This just happened.
I am drawing caricatures at a wedding three days before Christmas.
The line is steady but not too long, and the band is on the other side of the room, which is great because I can hear and talk to my customers and take my time. It’s perfect.
I am drawing a middle-aged lady and her grown son.
I finish it up and reveal it and when I do she says “You made me look so young! You made my day!” And she does a little dance. Which makes me laugh. I LOVE delighting my customers!
Then she asks me how old I am, and I tell her I’m 51. She says “I would have thought you were in your 30s”. This makes my day and this time I do a little dance.
They thank me, slip me a $20 which is REALLY nice, and get up to leave. Just then a tall blonde frat boy pulls one of my chairs away. I don’t understand why and I'm about to fuss at him. He motions behind me and I turn around.
There’s an older couple coming to get drawn. One of them is in a wheelchair.
It’s a gentleman and his wife. The husband pulls his wife into the spot the chair recently occupied. Instead of sitting, he stands next to her.
The gentleman is maybe in his late 70s. His wife looks a little younger, but she has some sort of muscular issue and can’t hold her head up.
I introduce myself and give them brief instructions. I'm going to draw the woman first, I tell them. This is calculated. I used to work in nursing homes as an activity director way back before I started drawing caricatures for a living, and I know that she may tire out quickly.
I am worried. How am I going to draw her? I always try my best to make people love their drawings. This is going to be difficult. I hesitate.
But then the man, who is dressed in a checkered suit worthy of Steve Urkel, gently takes his wife’s chin in his hands and holds her head up for me.
She smiles at me with all her teeth showing and I can see that she is actually quite beautiful.
I draw her quickly so that they don’t have to stay in that position for long.
As I’m drawing, The husband carefully wipes the corner of his wife’s mouth with a napkin he has in his pocket. He whispers something in her ear. She smiles even bigger. They make eye contact. It's almost as if I'm not even there.
The love between these two is so touching that I’m finding it hard to draw. There must be something in my eye.
After a few short minutes I finish the woman and I tell her hubby that he can let her go.
He takes a seat next to his wife and her head droops down on her chest again. She’s tired. That was a lot of effort.
I draw the gentleman whose posture reminds me of Samuel L. Jackson. Not his face. His posture. He holds her hand while I draw him.
I shade them both in since they’re people of color, and shading looks better for them.
I am just about ready to reveal their caricature. I look at it critically and add a touch of shading here and there.
Will they like it? My heart beats faster.
I turn it around.
They love it!
The wife is all smiles. The husband carefully and gently unlocks her wheels and carts her away. I wipe my eyes and keep going.
Later that evening I’m talking to the father of the bride.
He and his wife are taking a breather and grabbing a bite in the kitchen. It’s been a long day and we’re talking it over.
“When my daughter said she was hiring a caricature artist for her wedding, I said, a WHAT?” He scrunches up his face. “But you’ve been the best thing here tonight. People was lined up all night long .”
His wife nods. “You did a great job,” she says.
I am touched. "Thank you," I say. "And I really appreciate the food. I didn't get any dinner."
I spear some left-over green beans with a fork and devour them hungrily.
“And you know those folks with the wheelchair?" The FOB says, "They don’t ever get pictures taken. Anywhere. Neither of them. But they got one with you.” He takes a bite of the ham slider he’s munching on. Almost as an afterthought, he adds,
“That was my mom and dad.”
I suck in my breath. Those folks I drew were the grandparents of the bride.
“You made their day,” says his wife.
“I’m so glad,” I say, and again I’ve got something in my eye.
Oh, this is so why I do what I do.
I’m so grateful for this job. I always wanted to help people. And this is how I get to do it.
One silly drawing at a time.
__________________________
Thanks for reading this true story. If you'd like to read more please
input your email HERE. You'll get stories like this, occasional offers, and maybe
you'll win the lottery. (Maybe you will but I won't have anything to do with it!)
HI, My name is Kathy Buskett. I'm a caricature artist with 25 years of experience. I go around drawing at all kinds of events. My favorite kind of event is Weddings! I also always say that "squirmy kids are my specialty"
Drawing caricatures is my ministry and I LOVE it. There are only about 1000 caricaturists who do this full-time as a living, and I am grateful to God that He has helped to make me one of them. I am also one of a small handful of conservative (mostly) Christian caricaturists. You have found yourself a unicorn!
I do my best to love and serve others and I would love to draw caricatures at your next event.
Please contact me to see if I'm available for your date.
I serve the greater Gulf Coast region - the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana especially the New Orleans area. But I will go anywhere if you pay for my travel.
I LOVE to travel!
Please contact me at kathybuskett@gmail.com and I will be glad to assist you
have a blessed day!
You can see the rest of my website HERE
Comments