| |
November 1, 2011
A caricature cartoon can be so many different things. Each one captures something different and makes a unique statement- and that can be anything you want it to be. Here are just a few ways people have used Charlie’s art:
1. Wedding anniversary gifts. We can make a single caricature from photos taken over the course of a whole year, recording and celebrating all the great things that have happened to a couple.
2. Retirement presents. What better way to applaud years of service than with an affectionate, cheerful cartoon? A photo of a person sitting at a desk can’t show just how much they meant to the company but a hand-drawn, lovingly crafted picture can.
3. Business cards. If you want people to be interested in your business cards they need to be different. With a personalised image drawn by Charlie your card can be engaging and memorable.
4. Corporate art. Offices don’t have to be boring and nor do business websites. Charlie works with companies that want to promote a friendly, helpful image and a reputation for thinking outside the box.
5. Welcoming family portraits. Caricatures from photos are great for adding a touch of warmth to a home. Visitors seeing an image of a happy, friendly family will be put at their ease and friends will be delighted and amused.
6. Stag gifts. A cartoon can be the perfect way to commemorate the end of bachelorhood. A group portrait of all the groom’s friends will make sure they’re not forgotten as he settles into marital bliss.
October 22, 2011
So what have been the highlights of the business so far? We’ve been making cartoon caricatures at Charlie’s Cartoons now for almost two years, and it’s true that the day to day process is pretty exhausting. Some of it is exciting and creative, some of it repetitive, like in any industry. But I suppose the main thing that lets us have fun is the fact that we have to be immersed, very quickly, into other people’s lives. Good cartoon caricatures require intimate knowledge of people .
One definite highlight has to be when the secretary to Francis Baron, the former chairman of the Rugby Football Union, invited me to Twickenham to discuss producing a caricature of the England team, and of Francis himself. Now most cartoon caricatures require us to enjoy getting acquainted with people from photos and emails. For this caricature, I was actually invited to come and see the England versus Barbarians match, just to get a feel of the stadium! Anyway, I hope the feel was conveyed in the cartoon… because it was one of the best cartoon caricatures I’ve had the pleasure of doing, and one of the most immersive creative processes I’ve ever enjoyed.
Once the match was over, it was time to knuckle down and get to work. The problem was: I do most of my cartoon caricatures with watercolour on paper… and this one had to be done with oil paint on canvas! Added to which, the only oil paint I had were the primary colours: red, yellow, blue. Oh, and some green thrown in too. Not the easiest cartoon caricatures experience – but we got there in the end.
October 17, 2011
How do we make sure we get our caricatures from photos absolutely spot-on? Well, my view used to be that the subjective buck has to stop somewhere, and that I should simply have the final call on how the cartoonists arrive at their successful draft. I used to check the drafts of our caricatures from photos on my own, and not run them past the customer, trusting that my instinct was always right. Well guess what, I was wrong!
Sure, in most cases the caricatures from photos that were of good enough quality, if faithful to the original image and mixed together with enough entertaining fantasy on the part of the artist, would go down very well. And I would always let out a long “phiewph” at every happy response email that would come my way concerning the completed caricatures from photos.
But every so often we would get a bad surprise. “That’s not at all him!” the odd customer would say after seeing the final product. The truth was that my desire to make these caricatures from photos into wonderful surprises that customers could discover all in one go had outweighed practical reality. My vision and the vision of my associate cartoonists might be good. It might be artistic. But it might not be right. And after all, context and composition is all very well, but likeness is the single most important thing for caricatures from photos.
So since January 2011, we have run drafts of all our caricatures from photos past our customers before proceeding to the ink and paint stage. And the result? Nobody ever gets disappointed… and the surprise is still just as great!
October 15, 2011
Many cartoon caricature artists work simply with one picture in mind, and will drawn the same figure in the same context. However, here at Charlie’s Cartoons, we only draw our subject exactly how our customer wants them. So, whether your chosen subject likes football or shopping, there is always something for you. We offer many different styles of caricatures from photos as well, ranging from graduation gifts, to anniversary gifts, to more humorous and funny gifts.
Our range of caricatures is available to view on our website. We can tailor any cartoon caricature to however you want it. So, whether you are looking for your brother, for your father, or for a friend, we really can help you in every way. Most of our caricatures also have a humorous side to them, and they can also tell tales of a person’s life and past experience. We can incorporate any past experience into your caricature, and the more suggestions you give us, the more we get to play with.
