Just finishing up the photos that have been laying on this desk.
Here are pictures of people I painted at a 'Day of the Dead' party
a few days after Halloween.

BTW, I have to mention that the photos in this blog do not necessarily correspond with the post that's next to it. I don't know how to tell the computer to do that.

So read the posts as though they're not illustrated.
And look at the pictures standing on their own.
If we think of our brains as
Salad,
things mix and match in there Anyway.

Hi Y'All. Busy season. I'm finally getting a chance to post photos of some of the faces that I painted on Halloween. I had been hired to paint the neighborhood kids after school before they went out trick-or-treating. It's a good way to easily make any costume by Wow.

a few new pictures posted today.
so many wonderful faces, legs, arms, backs,
so many wonderful people.

Here we go again. Posting photos I took with my phone.
I guestimated sort of squares to crop them in PhotoShop.
I hope they won't be too distorted here on the blog.

I've gotten real comfortable with this Face Painting thing.
I had no samples out for the Skeleton - I just flowed with the request.
And I'm not too confident yet with the Dragon,
but people liked what I did - I had been asked to do it again
Four Times during this gig!

I love this job.
I sure hope I remember to order more paint tomorrow.
(I'm too tired now.)

Well, it's not an exact science - I just guess the size to make the photos.
But they are looking better.

Egads. I didn't actually figure it out,
but I did figure out how to make the photos look better.
I wouldn't usually want to chop up the photos this way
(portraits are usually vertical format),
but I'll have to
in order to cut back on the distortion.

In order to post pictures on this blog,
I'll have to crop them to be slightly more horizontal than square
before bringing them here.

So now I'll try to repost the ones I put up yesterday.
Someday, I hope I find out how I used to be able to post vertical pictures.
But til then, you'll see horizontal pictures.

Dang! It happened again! The photos look stretched out when they're posted on this blog. I'll have to work on it again later. What could it beeee??? Can anybody write to me and explain it?

I got the photos printed!
I'm assuming that the leg photo will look better than the one that got all distorted when I tried to upload directly from my camera.

I'm also going to post some people that I enjoyed painting.
I'm so glad to have some photos - with Face Painting, the Artwork is all erased at the end of the day. But it's more interesting than painting on paper. Because the Artwork has different effects throughout the day as the person wearing it has different emotions and activities.

This was the first time I painted the cloud with the pink hearts.
And I made up the black swirls (that I called henna) on the spot.

The dragon was also made up on the spot - it took longer than most of the faces I paint - I guess it will go faster when I get used to it.
But I think the guests can tell if I'm having fun, and they respond to it.
It's fun for me when I try new things, take chances, match paintings to the actual people who show up. I like to play with the paint and I like to play with the people.

Fun is contagious, So I don't worry if a design takes a little longer.
As it is, people are usually amazed at how quickly I create the pictures.

I also got a few photos of Caricature balloons that I can put up.
Lol - I usually draw children on the balloons - figures that I'd finally get some photos when I'm drawing adults on the balloons. Que sera sera. People of all ages want to enjoy.

Ahah! The previous post - the one of the leg - that one came out all distorted.
Apparently I can't post directly from my camera.

So now I know. I hadn't realized that I had always been scanning in ready-printed pictures.

Voila! It worked!
The previous post was from a photograph that I scanned into the computer.
Now I'll try to post a picture of a nice leg that I painted on last weekend.
Picture taken directly from the camera - It hasn't yet been printed up at the store.

The last time I was here, the photos that I tried to post came out all distorted.
Scream? Only if I had time. Smile. I have been having so much fun. Parties, Street Work, Friends, Swimming, Yoga, Play.

But I want to try again. So I'm going to post a picture that made me laugh. The girl seemed all right, but in the photo, she looks like a mad dog.

Seems like the whole world is having fun.
Here are some faces that I painted recently at a Country Club.

CUSTOM-MADE COLORING BOOKS !!! Nothing like being an Artist. Opportunities come up to try out all sorts of things. I was recently commissioned to make my first Custom-Made Coloring Book. I decided to post the cover and a few of the pages here. Looks like a real coloring book! Smile. I've been waitin to do this since I was a very little girl.

So many parties !

So many parties!
So much fun.

But I haven't been bothering with bringing my camera.
Just painting and drawing with lots of energy.

I miss all my beautiful people. Here's just a few pictures - I only took a few one day.

Appreciated Customers

I wish little Tiana was reading this post. Well, maybe she will, someday.

Tiana is probably almost 2-years old. She and her Mom stopped for Face Painting and a Caricature Balloon with me in Central Park today (well, yesterday - it's just after midnight that I got here to post).

I painted a Butterfly on Tiana's Face. Then she asked for one on her knee. I painted a butterfly on her left knee.

