber bands and markers.
DO Dress to impress. You're the entertainer for hte evening. Jeans aren't usually acceptable unless it's a company picnic, and even then you're on shaky ground. For event bookings, my company always requires that the artists wear all black, no matter what the event, unless something else is requested by the client. Check with your agent, and when in doubt, dress UP, not down.
DO Arrive early. Here in las vegas, we have something called a "call time", which is anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour beforehand. You don't usually get paid for this time. Be there by call time, or in the case of a gig that doesnt have one, at least fifteen minutes before the gig is slated to start.
DON'T Eat or drink on the job even if the client offers it unless you have permission from your agent. Drinking of alcohol is ALWAYS prohibited. Often an agent is ok with you eating during a break as long as it's out of sight of the clients. When in doubt, DO NOT EAT. Eat before the gig, or sneak a granola bar and eat it on your break in the restroom.
DON'T act in an unprofessional manner. Smile. Be Polite. Don't swear. Brand yourself as a pro and agents will use you again and again.
DON'T give out your personal business cards or contact information. THis is HIGHLY unprofessional and could get you blackballed. Word of mouth moves quickly. You CAN however give out your agents cards. Some agents even have a slot for you to put your name so clients can request you again.
DON'T take tips unless you have approval.
DON'T take more than about 5 minutes per drawing at gigs. THe client will be unhappy and it reflects porly not only on you but on your agent as well.
DON'T take breaks unless the agent gives you the go-ahead.
and finally,
DO ask the client to give you a good review to your agent if you've done a good job.
More ideas? Add yours below!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Pay it Forward
I realized today that I'm a success by Anyones standards. I have a husband who
loves me, a decent house, three happy kids and a job I love. I fell into all of
this.
As a kid I remember wishing and wanting to be a cartoonist with all my heart and
soul. I practiced constantly and was down on myself for how poor my drawings were til the kid in third grade who could draw told me a drawing I'd copied was good.
If I'd come across a group of professional caricaturists sitting around a
table eating dinner and drawing on the paper tablecloth like I was doing tonight (yes, weate at Macaroni Grill), I'd have died and hone to heaven. And if I could have seen myself now way back then, I wouldn't have believed it. I would've wanted to speak to them but I would never have dared.
How things have changed. Now, I'm married to the founder of the NCN (which is how I met him and wouldn't have happened if he hadn't started the NCN in the first place. Now THATS a catch 22) AND I'm friends with pros all over the world. I'm so grateful.
And if I had ANY advice for aspiring professional caroonists, caricicaturists or comic book artists, it would be this: DON'T BE AFRAID TO TALK TO PEOPLE. In fact, you can and SHOULD talk to people in the field. They'll encourage you, inspire you, and show you the way. My friends in the art community have done so much for me. I'm happy to give back to beginners in the same way. Most artists are the same way, and they are the NICEST group of people you'll ever meet. And you do the same thing when you start living your dreams - pay it forward.
So jump on in! The waters fine :)
loves me, a decent house, three happy kids and a job I love. I fell into all of
this.
As a kid I remember wishing and wanting to be a cartoonist with all my heart and
soul. I practiced constantly and was down on myself for how poor my drawings were til the kid in third grade who could draw told me a drawing I'd copied was good.
If I'd come across a group of professional caricaturists sitting around a
table eating dinner and drawing on the paper tablecloth like I was doing tonight (yes, weate at Macaroni Grill), I'd have died and hone to heaven. And if I could have seen myself now way back then, I wouldn't have believed it. I would've wanted to speak to them but I would never have dared.
How things have changed. Now, I'm married to the founder of the NCN (which is how I met him and wouldn't have happened if he hadn't started the NCN in the first place. Now THATS a catch 22) AND I'm friends with pros all over the world. I'm so grateful.
And if I had ANY advice for aspiring professional caroonists, caricicaturists or comic book artists, it would be this: DON'T BE AFRAID TO TALK TO PEOPLE. In fact, you can and SHOULD talk to people in the field. They'll encourage you, inspire you, and show you the way. My friends in the art community have done so much for me. I'm happy to give back to beginners in the same way. Most artists are the same way, and they are the NICEST group of people you'll ever meet. And you do the same thing when you start living your dreams - pay it forward.
So jump on in! The waters fine :)
Encouragement
Encouragement means to give someone courage. Encouragement is powerful. It enables others to follow their dreams. Who's encouraged you in your quest to follow your own dreams? Who's DIScouraged you? Who do you appreciate and respect more? How can you encourage others the same way others have encouraged you? Spreading the light is easy. Discouraging people in my rxperience do so from a "lack mentality." They don't believe in a generous universe and have been discouraged themselves from following their dreams. Have pity on them, try to encourage them yourself, and surround yourself with ENcouraging people. Dont tell the discouragers your dreams, theyll stop you dead in your tracks. And remember the motto of St. Francis of Assisi: There is enough for all.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
16 proven ways to get better as an artist
If you are like me, you've agonized over your work. You've sought others opinions to no avail (all they want to do is "be nice", which actually isn't very helpful), tried to take classes or learn from others but found them less than helpful, and beat yourself up endlessly.
You are not alone.
First, I will not tell you whether your work is "good" or "bad". That's subjective. However, you can always improve, and should strive to. As professional artists (and if you're getting paid, you ARE a pro), we have no certifications or training aside from art school to keep us growing. So self-motivation is key. And I'm assuming you have that if you're reading this post. The rest is just sweat. Trust me, if you try the exercises below, and really work at them, not just try them once or twice, you'll improve. Guaranteed.
