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August 5, 2011
When I last surveyed my customers to find out how much they’d be happy to spend on leaving gifts for colleagues – provided those colleagues were very, very important and appreciated and liked, mind – the answer came in at around £5 to £10 per person. Oops, I thought. I’ve set out to create leaving gifts with an average retail price of around £120, and aimed them squarely at the corporate market I’m now surveying, and turns out I’m ten times too expensive. Time to close up shop.
Thankfully, another logic prevailed: Team logic. We’ve worked as a team, so we’ll buy as a team. Indeed, in most companies, leaving gifts are bought together, by a group for an individual. So people chip in. £5 or £10 usually. Make that twelve people, and you’ve got yourself a Charlie’s Cartoon!
After being reassured by this, another point came to light which actually appeared to be to my advantage. For £5 or £10 a head, our customers are getting a pretty big bang for their buck. Along with their fiver, everyone in the office can chip in an opinion or an anecdote which makes the leaving gifts that much more personalised, and then see the fruit of their contribution later on when they see the finished caricature cartoons.
Plus everyone can have a copy of these leaving gifts. If you’re not the person the cartoon was made for you’re not likely to put a copy of it up on your wall, but it’ll usually find its way to the bottom of a drawer or folder to be found years later. And when you do find these leaving gifts again, they bring back even more memories than a photo. Remember when so and so did this, then that happened? It’s all in these leaving gifts. Charlie’s Cartoons sum those years right up.
August 4, 2011
Are you looking for a fun, unique gift for someone for their birthday? Or maybe you’re thinking ahead for Christmas? If you want something that’s different, that will really make someone smile or laugh, why not consider custom caricatures?
Caricatures are cartoon portraits based on someone real, usually based on a photo of that person. Here at Charlies Cartoons, we specialize in high quality caricature pictures that make the perfect gift for any occasion.
Here’s how it works: All you have to do is get in touch with us using the Order Your Cartoon Page. Send us a few photos of the person you want a caricature of, and tell us a little bit about them. What is their job? What are their hobbies? Are they married, or do they have pets?
Once we receive your order, we’ll review it and then get back to you with some ideas of our own. We’ll tell you what we have in mind for the drawing. Then you will have the chance to let us know any changes you want to make to our ideas. When you are happy for us to get started, we’ll begin to create the caricature from photos and the other information given.
When the drawing is ready, we’ll invoice you and send you a scanned copy of the caricature so that you can see what it looks like. And voila—you have the perfect gift. Unique, funny, and sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
These make great gifts for graduation, retirement, birthdays, and many other occasions.
July 25, 2011
Like many people, you may well have seen caricature cartoons. Such images often feature in newspaper sketches and magazines and you might have seen street artists selling the creations when you are out and about.
However, you may never have considered getting caricature pictures, whether as a gift or for yourself, because you simply don’t know how to approach the task.
The good news is, getting your perfect personalised caricatures may be much easier than you think. The web has had a major impact on many areas of modern life and this is yet another example.
Here at Charlie’s Cartoons we specialise in providing superb quality caricatures and the process of ordering through us could not be more straightforward. All you have to do is send us a few images of the subject in question. Meanwhile, details of the individuals or stories that feature them should also be provided.
We will then get back to you within 24 hours detailing some ideas for your custom caricatures and, if you like the sound of them, we will make a start. Of course, you can add to and edit these suggestions as you please.
After the process is completed, you should have the ideal caricature pictures, and all without having to venture out of your house to order or pick them up.
So, if you think you could benefit from creations like this, now could be the perfect time to investigate further. The only tricky part is deciding which photos to use.
July 19, 2011
Weddings are among the most important occasions in people’s lives. Tying the knot is an act of love and devotion and it marks the start of a new phase of couples’ relationships. So, as well as all the fun and celebration, these events have a serious and deeply intimate side.
Therefore, when you are looking for presents to buy the bride and groom, you might find you are stuck for inspiration. It can be hard to find romantic gifts that are not clichéd. Sometimes the happy couple provide a list for you to choose from, but this is becoming less popular.
