Hiring an Event Caricature Artist Through Goofy Faces
If you’ve never hired an Event Caricature Artist for a party or event, you may not know exactly how to go about it. Here, we’re answering the typical questions we get from customers who hire our artists for bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, kid’s birthday parties, corporate events and more.
What kinds of caricature art can I choose from?
At Goofy Faces, we have several offerings for event caricature. For a more traditional approach, consider having a few artists draw black & white or color caricatures on card stock. For something unique, consider Caricature Coasters. They are smaller and quicker black & white drawings on 4” x 4” thick cardboard coasters. Or, go high-tech and hire an eSketch™ artist, who will work on a digital tablet with a large color monitor where guests can watch the work come to life. Full color prints are provided for each guest!
Can I get an event caricature artist in any city in the U.S. through Goofy Faces?
We have artists in most major markets throughout the United States. So if your party is in Miami or Memphis, Detroit or Dallas, we probably have someone nearby. Simply plug in your zip code on our Book an Artist page to find an artist near you.
How many event caricature artists should I hire for my party?
That depends on how many guests you will have at your event and how long it will last. You can count on about 60% of guests wanting to have their caricature drawn. Our artists average between 10 and 15 B&W drawings per hour (one person per drawing), or 5 to 7 color drawings per hour.
Here’s an example for a wedding reception:
To do some quick math, if you have 200 guests, 60% of them are getting drawn and the event lasts for 3 hours.
200 guests x 60% = 120 black and white drawings
120 drawings / 10 drawings per hour = 12 hours
12 hours / 3 hours = 4 artists
In this case, we would recommend you hire 4 artists to ensure there is plenty of time to cover the guests who would like a souvenir drawing from your party.
How do I hire event caricature art?
This part is super easy. Once you’ve found the artist you’d like to work with on our Book an Artist page, you’ll click on their profile listing to see more details about them, and click the “I’m Interested in Booking an Artist” button. Then you’ll be able to fill out a form to check their availability and get the process started.
Of course, you can always call us at 866-886-6640 during our business hours – 9AM to 5PM EST, Monday through Friday, and we’ll answer any questions you have and help you book your event caricature artist.
The Early Incarnations of Caricature
We’re Caricature Art geeks so, of course, the history of the art form intrigues us. Since so many people enjoy getting their caricature drawn, we thought you might find its history interesting, too. While there are pages and pages of historical reference on this art style through the ages, we’re going to give you a brief background of caricature.
What is it?
Encyclopedia Britannica defines caricature as:
“ … the distorted presentation of a person, type, or action. Commonly, a salient feature or characteristic of the subject is seized upon and exaggerated, or features of animals, birds, or vegetables are substituted for parts of the human being, or analogy is made to animal actions. Generally, one thinks of caricature as being a line drawing and meant for publication for the amusement of people to whom the original is known; the personal trait is usually present.”
A great caricature artist knows how to look at an individual, determine what features make them unique—like their larger chin, high forehead or unique eye placement—and exaggerates those features to create a stylized, typically humorous, image of the person.
Where it began
Did you know that caricature art, also known as satirical art, has been around since our earliest history? Examples of this art form show up in cave murals and Egyptian tombs. However, it wasn’t until the sixteenth century that the word caricature evolved from the Annibale Carracci and his brother Agostino. The word Caricature was used to describe the exaggerated portraits they sketched in their art school in Italy in the late 1500s.
The early incarnations of caricature
Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, caricature style was being used as commentary on public figures and politics. Social satire was popular for centuries in Europe and the U.S. As printing technology began to develop in the 17th century, artists could have their work distributed widely on cards and bulletins, which further elevated the art form.
Royal family members, political figures and wealthy celebrities were the primary targets of the satirical artists, who weren’t the least bit afraid of being biting or even cruel in their art.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, when monthly magazine publications like Vanity Fair were launched, caricature art became even more popular. The artists made statements about cultural and political happenings, gaining huge audiences for their wit and rancor.
