Kerry Manwaring: 2009

Here are examples of the caricatures I do at my gigs. I cannot get myself to exaggerate much at all for these parties. Happy people, happy reviews, happy tips, come again for our next party.

I admit it! I'm a full fledged people pleaser! Guys like Joe Bluhm would call me a spineless wimp.

I don't like hurting children's feelings or confronting adult humorless vanity, especially women's. Before I even begin, many say, " leave out my double chin, make me skinny, leave out the wrinkles, fix my hair," then they wonder why it doesn't really look like them. It's so much more pleasant dealing with "I look ten years younger." I can have fun with the crazy stuff at home.

So, wuss it is. I prefer positive feedback.

The aspect I despised most when working as a caricaturist at Universal Studios was the boss getting upset at me for talking and interacting with the guests. Admittedly, conversing slows the drawing production down which then affects register receipts and money in my pocket (and the bosses), but made my job more interesting, enjoyable and rich in a different sense of the word.

This is why I LOVE doing party gigs! No one is standing over my shoulder with a stop watch, and I can interact with abandon. It's amazing how often juicy details are divulged in a few short minutes to me, a complete stranger. Perhaps that is the whole point. Confessional outlet to someone they will never see again. Sometimes everyone is laughing so heartily that I have to stop drawing or I'd totally mess it up.

I had an exceptional gig on September 26th at a ranchette on the outskirts of Santa Clarita. My clients had their 3rd annual RV party. Invited are friends and their families for a couple days of fun, food, and socializing. They own and live on about six acres of land that include a stable area where they board and train horses, a huge garage/barn for equipment and storage, a pool, their own bar/saloon and LOTS of open space to park all their friends RV's. Scheduled for two hours, I ended up drawing for three until it got too dark to see. Children and adults alike seemed to really enjoy my work, especially the two girls I drew flying out of inner tubes on the water, and the three ladies drawn dancing on stripper poles with guys whistling and waving money in the background. They seemed impressed that the simple guys I drew actually resembled their mates despite not having seen them.

Paula, the party's host asked if I would like to stick around for awhile. Why not? Paula has a son with Downs as does her friend with whom I spent a lot of time conversing with, learning about her, and her family. I was fascinated to learn how she has coped taking care of her Downs son Brandon along with his two brothers that are fully functional for the past 25 years.

Later they had a scrumptious meal of barbecued chicken and tri-tip, seasoned mashed potatoes, and a variety of pastas, salads, fruit, and breads. Awesome grub is the only description I can come up with!

Paula's daughter Tina gave me a little tour around the spread. She was especially proud of the bar. It had been converted from a horses tack barn and adorned with an eclectic menagerie of art, signs, pictures, knick knacks, posters, neon, a vintage motorcycle hung in the rafters, a jukebox and a big screen TV, of course. Her husband did the lighting himself out of old wine bottles. The bar was u-shaped and even had a stripper pole. Problem was, it was made of wood. Old SPLINTERED wood, so I'm assuming it was either for show and laughs, or for those adventurous dancers wearing at least leather gloves and chaps. :)

After a rather suggestive but hilarious adult party game, the kids (who had been over in the bouncy house) finally convinced the adults it was time for a hay ride. With one layer of baled hay, the tractor driven trailer was loaded up and unwisely driven by Paula's husband Tim who was rather tipsy from his evening of reveling amongst friends. An unsuspecting and unfortunate soul had parked the family SUV next to Tim's weapon of mass destruction. The bucket on the front of the tractor kissed the back wheel well of the SUV right before our eyes as Tim blearily backed up. He seemed oblivious to the shrieks of concern. We became more horrified for the little white car that came within inches of having it's rear end meet up with it's headlights, but mercy was delivered when Tim decided there was room enough to grind the gears into forward. After nearly taking out the whole side of a parked RV he headed for open ground with late comers running after and yelling to get on, then almost tumbling off from a premature restart. After some nervous laughter, things calmed down and Tim did pretty well on the wide lanes. We had almost closed in on the finish line without further incident, but the gauntlet of stables lay ahead for the last leg. Clang! Sure enough, trailer met with metal holding pen, a jarring halt, and a few toppled bodies. Luckily no injuries. The color drained from my already fair visage as we drew near the field where a space existed between a parked truck and MY car and Tim was heading THERE!! Instantly nauseous and grimacing, I sucked in the breath of anguished anticipation. Unbelievably, my feeble prayer was answered, though the trailer came much too close for comfort. As Hellboy curved around, all his angst filled passengers yelled for an immediate halt! He seemed determined to go up and over a small berm. A few more feet and he would have plowed into the bar, taking friends and memorabilia along with it. Though we all laughed, it wouldn't have been funny had someone been injured, especially a child. Never Drive Drunk! Never be Driven by a Drunk! Even on a hay ride.

Having said that, I must admit that I had a great time. I got some hugs, positive feedback, a delicious meal, some scintillating conversation, a most generous tip, and an extra hour of drawing income. I was originally to be done and leaving around 6:00PM and ended up arriving home at 12:30 AM. How could you not love getting to do gigs like this?

Yesterday was fun as well. I "worked" for three hours at a Fry's Electronics store in Woodland Hills as part of their customer appreciation gift. Every Saturday for the last few months they have brought in diverse entertainment. Balloon artists, face painters, clowns, glass blowers, etc., and now caricatures.

Barbara was the very nice lady in charge and she helped me get what I needed. Though she instructed me that customers got first priority, it seemed like more than a few employees were taking their breaks at the artist's easel. Barbara came over quite often to watch. I think she was determining if I was worthy to entertain at her store and making sure her customers left smiling rather than crying. It was nice to hear those "he's really good" comments in the background, especially with Barbara present. Though she observed much of my work, I could not get her to sit down for her own cartoon. She was worried how I would make her look.

My last drawing was of an employee, Andrea, and she related to me that Barbara will bring back entertainers that she likes. Here's hoping I made a good impression. I went all out with her picture. She loves Halloween (year round) so I drew her as a zombie in a graveyard with headstones, a skeleton, a crypt and a moon with murky sky. She seemed quite pleased with the result, couldn't wait to show it to Barbara and said she would make sure I come back. Yes, and Thank You!!...... Next!