One great option you might not have considered is caricature cartoons. After all, this is not necessarily the most obvious thought when you are conjuring up ideas for offerings. Instead, your mind may initially be steered towards toasters, wine glasses and so on.
However, custom caricatures can last for much longer than household appliances and glassware. Such items often take pride of place in living rooms and other such spaces and are admired by all who see them.
The best thing about personalised caricatures is their ability to capture the personalities of the bride and groom and to draw attention to the events that led to their marriage. As well as being great pictures, they also tell many stories simultaneously.
And, unlike gifts that lack originality, these offerings are sure to be unique.
So, if you want to make an impression with your present, why not take a look around our website and see if we could provide you with the perfect wedding caricatures.
July 14, 2011
If you have been on a trip to remember, you may well want to commemorate it. Perhaps you went with colleagues from work, a group of friends, your partner or your family. Whoever was involved, the memories might be something you are eager to hold onto.
The trouble is, in this age of digital photos, many of the images you take may simply be stored on your computer or downloaded onto the web. This can be a great way of sharing pictures, but it is never as good to view them in this way. They don’t seem as real.
Of course, you can choose to print out some of the photos to place around your home or office, or to keep in albums.
However, you can take this one step further and have special caricature cartoons created to celebrate your adventure. Such pictures are fantastic because not only can they be humorous and great to look at, they also tell a story about your trip.
By sending images into us here at Charlie’s Cartoons, along with a number of anecdotes concerning your holiday, you can rest assured the final product will provide a superb reminder of your experiences.
Among the best images to send in are action shots. These make the perfect base for custom caricatures as people’s features already tend to be exaggerated.
Each time you look at the cartoon caricatures you order, you will instantly be transported back to your trip.
Meanwhile, you can also have such caricature pictures created as a present for your fellow holidaymakers.
July 9, 2011
When people you care about move away to far flung destinations, you may feel a deep sense of sadness. Although communications technology is better now than it has ever been in the past, this still cannot make up for the fact that the individuals will no longer be in the same location as you.
Before they leave, you may want to show them you care and provide them with thoughtful gifts. However, it can be hard to know what to buy in such situations. Often, recipients cannot take anything big or heavy with them, as they have to transport it. Also, many of the sentimental presents available look clichéd and even tacky.
But there is one great option that ticks all the boxes and that is personalised caricatures. These pictures can make a fantastic addition to the people’s new homes and should bring a smile to their faces each time they see them.
Of course, you can choose what is included on the caricature gifts. For example, you might want to use a group picture including you, the individual in question and a number of others.
The wonderful thing about caricature pictures is the fact that they can encapsulate people’s personalities and experiences so concisely.
Meanwhile, by using us here at Charlie’s Cartoons to get your caricature portraits, you can ensure the gift is truly personal. We ask you to provide information about the individual or group involved, or a story involving them.
To find out more about how our service operates, simply take a look around our website or get in touch.
July 8, 2011
There’s a number of great sites out there doing caricatures from photos. Some of them are more digital based, using sophisticated photoshop methods to achieve brilliant creative results in a minimum time. Often the results are neat, high-impact and clear. In addition, due to the short time it takes a well trained photoshop artist to create such a caricature, the products are often quite affordable too. So why pay more for one of our hand-made cartoons?
Well there’s no straightforward answer to that. After all, I guess we just make the same basic product: Caricatures from photos that customers supply. Except ours take longer and cost more. So why bother? Well, let me paint you a picture (as it were): Your granny gets two pictures for her 80th birthday: One is a digital cartoon, very slick and well made, slightly reminiscent of the kind of illustration you might get in a glossy magazine. The other is a hand-made cartoon, made with ink and paint, containing details that the cartoonist pored over for days to produce. Which of these two caricatures from photos do you think she’s more likely to keep for a long time? If you’ve gone for the hand made caricatures from photos (that’s what I was angling for…) then you’re right: These are really enduring gifts. They will be kept for years to come and raise a smile on a regular basis. So they’re worth the investment, don’t you think?