Today, with a global political climate that’s as lively as it’s ever been, caricature art is still popular in both printed and online publications.
The Event Caricature Artist
Many caricature artists “perform” live, creating their artwork at events or entertainment venues. From museums and weddings to boardwalks and beach parties, thousands of artists in the United States currently make a living doing live event caricature art. It’s a position that requires training and practice, which all of our Goofy Faces artists get before they join our team.
Throughout human history, caricature art has been a way to communicate and connect with others. Today, you can hire artists to create custom caricature for your guests at your wedding, retirement party, fundraiser, picnic or any other event. We’d love to provide the event caricature artist for your next party. Get in touch or book an artist here: https://bit.ly/GFGetInTouch
Getting Drawn? 5 Things Your Event Caricature Artist Wants You to Know
Caricature art became a form of satirical entertainment in the sixteenth century. Since then, as event caricature artists have become more commonplace, we’re pretty sure people have wondered what things look like from the artist’s point-of-view.
We talked to our team of event caricature artists to find out what they’d like their caricature subjects to know.
You don’t have to smile the whole time we’re drawing you. If you’re a little nervous or just want to talk to the people who’ve attended the event with you, no worries! We’ll ask you to smile when we need a reference for the drawing.
You don’t have to sit still like a statue. If you’re in the chair, it’s okay to fidget, look around and talk. Just be sure to relax. We’ll ask you to move to a specific position or look at us if we need you to.
Caricature art is meant to be FUN. It’s not a portrait. We exaggerate your features on purpose, so please don’t take offense. And, we’re sorry, but admitting your insecurities beforehand will not lead to a better caricature. If your nose or your chin are part of what makes you look like “YOU,” we’ll use it in the drawing. Our lighthearted style is part of the fun and entertainment of caricature art. Seriously? We’re not making fun of you, we’re having fun WITH you.
Every artist has their own style. Subjects should know that every artist has a different style. Some try to make their subjects look cute while others prefer more extreme exaggeration. You’ll get a feel for the event caricature artist’s unique style if you look at their samples BEFORE you sit in their chair. If their style doesn’t appeal to you, it’s probably best to select an artist that better suits your preferences.
We LOVE unique accessories like glasses, patterns and funky earrings. If you have a unique style, we can have even more fun with your caricature. Your signature look—whether it’s your super-stylish glasses, your love of patterns, or your penchant for funky earrings—makes it even easier for us to capture your personality in your caricature.
Is there anything else you’d like to know? Send us an email and we’ll do our best to get you an answer!
Interested in hiring an event caricature artist for your next event? Start here: https://bit.ly/GFHireanArtist
Improving Employee Engagement Using Caricature Art
Employee engagement is a hot topic in the workplace. Employers of all sizes are paying increasing attention to keeping their employees happy and how doing so affects their business goals. According to inc.com, improving employee engagement doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. In fact, employee events, recognition for loyalty and accomplishments, and acknowledging employees’ families are all things that can move the needle in a positive direction for employee engagement.
Employee engagement: The extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization and put discretionary effort into their work. (Source: CustomInsight.com)
Here are five ways you can incorporate caricature art into your initiatives to improve employee engagement:
Employee Appreciation Mixers
Employees who have friendships with their coworkers have higher feelings of wellbeing, motivation and job satisfaction, according to an online survey by Paychex. You can encourage those friendships by holding quarterly or bi-annual employee appreciation events at your place of business. Pick a theme and bring in lunch or afternoon snacks. For the finishing touch, hire two or three event caricature artists to create whimsical mementos for your team to take home.
At Goofy Faces, we offer traditional caricatures, eSketchesTM, and caricature coasters. And we can print your custom employee appreciation message and logo in color on the paper, so your team members will think of you every time they see it.
Employee Anniversary Recognition
Do you have employees that have been with you for an extended period of time – like five, ten or even twenty years? Acknowledging those important anniversaries with custom caricature art makes a memorable statement that you appreciate their loyalty.
