How To Hire A Caricaturist
If you dont know anything about art and you can't draw a straight line, you can still hire a great live caricature artist for your next event!
Read this quick guide to help you learn how.
Whats Most Important?
Learn the Caricturist's DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
They don't want you to know!
SPEED is of the UTMOST Importance When Choosing A Caricaturist.
Don't make the mistake of hiring someone without verifying their speed first!
Imagine how horrible it would be to have a roomful of guests and only get a handful of them drawn. Unfortunately, this happens all the time.
That's what happens when you hire a caricaturist based on price alone.
Price is NOT your most important factor. Let's See Why.
As one of the FASTEST CARICATURISTS IN THE WORLD
I can consistently Draw up to 30 faces per hour ( I slow down if there's no line and speed up when there is.)
Most Caricaturists draw between 10-15 faces per hour. Some even only draw 4-5 per hour! (I've actually seen this! Not naming names!)
You're getting more people drawn with me which Saves You Time and Money, AND the Stress of having to explain to your angry guests why they can't get drawn!
This is the Caricturist's
DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
they don't want you to know!
Time = Money. We all know that. and IF your artist isn't FAST,
THEN They AREN'T worth the Money. Period. End of sentence.
Speed Caricature
This is me. Yes it's edited and sped up for youtube - but not much. You can see more speed drawings there at Kathy Buskett - YouTube
STYLE is the Next most important thing.
But what if you know negative zero about art?
Trust your eyes. Look at your potential artist's portfolio.
If you like what you see, then you've found a good one!
But if it looks like AI (and is WAY underpriced) then RUN!
I won't rant about how AI is stealing from artists and literally can't make anything on its own here, however, you DEFINITELY dont want an "AI Bro" pretending he or she can draw at your event!
One BIG "tell" for AI is to look at the anatomy. Look at fingers, hands, arms and legs. If it's disjointed in creepy ways, it's AI.
Another reason to pass an artist up is if all the drawings look the same and don't look enough like the sitter. Anyone can draw a smiley face. What You're paying for is the magic of likenesses to appear as if out of nowhere. Not faces that all look the same with different clothes and hair. Might as well just get one of those "no face artists" (pituey)
Oddly enough, Another thing to look out for in a portfolio is an absence of a consistent style. If the drawings in a portfolio dont look like they were all from the same artist, they probably aren't.
I personally have had someone lift an image of mine from the internet and claim it as their own in order to "pad" their portfolio.
It happens more often than you'd think, and if you think about it, it's theft by deception. If they can't draw their own samples, they can't be very good artists.
Again, the solution is to watch them draw LIVE!
A caricature by Al Hirschfeld.
His style was immediately recognizable by its elegant simplicity
More Hirschfeld.
OMG wasn't he amazing???
Wanna hear a story?
Once upon a Time, I was hiring people for my caricature Stand in Las Vegas. An older gentleman came in and said he could draw caricatures and had been doing it for years.
Something told me he wasn't telling the truth (caricaturists are experts at lie detecting. Don't try it. We can read microexpressions like nobody's business. We might not let on, but we know when you're lying.)
Anyway, I remembered a trick my late husband (also a caricaturist) taught me - hand them a marker and tell them to draw you.
I did, and the guy nervously drew me. He was really sweating. When he finally revealed the drawing, it was clear he couldn't draw AT ALL.
Of course, I smiled and politely showed him the door.
That's a little trick you can use Courtesy of Buddy Rose, the Godfather of Caricature, founder of the ISCA, and my late husband.
Ask 'em to draw you on the spot. Works every time.
So when it comes to style, you may ask:
WHAT ABOUT THOSE TIK TOK VIDEOS?
We all love to laugh at them.
But would you want to BE them?
No?
Neither do your guests.
For Parties, Weddings and trade shows, Look for live Caricatures that are flattering and fun.
THAT is what you want to give your guests!
