It's hard to find time to practice. I've been getting more and more serious with my practice, and tonight I felt like it's time to change focus. I felt like it's time to work on my Party Caricature Speed. So even though I felt like my first few practices were too big (when I make Portraits, if I make them larger than my open hand, they look grotesque), I didn't pause to figure out some approach that would make these Caricatures smaller. And before I was done, I got to feeling like these Giant Faces would be fine at an Event afterall. The Bold approach and the Bold Size make an Impact.

What I did was to take several Reference Photos from my website ~ Pictures of People that I already drew at Parties. I averted my eyes so I wouldn't see the Caricatures that I had drawn at the Parties. I just needed some Reference Photos for tonight's practice.

The more details I study, the more predrawing I want to do. But that slows me down at Parties. So I handled tonight's practice with No predraws.

The first few looked/felt amateur to me, but by not stopping to control the sizing, not stopping to get even more controlling, I managed to loosen up and get some decent Caricatures.

It's difficult for me. It's difficult for me to draw two different types of Caricatures at any One Party. But when a client requests it, I

oh ay-ay-ay.

That's what happened with when I booked my 2nd Event for this weekend. The situation somehow got past me.

When I quote an Event, I give the client the option to order Face-Only (which is what I usually do at Parties) Or Face with Body/Hobby. That's how I write it: Body/Hobby. The upcoming client had written in the 'Notes' section of my Agreement "face only and outline is fine for guests but face and body and full color for my husband and I, if possible, please." Without thinking, I had written back that I received those instructions, and it would be fine. Which is the case. Of course I would accommodate my client even though I don't feel like it's so easy to do ~ I don't feel like it's easy to draw Only One picture during the Event in Color with a Body and keep myself to drawing Black/White Faces Only for all the others. I would just hope that I can switch it on and off. But....

But that's for "Body/Hobby". I don't have time during an Event to carefully plan a full composition. It just sort of 'happens;, and I go with it. Sometimes that ends up being Both Body And Hobby. Sometimes only Hobby. And sometimes only Body.

This time ~ I guess I was too busy to communicate carefully ~ I apparently agreed to switch gears from Face Only to drawing BODIES. I wouldn't plan on Just Bodies. Might look stiff and what to do if client tells me their Hobby while I'm at the Party ~ but I have to include the Body this time since that's what I agreed to.

So I decided to make a Practice Caricature at home tonight. I chose a random Couples Photo online, and I went with 'Sailing' ~ the first Hobby that came to mind. My first idea ~how to place the faces on the page based on what I saw in the Reference Photo ~ that idea didn't work. Even if I put the Sailboat on the bottom of the page, how would I get the Bodies into it? No just sticking the heads out of the sailboat. No just leaning on their arms in the sailboat. I have to include the Bodies because that's what I agreed to.

Start again. My 2nd Idea ~ I placed the Faces and the Bodies, but there wasn't any room for the Sail (to make the boat look like a Sailboat).

My 3rd idea ~ icky stiffy ~ and what's with those Giant hands?

Just going for it on the 4th paper. Uhoh ~ Where did his hand wind up? I Don't draw 'riskay' pictures.

My 5th one finally worked great. I even finally got decent Caricature Faces. But oh ~ now that I'm writing this, I don't remember my approach. I know I preplanned Less than on the other ones, but I apparently did a lot of predraw when I got up to placing the bodies and the sail. I'll probably do more of these after tomorrow's gig.

Crazy to have all this work, all this focus, just for One of the pictures at the Party. Not concerned about Color ~ that's kinda natural to me. But I also hope to find time to practice Black/White Caricatures. I love doing them ~ once I get in the groove.

So many different ways to handle everything we do. Here are Caricatures that I drew in my Time Off tonight ~ based on a photo of a girl that I had to draw Too Fast at a Party. I wanted to give it more attention ~ but of course a Party situation is not the same as Time Off for me. I feel like I keep my Party Skills fresh by doing stuff like this on my Time Off. Here I have both a Funny version And a Cute version.

Whole Foods Store today. New one opened up in Commack NY. Fantastic! This one is like being at home ~ but cleaner with no distractions and more food choices. After watching the new episode of Bunked on the Disney app, I drew this Caricature with an old marker that I had in my pocketbook. Based on a random photo that I found on the web.

Good experience. Sometimes, when you get it just at the right time, an old marker that has enough juice to make decent darks, while also having enough dryness to be able to shade with the same marker