Read this if you are in two minds about giving a caricature!
Judith Hayton ordered three caricatures from Terry in the run up to Christmas 2009. She had never done anything like it before and was worried what the results would be like. Here she shares her thoughts before, during and after the process.
“I was wondering what to get for a present for men that’s different (men are so difficult to buy for). I remembered seeing a Fizzers flyer a friend had pointed out and I thought caricatures would be a good idea. I made contact by phone and e-mail and received very prompt, helpful but not pushy replies. It was helpful that the artist I spoke to described some of other pics he had done. I was worried about spending what was a fairly large amount of money but decided that the people I had in mind were worth it. My only problem was wondering about what if the caricatures didn’t turnout ok, could I still give them as gifts? What about if the people they were meant for were insulted by the caricatures?
I decided to cross that bridge if I came to it. Initially I decided to go for black & white artwork only to reduce cost. However when I started listing things that could be put in e.g. cars, football strips I realised it would be so much better in colour. Therefore went for colour but decided against framing; they could choose their own frames!
I enjoyed thinking about what to put in that could personalise each caricature and made a long list, but highlighted certain things that I definitely wanted in. I kept remembering new things to put in and the artist didn’t complain and included many of them. With that it was over to the artist. I got only a few hints about what was going in; for example I was asked about the colour of a specific car owned by one of my friends.
When I collected the finished caricatures it was with some trepidation but my immediate impression was WOW! My satisfaction increased as I looked more closely and saw all the detail. I was really impressed about the amount of knowledge and research the artist put in e.g. Japanese manga style characters in one or the accurate reproduction of Barclays Canary Wharf building in another. I was amazed by the creativity in setting up the scenes shown. I had paid for the artistic skill as well.
I couldn’t wait until Christmas to share the caricatures so showed other friends first and all three were well received. The reaction from the people they were meant for was all I hoped it would be. Surprised and amused and that’s great. The recipients had fun interpreting the visual jokes and references in their cartoon and seeing new things. They kept coming back to them and tried to interpret each other’s. I know they must have liked them as they weren’t hidden in a drawer but shown around to everyone!”
To get the ball rolling on your caricature for a friend, colleague or loved one please click on the contact link above!