Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions I ALWAYS get asked whilst I'm in the middle of a drawing.

How long have you been doing this?
Two minutes? Oh yes, I see. I went into business as an entertainer in 1999 but have been doing caricatures for around twenty years, not counting drawing the teachers at school.

What do you actually do?!
I draw portrait cartoons at social events, handing them to the guests as I go along. I 'mix'n'mingle' - say during a drinks reception, 'table-hop' -  working the room and drawing people who are having dinner, or sketch from one place, 'stall format'. Not being a stage performer (...yet?!), I'm adaptable ~ don't need to "set up", or require any particular space. As venues are far flung all over the country, a large part of the job is simply getting there and back.

How much do you charge for the drawings?
I get a modest fee for each engagement...it's hard enough drawing people you've never met, without having to get money out of them too! Feed the artists, I say!

How long does each drawing take?
When I'm flying I can do some in a couple of minutes flat...it can depend on conditions - lighting, crowds and so on. Truth is it's not a good idea to over-rush the sketches. Unless I'm directed otherwise, five or six minutes is about average. I'm fast and get as many done as well as possible.

Do you enjoy your job? It must be nice to work at something you like doing...
Were I prone to cynicism, I might call it an anthropological study of primitive culture. Seriously though, people and situations are great fun. Guests are scrubbed up and out to have an enjoyable time, so they tend to be sociable and receptive - and then they get a seriously good portrait that they and their friends can enjoy - so they're even nicer to me once the drawing is done!

What makes you good?
Well, I draw really quickly and my drawings actually look more like the subjects than they do. They're always either funny or appealing or both, but never ever tacky ~ I usually draw people smiling but never go near 'that cheesy grin'. It makes me cringe when I see those drawings. I'm also good with people; I've been entertaining professionally for nine years, and know how to make crowds loosen up and take an interest whilst laughing at the drawings, between themselves, or blatantly at me, which I enjoy (I'm a bit of an amateur gurner). 

Do you ever get people who absolutely don't want to be sketched?
You may see some on this site that make you think "Ouch! Bet THEY weren't happy!" It's true that some people don't have any sense of humour but you'd be surprised how much they enter into the spirit. It's never been a problem, although once a woman literally did duck under a tablecloth. I'm sensitive to people's responses. I immediately spot the frail of ego and don't even begin to draw them. Often, subjects are a bit apprehensive - they often tell me they've had a bad, overpriced one done at a tourist trap. When they see the result of my efforts, they're pleasantly surprised.

Do we have to look at you while you draw?
Not necessarily, but hopefully that won't be too painful a task! I studied animation so got used to drawing things on the move. When I table-hop during a dinner, people are hungry and must eat, so I'm used to coming second to the food.

Do you do children's parties?
Yes, but not very often. In all the years I've done this, I've only done about ten, but they've all gone great. I'm not a children's entertainer as such, but if the kids are supervised and brought to me one by one I'll produce a set of sketches that will delight both the kids and the adults for years to come. I think I'm good at drawing kids - see the live sketches. As they themselves love drawing, they "get it".

Did you study art?
Chelsea College of Art for two years, Illustration degree at the University of Portsmouth for three, drawn animation for one. Oh, and twenty years of lightning sketches live at the Polytechnic of life.

Does art run in the family?
My grandfather was a traditional realist society portrait painter. My mother was a fashion designer. She had a great dress shop in Chelsea during the sixties and seventies. When she designed, she would draw figures really quickly, using felt tips on typing paper - as I do, but far more stylishly! One of my sisters is a photographer, the other an academic art theorist. A cousin is a restorer of fine art paintings, and various other cousins and uncles have been artists.

Do you use special pens...what materials do you use?
Brush-tipped felt pens on card. I switched from black aquarelle pencil a while ago because what you lose in any subtlety you make up for in impact and speed. It's what they want, especially after a few shandies!
I work A4 unless otherwise advised, in which case I can go larger or smaller. Drawings are presented in clear sleeves with a handy free rubber band. If a company logo, message, background (eg a "Wanted" poster), or a generic body or car or something where the heads are plonked on need printing on the cards I draw on, I can provide that service at a very reasonable rate.

Where are you based?
Shoreditch, an obscure East End area next to the City of London. It doesn't even have a tube station. There was a burgeoning scene - "street art" (ostensibly graffiti, but often interesting work done by decent artists - here a few years ago. Now it's mainly stencils and writing your nickname over & over. There's about a million little private galleries, and a lot of coffee. It's laughably backward in terms of fashion and culture ~ I'm trying to set a standard for those around me, but I'll probably move away in despair at some point. I'm always glad to escape the urban sprawl to jobs in nice parts of the countryside. Have pen will travel.

Is this your full-time job? What else do you do?
I get up to other things...when I'm not filling up sketchbooks I take on illustration & design commissions. I've got all sorts of side-projects - look out below for my forthcoming book on the Ramones and South Kensington!

Is there one type of face that makes for a great caricature, that you instantly recognise and pounce on?
Yes, definitely, some faces happily shout out at you that they are naturally amusing raw material...erm, would you mind very much being sketched?

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