Then a whole big class of older kids showed up. They all wanted Caricature Balloons too. I couldn't leave them waiting forever, so when Tiana indicated that she wanted another butterfly on her other knee, I gave her a quick butterfly on her right knee too. Her turn was certainly up - she was only officially entitled to the one on her face - that's what her Mom paid for. And her Mom understood. Tiana's Mom was telling her that they had to go now.

But Tiana would have nothing to do with it. She really enjoyed being in my chair. A real little girl, I enjoyed playing with her too. But this is work, of course. I am there to earn a living. I finally helped her Mother by telling Tiana that I would be there all afternoon - that I'd still be there if she came back later.

They didn't come back. I'm sure her Mom had plenty of things to do. And frankly, if I was busy or tired, it would have been an imposition to be expected to give unending attention to one small customer. Our relationship was at work - artist/client.

But I understand that Tiana's short-term attachment to me was real heart. The real thing. Just because she's little, and she doesn't understand that I was only there because I needed money - that doesn't mean that the feelings aren't real. I wish I gave that little girl a hug before she left.

Little children (and many adults too) are so in touch with their hearts. We don't need the labels to tell us who to love. I try to bring joy and uplifting spirits, empowerment and appreciation to people who haven't given me reason not to do so. I'm uplifted and so grateful when they give it back. This post is to Tiana
and all the other 'Tiana's' that are part of my life.
You're so important to me. I value you forever.

For instance, I remember another little girl - from many years ago. She was about 5-years old. Talking to a slightly older boy - perhaps her brother. I met her at a Bat Mitzvah upstate - I had been hired to draw Caricatures there. Here's what happened.

Always playing my edge, always trying new things, I had decided that the colors looked wilder, and the pictures looked more exciting, if I let the color just sweep right out of the lines. From the Caricature right into the background.

There I was - happily drawing on and entertaining the people who had gathered round. And from behind me, I hear the little boy say "She's not so good. She can't even color in the lines."
And the little girl, so sweet, about 5-years old, responded to him "Shhhhh... She's doing the best she can." I still smile and chuckle every time I think about that episode.

I could ramble on and on - about the many people who touched my spirits while I was doing my job. You're all special to me.

I care about you Tiana. I hope and believe that you'll always get the love and caring that is so much a part of who you are. I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to work for you. The opportunity to be with you. I love people.

jjjhjhjh


jhjhjhjhjhj

College Face Painting

Last Sunday, I Face Painted at a College.
I wanted to come up with some things that would please this older crowd.
So after doing TWO big Caricature gigs on Saturday (a 5-hour Bar Mitzvah and a 3 hour 50th Birthday), I visited my niece and tried out 2 scenes - winter and tropical.

Those were good, but some even wilder ones were created at the party. Here are some of them.

Reminder

This blog shows a few of the things I do,
FACE PAINTING in particular.
I also show some CARICATURES
because some people complain that it takes too long to open my Caricature blog at
caricatureexpress.com/choice.html

Face Painting in Central Park

I just got some pictures back
from a lovely day we had recently.
It was one of the first
really springy days in NY.
I had a position to Face Paint in Central Park.

Caricature Balloons

When I got the Face Painting photos today,
I also had a picture in the batch of something else I do -
Caricatures on Balloons.
It's an extra fun Party Game I created myself.

If there's time, I'll draw Caricatures (or things) on round balloons.
Sometimes I even get a chance to help the guests enjoy
floating their balloon-heads around.
I wish I had more pictures of the balloons in action,
but at least I have this one that shows the idea.

Lots of People on the Subway

The Subway is a Caricaturist's Smorgasbord.
So many people - sitting for just the right amount of time.
I'll post some that I drew today.

Edit - Ooops - that was yesterday. Here I am at the Computer. After midnight.

Relaxing and Coloring

All I did today was to
design new taborets for outdoor Face Painting,
go swimming,
and draw pictures of people on the web - just for fun.
Eeeeasy day.

Here are two of the pictures I drew.
One of them was done on brown paper, something I just love to do because of how the colors look on it.
On the other one, the gum-chewer, I was disappointed in the way I scribbled in ugly colors. So I scanned it into PhotoShop and carelesly overlaid a transparent peach color. I'm amazed at how that worked to pull the original colors together!

Face Painting

Oh my goodness! I wanted this blog to be primarily for FACE PAINTING, but it's looking like

CARICATURE. That's supposed to be for caricatureexpress.com/choice.html


So I'll redirect it by posting some Face Paintings here today.
I have some photos of Cleopatra eyes, simple designs, and adults.

Me Again

Uh oh. Am I doing it again? Filling up all the space on my blog so quickly with pictures?
I have some more pictures here that I want to show. These pictures are a little newer - done in the past week. (But they're still not my latest - I always seem to be on to something else, but I can't post fast enough.)

