Hiring A Live Caricature Artist: FAQ

A caricature artist is a great way to add fun to an event. And becoming more popular each year, especially for the drinks reception part of a wedding.

Here’s a few things you might find useful if you are thinking of getting live caricatures.

How much does it cost to hire a caricature artist? [CLICK]

How long does it take to draw a caricature?

Most live caricature artists take between 3 and 5 minutes to do each drawing.

At weddings nearly all of the drawings will be of couples, so each picture takes a bit longer.

At birthday parties people will want to be drawn in groups. The further into the night and the drunker the crew gets, the more friends they will want in each drawing. By 11pm they will try to get their whole extended family of 14 in.

(When I’m working at a late event I usually say 4 people max per pic)

After I book an artist, will I need to do anything else or provide anything?

Just let the venue know what’s happening. So they can be ready with a space where there’s enough light, and a few chairs. Hotels will often have had caricaturists in before, so they will be used to it. Pubs might not. Delays in getting set up could eat into your booked time, so it’s worth making a quick phone call to the venue beforehand.

Some artists bring their own lighting or ipads. In that case they might need to be beside a power outlet. Check with them.

Anything else to think about?

TIME

I would advise that earlier in the day is better for caricatures.

You will usually get nicer drawings from 3 to 5pm, than you will from 11pm to 1am.

Later in the night people will be drunker and they won’t sit still, and some start arguing, and they will want to include 17 people in each drawing. The lighting later at night will change to flashing disco lights, and the noise and distractions will be worse. Onlookers will stand beside the artist screaming into their ear ‘Draw the missus with bigger b**bs!’. People will grab at each others drawings and rip them.

All of this is fine by me of course - I don’t mind a bit of chaos!

But if you are hoping for carefully done drawings that your guests will take home and frame, then earlier = better

For a wedding, the ideal time for a caricaturist is at the drinks reception, to keep the entertainment and laughter going while the couple are off getting their photos done.

KIDS

Small kids don’t really understand caricatures or what they are about. And they won’t value them as much as adults.

My attitude is - if the kid is asking for one, then that’s great, they understand them. But if the parents are having to drag them over and make them sit still, it’s probably better off leaving it. It’s using up your time for something that won’t really be appreciated.

And be aware some parents at your event might try to leave their kids in a queue for a caricature as a way for them to escape to the bar. As in, make the artist a babysitter that you will be paying for.

WHO’S UP FIRST?

Sometimes it’s a struggle to get the first person to volunteer for a drawing. We could lose 1 5 minutes trying to coax someone. This is understandable as the guests don’t always know what to expect.

My solution to this is once I get set up I start by drawing 2 caricatures of nobody in particular, a man and a woman, and stick them up on the wall beside me. Just as a warm-up. This at least lets people see the style of the drawings.

Another way is to ask one of the staff to volunteer to start things off.

But if you could have someone from your party told in advance and ready to step up (your maddest friend!), that will get the ball rolling straight away.

And soon enough there will be a queue forming

How to find a caricature artist in Ireland?

With any entertainer, word of mouth recommendation is usually the best. Or if you saw someone you liked working at a wedding or party, you could look them up.

If you are finding an artist using the internet, just make sure to look at a few examples of the live drawings on their website. So that you can see if they draw in a style you like.

[LINK] You can see some of my work by clicking here

Pay attention to where each artist is based. Booking someone who lives nearer might mean a better price, rather than getting someone who will need to drive for hours.

Okay, good luck with your event! I hope some of this was useful :)