Please read my related blog post about Al Hirschfeld, Arguably the Greatest Caricaturist in the world, and how his Caricatures were FLATTERING HERE
(Secret Tip: if you want to look BETTER than you actually do in real life, hire a female artist! Generally speaking, of course... ahem... Check Out My Gallery HERE)
Caricatures should also have a good "likeness". In other words,
It needs to LOOK LIKE the sitter. If it doesn't consistently look like the person sitting, they aren't very good at the job.
As I mentioned before, the BEST way to tell the style and speed of a caricature artist is by watching a prospective Caricaturist draw live.
Finally, Professionalism remains the litmus test for ALL of your hiring decisions.
Ask around. Search for real reviews from real people, or verified reviews from independent sites. For instance, I have an all 5 star rating on gigsalad and the Bash, the two booking sites I am on, and all reviews my reviews there are from VERIFIED customers.
Ask for references from real customers! Recent ones are better.
For Example, I recently had a bride-to-be ask me for references from real brides.
I'd never had this happen before, (maybe she read this page?) but it wasn't a problem at all.
I got permission to give out phone numbers and the bride
happily booked me - I have no idea what they said to her
but it must have been good!
A True Pro should have a good amount of clients and be able to supply references.
Three is a good number to ask for, but you can always ask for more.
If they balk or it takes more than a day or two, that can be a red flag!
Questions to ask:
Did they offer you a contract?
Did they honor it?
Were they on time?
Did they dress professionally?
Was their setup Professional Looking?
How did the guests like them?
How long did you hire them for?
How many Breaks did they take?
Were they easy to work with?
What would you say about their speed?
What would you say about their attitude?
Did they draw couples? Families?
Did they finish at the end or did they require overtime because their line was too long at the end?
Would you hire them again?
Remember you arent just hiring an artist when you hire a caricaturist -
You're hiring an ENTERTAINER.
So find out in an interview - Are they Entertaining?
DO they have an Engaging and Fun personality?
If they sit and scowl or don't talk while they draw that might be another indication to look elsewhere.
(NOTE: Some sitters just DO NOT want to talk. I respect that and give them what they want. If I was silent with EVERYONE, however, that would be a problem!)
Finally,
DO YOU LIKE THEM?
Just because Caricaturists are rare,
it doesn't mean you have to put up with one with an overinflated ego, or who shows up to your interview smelling like weed.
You'd be surprised how prevalent this is and it's a huge problem!
That's one reason I put no substance use in my contract, to put you at ease about it.
By the way, No, I don't smoke weed. I rarely drink either.
I have too much work to do!
So to recap:
Make sure your prospective caricaturist is FAST
That you like their Style
That they act Professional
That you LIKE them
Look at their Portfolio
Interview them
Interview their Refrences
Look for Red Flags!
If you do all of this you're sure to hire a real professional caricaturist!
Hi My name is Kathy Buskett.
I was raised in an entrepreneurial household and learned to run a business from a young age.
Drawing Caricatures is my joy and its also my "real job." I support my family with my art business. That's why I take my reputation so seriously.
I know that EVERYONE is my customer, and I know that being easy to work with is paramount. That's part of why I have worked with so many top tier companies.
You're getting a real pro with me!
Samsung
Joe Bullard Automotive
Miss Mississippi at Beau Rivage
PGA Golf Tournament, AT&T
Top Golf
Kathy Buskett is your best, Most Professional Choice for a Caricatusit
In the Gulf Coast Area (and beyond!)
Here's Why:
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Kathy is one of the Fastest Caricaturists in the World and can draw up to 30 people per hour
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25 Years of Experience
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10 of those years were spent drawing in Las Vegas at many prestigious venues with many Top Tier Clients such as Samsung, AT&T, Verizon, Coca-Cola and even Cirque du Soleil.
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Kathy keeps in contact in the months, weeks and days before your event so you don't have to worry.
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Kathy has never missed a paid event in the 25 years she's been drawing Caricatures
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Kathy uses a contract to guarantee you that she will show up, which helps set your mind at ease. She won't cancel on you for a better opportunity like some other artists are known to do.
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She is Guaranteed to show up or your money back (which has never happened but if it does you will get your deposit back)
Kathy Buskett is Your Clear choice for a Speedy, Stylish and Professional Caricaturist