The process for a caricature from photos is made simple by our experts. All you need to do is firstly contact us, just to gain further information on exactly what we can offer. The next step is generally sending a few photographs of your chosen subject to us. Now, these photographs are best when taken as a portrait, and possibly from different angles. Normally 2 or 3 photos will suffice. Once we have received these, as they say, the rest is history!
October 12, 2011
More and more companies are turning to people like us for cartoon caricatures to use as their website mugshots, rather than photos. Maybe it’s because they think we’re more flattering, maybe it’s because photographers cost so much? (Well I know we’re not exactly cheap – but £300 for a headshot? Come on!) Maybe it’s just that cartoon caricatures can convey that dynamic glint in the eye that companies want to convey… And also, when you’ve had that swanky website designed to make your company look like the hottest on the block, cartoon caricatures can be the final touch that just makes you look like you don’t take yourself too seriously.
Then there are the style choices: Do you want your cartoon caricatures to be heads only, head and shoulders only, or full body? Full body cartoon caricatures are my favourite: they enable for an element of personality to be worked in: sportiness, geekiness, any personality facet – or else the caricature can convey a hobby, a particular profession, anything.
And then, what’s great for us is that companies require continuity… So to preserve the consistent style of the website, whenever people are fired or hired, cartoon caricatures are removed and replaced. Might seem like a harsh and slightly mercenary way to look at things, but it’s a great stream of caricature business for us!
We can also be a very cheap option for businesses. As a start up, we need to get our cartoon caricatures out there into the public eye, so I’m more than ready to strike deals: cheaper cartoon caricatures in exchange for references and clickable links on the page. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours!
October 5, 2011
I got two orders today for cartoon caricatures for weddings. The funny thing is customers rarely know exactly what they want for this kind of caricature. They have the general feel that they’d like something sweet and pretty to commemorate their big day. But then the day can’t be all pretty and perfect – it shouldn’t be too serious. That’s where cartoon caricatures come in: to poke just enough fun at the characters, at the event, and to undermine any seriousness in an upbeat way. Cartoon caricatures say: “Hey, we might be dressing up, looking fancy and living a fairy tale for a day, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Taking one of the most important steps of a lifetime doesn’t have to be done without the kind of sense of humour that a caricature can convey.”
But beyond knowing that they want to bring that feel to the event that cartoon caricatures bring, customers often don’t really know where to start. They’re often overjoyed when I explain that cartoon caricatures can kill a multitude of birds with one stone: they can be scanned and used on invites, they can be mounted and left by the marquis to sign on the day, and they can be kept forever after. With all these uses at hand, our cartoon caricatures often turn out to be pretty good sentimental and practical value for money!
On the other hand, wedding caricatures are the type of cartoon caricature for which people are, understandably, the most particular about what they want. And you can understand why: this isn’t just some funny off-the-cuff caricature gift to hand to granddad on father’s day – this is how people want to be portrayed at their prime. Cartoon caricatures, sure. Humour, absolutely. But everything in exactly the right dose, please! Wedding cartoon caricatures are drafted and re-drafted to get the balance of humour and personal charm absolutely right.
September 18, 2011
Sometimes grandparents are hard to buy for. So, why not get a personalized gift that will show your affection as well as your sense of humour?
Caricatures make great gifts for people of all ages. But perhaps grandparents will most enjoy seeing happy memories from their lives transposed into cartoon form. After all, what better way to remember the past in an uplifting light than to do it while smiling or laughing?
A cartoon caricature specifically for your grandparents could be a picture of your grandfather and grandmother in a familiar scene or from a favourite memory—like their wedding day, a perfect vacation, or sitting in lawn chairs in front of their house.
Or, you could order a caricature from photos that featured your grandparents in the forefront with their grandchildren in the background.
Send us some information about your grandparents along with the photos. Tell us who they are and what they like to do. You may even want to collaborate with some of your cousins to get more perspective on what your grand parents are like, and how the picture should look.
Once you have some photos and ideas, send them off to us via the contact form found under the Order Your Cartoon tab. Prices start at only £90 for A4 caricatures from photos. Please place your order well in advance of the day it’s required.
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.
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.
Older Posts »
|
|