Occasionally I still suffer from the "My work sucks" syndrome, but not as much as I used to. Because I've put in the work. You can too. Follow some (or all) of the suggestions below and watch your work improve dramatically. It's all about time and practice. The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Then, Practice some more. You wouldn't expect to just sit down at a piano one day and be able to play Chopin. It takes years of work. Be prepared for it.
However, doing the same thing over and over ("canned" caricatures) doesn't really seem to help improve peoples work. I know. I followed the same formula for ten years and didn't improve until I joined the ISCA in 2006. Einstein said that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. So MIX IT UP. Here's some of the things I've done over the years. Feel free to chime in and add your own ideas for what you've done to help you improve:
1. Draw every day. This is the number one rule. I follow it when I can but I have three small kids so it's difficult. Which is why my work isn't the best it could be. But YOU, you don't have my problem. SO DO IT.
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| the victim |
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| sniper sketch from a few weeks ago |
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| Emulating the style of Ben Burgraff |
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| portrait of young Marilyn in charcoal |
5. Start out your drawing with the intent of exaggerating as much as possible. STRETCH yourself! Trying to retain a likeness at the same time is the delicate balancing act that sets caricaturists apart from other artists, and it's what makes our art so difficult. But that's what we love about it! The challenge :)
6. Try a different view, such as 3/4 (this has helped me improve my work IMMENSELY) to break yourself out of a rut. Start drawing at a different place than you are used to (its fun to start with the feature you wish to exaggerate the most and then work from there.) Keep in mind the 100% rule - a face can be broken into 100 squares. If you use 90% for the nose, for example, that leaves 10% for the rest of the face and therefore the rest of the face must be smaller in proportion. Otherwise all you get is a "big" drawing.
TO illustrate how much this techniuque can help your work, I'm going to post something a little embarassing (because it's so bad)
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| before |
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| after |
Needless to say, I've been doing the 3/4 view ever since.
7. Set yourself specific goals. If you know you're not up to snuff on, say, hair, make it your mission to improve in that area. Find other artists who excel at your chosen improvement area and emulate them.
8. Take pictures of live work you do that you are happy with. Make sure you include the subject in the picture. Later go back and review the drawing. Try to look at how you could improve it. You might want to actually do a study or even a completed drawing.
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| I couldv'e made her uglier. |
9. Talk to other artists. Find out what they do. Watch them work. A great place to do this is at the International Society of Caricature Artists' convention. Its coming up soon, early November, so check out their website now! http://www.caricature.org
10. Draw from memory. If you see a guy walking down the street who looks like Shaggy on crack, go home and try to draw him from memory. The best Spock I ever did was from memory - and it was for the first painting I ever sold :)11. Set yourself interesting challenges. For instance, I set out to draw my husband in the cubist style. I was pretty happy with the result, and I might go back and do a painting of this:
12. Try using Underdrawing. THis doesnt always work well at live venues, but it's a good exercise for your sketchbook. it can really help you learn to S-T-R-E-T-C-H the face.
13. Go digital. There are SO many programs out there now, for Ipads I find ArtStudio to be the best. And of course you can get a wacom tablet or a Cintiq. Try looking on Craigslist, one good thing about a bad economy is people are looking to unload stuff for cheap for cash. We got a used Cintiq for $300! I myself haven't done much digital work lately, maybe it's time to go back to the old drawing tablet.
14. Purchase the book "expressions" by Mark Simon and use the more expressive faces to work on exaggeration.
15. Enter contests. Even if you don't enter, drawing as an excercise with a deadline is great practice. on Facebook there are several groups which have weekly contests, including this one where you can post from email, wittygraphy@groups.facebook.com and caricaturama@groups.facebook.com
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| A Jodi Foster I did for an online challenge |
16. Join a sketchgroup. Many of us stopped figure drawing in college. It doesn't have to be that way! Watching other people draw and being with likeminded artists is extremely helpful. Plus you're a lot more likely to get an honest critique than if you asked, say, your grandma. Look on www.meetup.com in your area, or, for the brave, check out dr sketchys anti-art school. http://www.drsketchy.com/branches This is a sketchgroup that is not for the faint of heart , with live models that come in costume. Some of the dr. sketchys I've gone to have feautred Superheroes, Vaudeville, Transvestites, and I've heard they even have had ZOMBIES. Very cool. Very cheap. In a town near you. Look them up!!!
There are probably hundreds of other ways to improve your art, but this is a start. I fyou have any other methods, please feel free to share!
Introduction
If you're an artist and are self-employed, this blog is for you. I'm not going to toot my own horn on this blog about how great my art is (its not), or brag about my kids (I do enough of that on Face Book). I'm starting this blog because a lot of people have come to me for business advice over the years, and it seems like there isn't one good place to go on the net for info on artists who own their own businesses.
I don't pretend to be the most knowledgeable (I've been at it for 15 years as a caricaturist, which if you know our biz, you know those are the front lines), sure. But there are plenty of other folks with a lot more experience than little old me. Which is why I'm planning on interviewing people in our field and learning their secrets, then passing them on to you. I hope you like it, and aren't too offended - I'm from Philly after all, and we Philly fillies speak our minds! ;) Enjoy!
I don't pretend to be the most knowledgeable (I've been at it for 15 years as a caricaturist, which if you know our biz, you know those are the front lines), sure. But there are plenty of other folks with a lot more experience than little old me. Which is why I'm planning on interviewing people in our field and learning their secrets, then passing them on to you. I hope you like it, and aren't too offended - I'm from Philly after all, and we Philly fillies speak our minds! ;) Enjoy!
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