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You Made it a Great Year for Goofy Faces Caricature Entertainment!

By Robert Bauer | December 18, 2019 |

Goofy Faces Caricature Artists Entertained Thousands in 2019

Happy Girl with Caricature at Red Wings Draft Party

A happy fan gets to see herself skating at the Red Wings Draft Party.

2019 Has been a wonderful year at Goofy Faces! Thanks to you – all our wonderful event hosts, brides and grooms, party planners, birthday party parents, Senior All Night Party planners, trade show organizers, company picnic planners, family and class reunion organizers, zoo and aquarium guests and anyone else for whom we have drawn a Goofy Faces Caricature or painted your face.  All of our caricature artists and face painters thank you for letting us entertain you as part of your special events and celebrations!

Caricature Art by the Numbers:

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California Dreamin’ – Two Reasons Los Angeles is the Place for Family Fun

By Robert Bauer | December 11, 2019 |

Finding the Fun with Caricature Artists and Face Painting in the City of Angels

Will your holiday travels take you to sunny Los Angeles? If so, you’ll find many fun, family activities in the LA area.  Some even have Goofy Faces Caricature artists and face painters to help make your experience truly memorable!

Family Fun with Caricatures at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Visit the new Pacific Visions interactive art gallery and “immersive motion picture experience.” or fan favorites like squid tanks and the Ray Touch Pool. The Aquarium of the Pacific has family fun for all ages. (more…)

Check Out these “Can’t Miss” Tampa Florida Family Fun Vacation Favorites!

By Robert Bauer | October 15, 2019 |

Goofy Faces Means Family Fun in the Sun!

If you’re planning a vacation to Florida for winter break this year, put Tampa at the top of your list for unique and memorable family fun! With beautiful beaches right on the Gulf Coast, great hotels and restaurants, and world-class attractions, Tampa has something every family will enjoy. (more…)

A Family Caricature Makes Memories Last

By Robert Bauer | August 25, 2019 |

Make Memories Last Longer with a Custom Caricature

The good and the bad of having a camera that fits in the palm of your hand

If you’re of a certain age, you remember taking pictures on a camera – with film. Back in those dark ages, you waited, several days even, to see if the pictures were any good!

That Was Then

Remember how exciting it was to open that envelope and see if maybe, just maybe, there was one good family picture? Then you proudly showed it to everyone and displayed it in a photo album or frame. Every time you walk by it you fondly remember that special moment!

This is Now

Today we have some of the most sophisticated photographic tools in the palms of our hands, our smart phones. But when was the last time you printed a family picture from your phone and put it in a frame? Most people don’t.

A family caricature is fun and makes memories last longer.

Goofy Faces will be at the Paint Creek Center for the Arts Art & Apples Festival(r) September 6-8, 2019.

When you take hundreds of pictures at time, it can be overwhelming to choose just one.  Oftentimes the images live on our phones and in our social media feeds, but they rarely make it to a coveted place on the wall for all the family to enjoy.

Make it Memorable

When you and your loved ones sit down for a custom, family caricature, you get a one-of-a-kind piece of art, featuring you! It’s more than a photo, it’s hand-drawn memory you will treasure forever. As summer winds down and kids head back to school, there’s still time to make memories and get a custom keepsake caricature you’ll treasure for years to come.

Enjoy an outing to your local zoo or aquarium. Most retail stands are open daily through Labor Day weekend, then weekends only through Halloween. Click here to see if we’re at a location near you!

Or check out local events like the upcoming Art & Apples Festival® in Rochester, MI, sponsored by Paint Creek Center for the Arts. While there, get your face painted or family caricature drawn by one of our artists so you can capture the moment and remember this special time.

Goofy Faces on Art Detroit

By Robert Bauer | September 21, 2018 |

Check out the latest episode of Art Detroit where Shiela Grant sits down with me to discuss everything that is the art of caricature!

Always an annual tradition….

By Robert Bauer | August 18, 2016 |

15 years ago, I decided to make a full-time business out of drawing caricatures for a living. This was no small task.

Very few people make their entire living based on the art of caricature but I already wasn’t making enough as a freelance artist to support a family and the idea of working a full-time job was too depressing to consider. So, I took a breath and dove right in.

