We do all kinds of entertaining, fast, live artwork:
Hit-and-Run Sketches
Traditional Caricatures
Digital Caricatures
Fashion Sketches
Graphic Recording
Silhouette Cuts
Face Painting
Hit-and-Run
On cocktail napkins or on small paper.
$200/hr
Speed: about 10 guests/hr, but heavily dependent on the environment.
Good for:
Cocktail hour
Mixers
Receptions
What is it? A hit-and-run artist will wander around your event, quietly finding observation points from which they can sketch your guests in secret. When the work is done, the artist will gift the drawing to the subject.
How fast is it? Compared to other types of quick-sketch art: not that fast. We have to find a stationary guest and a position from which to draw them. Several time during a single event, we find ourselves chasing guests around the venue like we’re all in a spy movie. Hit-and-run sketches are never about covering all the guests in the room. They’re about providing a subtle, fun, surprising experience.
How do you deliver the artwork? We’re all a little different. I like to explain the whole premise when I hand over the sketch, but other artists keep it mysterious. They’ll smile, say thank you, and disappear again. We’ll look for opportunities to sneak by, if the guests are absorbed in their conversation, and drop the artwork next to their drinks. They have the best expressions when they find a drawing of themselves suddenly appearing at their table.
Do people see you? At the very beginning of the party, one or two guests will spot us, because the room isn’t crowded yet. Once the event is in full swing and everyone has found their people, we become invisible. I’ll stand five feet away, sketching a group of co-workers, and they won’t notice me. But near the end of the party, we’ve handed out enough sketches that guests will come up to us and ask for one directly, or just glance over our shoulders to see what we’re up to.
Traditional Caricatures:
On 10″ x 14″ paper
$150/hr
What is it? We charge an hourly rate to send an artist to your party. They’ll draw as many of your guests as they can in the time allotted.
How fast is it? Fast. When we get in the groove, we can draw up to 20 people/hr in black and white. Color is a little slower, closer to 12 people/hr.
Are my guests going to be insulted? No! I mean, almost never, no. Probably not. Maybe? It’s hard to tell. Are your guests funny-looking?
Every artist is different. You can ask for a more restrained artist with a cute style, or you can ask for a madman who goes all-out every time. Your choice!
Good for:
trade show floor
convention mixers
wedding receptions
birthday parties
fairs
bar and bat mitzva
Digital Caricatures
Printed on 4″ x 6″ photo paper, and emailed to the guests
Speed: 10 people/hr
$250/hr
What is it: We bring a drawing tablet, display screen, and printer to your event. We’ll draw your guests directly on the tablet, and output the live drawing in progress to the display screen. Then we print the caricature on the spot.
Good for:
Trade show floor
Convention mixers
weddingreceptions
company party
Silhouettes
Silhouettes pasted on 5″x7″ cards
$200/hr
15 people/hr
What is it? Silhouettes are a black-and-white cutout of a person’s face in profile. The guest sits in front of the artist and faces to the side. The artist uses only scissors and a piece of black paper to quickly cut out the artwork. Then the silhouette is pasted on a 5″ x 7″ card with a border design. The final result is easy to frame or just display as it is.
How many people can fit in a single cutout? 3 people. More than that and we start losing room to add detail.
Does it really look like the person? Of course! You’d be able to recognize most of your friends and family just from their silhouettes. There’s a lot of identifying information there.
What kind of events are good for silhouettes? Silhouettes are fascinating to watch, and people will cluster around to see a piece of paper be transformed into a recognizable likeness. But they are small. So they work better at smaller events, probably 300 or less people.
Good for:
Receptions
Cocktail hour
Birthday parties
Company parties
Fashion sketches
Fashion-designer style sketches of people’s fits, on any size paper
$200/hr
10 people/hr
What is it? Full-figure sketches, but with a focus on style and drawn in the technique of fashion designers. We spend very little time on the facial likeness and pay careful attention to the whole outfit.
What kind of events are good for Fashion illustrations? The fancy ones! If your guests are dressed up, fashion illustrations are a win. The more colorful the better. So:
Receptions
Industry mixers
Awards ceremonies
Dance parties