At the far end of the digital spectrum, you even get programmes online that will use complex algorithms to transform your photo into a cartoon. As this is fully mechanised and doesn’t take a second of artistic intervention, the service can be free (the sites get money from advertising only). Once again, a great idea for some type of occasion: An e-invite to a birthday party, for example. But if you’re looking for long-lasting caricatures from photos, go the hand-made route. It’ll be something that’s kept forever.
July 5, 2011
Raising a family is not always easy, as you will know if you have one yourself. However, it can be one of the most rewarding things people can do in their lives and is therefore something that should be marked.
The incredible thing is how quickly times change. Youngsters seem to transform from babies to children, to adolescents and then fully-fledged adults within the blink of an eye. It is therefore vital to preserve each stage for posterity.
This is where family caricatures come into their own. Not only are they a great way of marking points in time and reflecting events that have happened, they also encapsulate something of the personalities of those included. Meanwhile, they look great hanging on walls and often get plenty of positive attention from guests.
Also, there is another advantage of having caricature portraits of your family. Because the end results are humorous, they provide a great opportunity to bond with your loved ones. Laughing together is one of the best ways to strengthen your relationships.
The great news is, getting caricature cartoons has never been easier. For example, you can use our website here at Charlie’s Cartoons. All you have to do is send us a few pictures and some details of the individuals in the snaps, or information about an experience you want to be reflected.
Regardless of the type of group caricatures you are seeking, we should be able to help and, because you get to edit or add to our ideas part way through the process, you are bound to be more than happy with the results.
July 1, 2011
What does it feel like to make a caricature cartoon? Well it depends on the occasion, really. Last July I was commissioned to create a cartoon for the leaving party of Francis Baron, chairman of the Rugby Football Union, to be presented to him on the day of his departure at Twickenham Stadium. Obviously, it was an important commission for us, and it was of critical importance that I should get it right. I had set aside a week of afternoons (the mornings would be used for administrating the business) to complete it. I had only just received the final bits of information from his secretary, and the deadline was in a week.
It was crucial not to mess this one up. Because of the size (80x60cm), I decided to go for canvas. The tricky thing being, canvas is not the same material as paper, and the medium you use to produce a caricature cartoon on paper is totally different to what you’d use to create a caricature cartoon on canvas… But I did not know this. Instead, I just went ahead with my usual watercolours, which proceeded to fall off the canvas like oil drops off a Teflon pan. I had to bite the bullet and buy some oil colours. Not only had I no experience at all at using oil, but the shop only had three primary colours – blue, yellow and red. I treated myself to some black, white and green, just to be safe. Then, I had to make up every colours (skin included!), from scratch.
Needless to say, it was the most stressful caricature cartoon commission of my life. Still, when a friend called me up 5 days before the deadline, I put the paintbrush between my teeth, wiped the sweat off my brow and answered – Hewwo? She had tickets to Glastonbury festival. Would I work hard and spend the weekend sad and alone, or would I drop everything for the time of my life and almost certain professional ruin? Of course I chose the latter, got back on the Monday hungover, way behind on my deadline, and about to turn thirty the following day. I finished the caricature cartoon in two days, and it was a huge success.
June 28, 2011
When you think of the different circumstances and occasions in which you can give caricature gifts, there really is no limit to this. For example, if you have relatives who live abroad and you want to give them a permanent reminder of you and your family, why not send them family caricatures which capture you and your loved ones perfectly? You probably keep in touch with them on Skype, but they are sure to love this different perspective of their relatives which will adorn the walls of their home.
This is just one way in which cartoon caricatures can be used as a gift, but the options are endless and it’s easy to have your own caricatures drawn. First of all you need to find a talented artist, but seeing as you are here on the Charlies Cartoons website you don’t need to look any further for the talented artist!
Perhaps you have a friend who has a birthday approaching and you are wondering what to buy them to mark the day. If so, why not think about caricature gifts? This makes a real change from the usual present we tend to give to good friends, and you can be sure that they will love this gift when you present it to them on their big day.
Charlie specialises in drawing a caricature from photos, so all you have to do is send a selection of pictures and some information about your friend, and leave the rest to him.
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