One of the first places I decided to try out was at our local annual art festival in Rochester, MI called Art & Apples. It’s been around for 50 years and was close enough to my home to risk seeing if I could make it work.  The first year was in 2004 and I didn’t even own a tent. However, me and fellow artist, Ben Pierrot stayed busy enough over the 3-day weekend to come back the following year. The next year, I had a tent and my business grew. Then I started opening other caricature stands in different locations throughout the U.S. I have had as many as 9 retail stands  coast to coast over the past 12 years. And each year, I would return as a sponsor at Art & Apples and each September, another artist and me would draw for 3 straight days.

We became a crowd favorite at the festival. Customers looked forward to seeing us each September and we became a tradition. Heck, 2 years ago, I drew a couple at the festival who decided to hire 3 of us to draw at the wedding. A year later they came back to Art & Apples for another caricature. This time, they wanted one showing that the couple was expecting their first child! They handed me an envelope that showed if it was going to be a boy or a girl. “Whatever you do, don’t tell us! We want it to be a surprise until next week when we use your caricature for the official announcement.” There were many special moments like that one. I always looked forward to drawing friends and family each September. I enjoyed working with several different artists over the years. We always had fun even though we weren’t making a fortune. I was always able to cover all my costs and pay my artists who helped out. That, plus the annual exposure, justified all our efforts.

In 2016, we decided not to participate as a sponsor of Art & Apples due to a significant increase in the sponsorship fee. It was the first time in 12 years that we were not drawing at Art & Apples. We were not there in 2017 either. However, in 2018, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, the producer of Art & Apples, approached us about returning at our original location and sponsorship fee. We accepted.  I have always looked forward to drawing in my hometown but I also liked the spirit of community I felt from my involvement with the local festival. Even though we have caricature stands in Tampa, Los Angeles, Denver and other locations around the country, I considered Art & apples to be the place where it all started. And fortunately, it now continues!  We just wrapped on our weekend at Art & Apples in 2019 and we were busier than ever. Looking forward to 2020!

Art & Apples!

By Robert Bauer | September 10, 2015 |

Beginning tomorrow at 4PM, Goofy Faces will be drawing caricatures for its 11th straight year at the Art & Apples Festival located in Rochester Park in downtown Rochester, MI. This is the only festival we do each year because it is in our home town and it gives us a great chance to be part of the local community as well as spread the word about what we do. Many attendees stop by each year for an annual caricature of their family. We have some customers who have had their caricatures drawn at 5 or more festivals in a row! In those 11 years, Robert has drawn with 5 different artists. This year, Robert will be drawing caricatures with Shawn from Ohio. Michelle will also be on hand to paint faces as she did last fall. The festival lasts for 3 days starting tomorrow from 4PM-7:30PM. It will be open all day Saturday from 9AM-7:30PM and on Sunday from 9AM to 4PM. Our tent is located near the middle footbridge near the central food court. You can download a map right here. Make sure to stop by early because our booth gets super-busy by the afternoon and usually stays busy until close. Check out some photos from Goofy Faces at previous Art & Apples festivals over the past 11 years. See you at Art & Apples!

caricature artists tent

All set up and ready for business!

For 50 years, the Art & Apples Festival® has transformed the 30-acre downtown park in Rochester into one of the nation’s top fine art fairs with over 290 exhibiting artists from across the country. The festival is a program of Paint Creek Center for the Arts, a regional, nonprofit art center located in downtown Rochester.

Open for Business at Riverbanks Zoo!

By Robert Bauer | April 24, 2015 |

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Folks living near Columbia, South Carolina can finally enjoy Goofy Faces art at their convenience! Whether they seek a face painting for their children or a unique, whimsical caricature of their family, they can now obtain either simply by visiting the Riverbanks Zoo. Goofy Faces has artists working every weekend until school ends. Then they will be open daily, weather-permitting. Each artist has been reviewed and specially trained to provide happy memories with fun art from Goofy Faces. Make sure to check them out the next you visit the zoo!

Goofy Faces Celebrates 10 Years as a Sponsor at Art & Apples Art Festival

By Robert Bauer | September 5, 2014 |

For 49 years, the Art & Apples Festival® has transformed the 30-acre Rochester Park in Rochester, MI into one of the nation’s top fine art fairs with over 290 exhibiting artists from across the country. Goofy Faces has been a proud sponsor of this event for the past 10 years. Each year I enjoy drawing close to home for 3 days and seeing so many of our customers and clients drop by to say hello or get their caricature drawn by me or the other artists I ask to work with me at the festival. This year’s festival was our busiest one to date!  We added a face painter for the first time this year and Michelle was busy all day long.

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