Team or Departmental Recognition
When a team wins a new piece of business, or works through a crisis to a positive end, consider recognizing those efforts with a team image created using caricature art.
Charitable Campaigns
Many companies use charitable fundraising and volunteering to create a more cohesive team environment. From penny drives and potlucks to bake sales and bowling events, employees work together to hit a goal and then relish the feeling of success and team spirit when they hit the target.
To add more oomph to a fundraising event, underwrite the cost of having a caricature artist or two on-site, so that employees can donate $10 to get a drawing, which goes to the chosen charity. And – BONUS! – they can take home a memento of the event.
Family-Friendly Company-Sponsored Events
Don’t forget to acknowledge your employees’ families and the part they play in supporting your team members. One way to recognize them is to hold an annual family-friendly event, like a company picnic or party at a venue that’s family-friendly. Consider hiring a few event caricature artists to be on-site to add to the fun. We promise, they’ll love it!
Explore more ways to use event and studio caricature art services to increase employee engagement at our website at www.goofyfaces.com.
Q: What defines a caricature vs. a cartoon, or is it one of those things that all caricatures are cartoons, but not vice versa? What actually makes a caricature!?
Q: I am planning my wedding reception for the summer and love the idea of adding Goofy Faces to the reception for our guests to enjoy! We expect 300 guests. How many hours and/or caricature artists should we book?
A: Many of our clients and customers ask this question. Here is what we do to figure that out; First of all, unless it is a very intimate party with 30 guests or less, it is unlikely that everyone will have enough time to be dawn. But that’s ok. Not everyone wants a caricature. But everyone gets to enjoy watching our artists draw all your guests. Therefore aim to provide caricatures to about 60% of your guests. So, for instance, if you have 300 guests, plan for 180 of them to be dawn.
Next, how many hours do you have to work with? Most receptions tend to have 3 to 4 hours available for the artists to entertain guests. Most caricature artists average around 10 to 15 faces in B&W per hour (or half of that in color). It doesn’t matter whether your guests are drawn individually or as couples. The artist draws faces, so a couple counts as 2. Therefore, each artist is worth about 45 faces in 3 hours or 60 faces in 4 hours. To reach your goal of 180 caricatures for your guests, we suggest hiring 3 artists for 4 hours or 4 artists for 3 hours. The total price would be the same in either scenario since we book each artist by the hour. Rates vary per artist so make sure to research your choice of artists in our online directory. We also have an online artist calculator you can use to figure out how many artists you need as well.
# of artists X # of HRS = 60% of guest total
Q: We have a charity that holds an annual fundraiser every July. Would any of your artists be willing to donate their time to help entertain our guests during the event?
A: First off, I applaud those organizers’ efforts who take on the thankless task of soliciting donated services from vendors like us. It can be challenging to ask for donations from service providers who are used to charging for their services. Goofy Faces has participated in many charity events in the past. Some are organized with artists who we book while others I personally donate my own time during my slower months. Unfortunately, not many artists can afford to donate their time for events for free, especially during peak season. Artists make the majority of their income in the summer months, especially each weekend. They also get very busy during the holidays. Coincidentally, this is when many organizations choose to hold their fund-raisers and seek donated help.
If you plan to contact entertainers to help out your cause, avoid using services like Gigmasters since many of us pay your booking fees to be listed on their site. Also keep in mind that as entertainers, all us of are inundated with these kind of requests on a regular basis. This makes it very difficult for us to pick and choose which benefits to consider when we realize that we must give up paid work in order to commit to yours. I suggest a different strategy for your requests.
Instead of contacting artists to see if they can work for free, find a donor or sponsor who would be willing to pay in advance for the artists services in exchange for their business name or company logo preprinted on each sheet of paper they use. This way, charity organizers will have no trouble finding artists willing to work any fundraising event, while a sponsor is recognized for their part in your charity. We have found this method to be far more successful and have booked many charities using this process. Many artists will offer to print up the paper for free and even discount their hourly rate to help your cause.
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