The new thing I've been doing is Geometric Caricatures. It's fun and funny. But kinda easy - you can make the lines a little slower. So I've been enjoying doing them, but also studying more accuracy in representations.

In the pictures I'm going to post now, you'll see:
2 Geometric Caricatures,
4 people from the train,
one person I made up,
and one person that I drew real fast - fast lines.

I Felt Like a Celebrity

Man, I wish I could easily take pictures while performing. I was really on last weekend.
My work shone (shined?). And I wasn't just noticed by the people who enjoyed the experience. I seemed to be bigger than that - a celebrity of sorts.

Saturday I Painted Faces near the Children's Zoo in Central Park.
A man from NY Family Magazine parked himself a little away to observe and photograph me. He will be writing an article for the upcoming Central Park issue of the magazine - something about the interaction of families that enjoy the Central Park Artists.

Then, I took a train home. I happened to have been dressed like a flower for the Face Painting. Noticeable, but I was still pleasantly surprised when a man behind me said that he remembered being on the same train with me that morning. And another surprise came when I started leaving the train. A man in front of me said that he had noticed me on the train earlier this week - wearing a big hat he said. "A big-red-and-white-striped-cat-in-the-hat?" I asked. Yup - that's the one. Apparently, he remembered me from last Wednesday when I had been dressed like The Cat in the Hat.

Then Sunday, I was hired to draw Caricatures at the Baldwin Public Library. First, a guy came around photographing
me drawing and my subjects holding their pictures.
He was in charge of the newsletter for the library. So I was surprised when shortly after that, I was again photographed - this time it was someone from a local newspaper - the Baldwin Herald.

My subjects were happy. AND my work seemed to be a little bigger than that. I have become
NEWS!

So, I wish I wish I had pictures of some of the faces I drew and painted. But I hadn't brought my camera. It complicates the already all-encompassing experience of creating Art while entertaining People and handling Business. So I'll just illustrate this blog entry with some pictures drawn previously. Oh, and I have some studies I did for Thursday's gig. Last Thursday, I was hired by SUNY Stony Brook - they had a Pirate Event. While thinking up some special affects that I might want during that event, I drew a parrot and a man from the Post Office.

And here I am. Just being me,
studying,
drawing,
computering,
doing Yoga,
enjoying Essential Oils,
cleaning.
And thinking that this is the way it is. No matter what our level of fame, an apple is still just an apple. A kiss is still a kiss. A sigh is just a sigh.


As always, I hope you can check out my website at caricatureexpress.com/choice.html
I hope the page opens on your computer.

Building the Blog

I had to email 2 pictures to a client.
Went through the trouble of scanning them - might as well put them up my my blog. Smile.
Hi Y'all!

Face Painting

One of the reasons I started this blog was to have a place to show people that I also do Face Painting. So I'll post pictures of some of the faces that I've painted.

(You might also want to see caricatureexpress.com/choice.html)

Today

Whew! I did it. I figured out how to post here.
So now I'm going to to show you what I drew today.
I'm getting ready to work at a Surprise Party tonight - 8pm - 11pm.
so I figure it's going to be adults.

I usually do a predraw,
but I didn't feel like being bothered with that just now.
Not as detailed and careful as my drawings usually are,
but I'm even thinking of drawing like this tonight.
They're bold, simple, and created with no angst.
Do we have to suffer to call it Real Art????

New Artist

Friend - Your website takes too long to load.

Me - I have no problem with it on my computer. And just this morning a client called and told me that she was mesmerized for hours last night - just reading Everything at my website-blog.

Advertiser - Can I suggest that you don't send people to caricatureexpress.com/choice.html
(my website blog). It takes too long to load.

Me - But I don't like to send people to just caricatureexpress.com
That stuff is so old. I've gotten so much better already.

Advertiser - It's the better choice. I'm telling you, people won't wait so long for your page to come up.

Me - Friend, you were right. I'm waiting for my website designer to finish the semester at Cooper Union, but meanwhile I'm concerned about the advertising.

Friend - There's no excuse for that. Especially these days, you would have no problem making your own website.

Me - Yeah, maybe for you. But I don't have the time to....

Friend - You can just join one of the many blog sites.

Okay, okay. So here I am. Years worth of stuff that my viewers won't see
as I send them to caricatureexpress.blogspot.com
(You can still go to caricatureexpress.com/choice.html if you like).

Just starting this blog. I'm going to see what it involves to post pictures here. I hope it works.
First I'll start with some old photos that have been on my desk for about a year. I've been wanting to put them up, but time gets away from me. I guess I spend too much time working, cleaning, breatheing, yoga, swimming, hula-hooping, and friends.

This first picture is something I drew at a child's party:
Then there's a picture from a grownup party.
And two drawings from an unusual party where I was asked to draw fashion sketches.