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Colorado Springs caricature contact Frederic Eyer

FAQ Caricature by Eyer link Frequently Asked Questions about Frederic Eyer link
Q. How many faces per hour can you draw at a party?
A. I generally quote my rate as 3-5 minutes per person, depending upon if the employer wishes fast head shots only or something with the subject involved in an activity.

Q. Do caricatures always take the persons worst features and exaggerate them?
A. No! It's true that some fantastic caricaturists seem to do that and still achieve remarkable resemblances, but I've found a different approach works best for me (especially in live settings- I can't run as fast as I used to!). Seriously, I'm drawn to (and draw) the features that interest me the most upon first impression, usually the eyes, the smile, and the subjects expression (which also helps bring their personality to the picture). Exaggerating the big, doe eyes of a little girl or a man's lantern jaw wouldn't be called picking on the worst features, but still creates a fun (and funny) cartoon of them.

Q. Does anyone ever get mad or not like their caricature?
A. Are there any of us that can do our jobs and always please everyone? I like people and want them to like their caricatures, but a few folks just don't want to see themselves in a humorous light, and it's usually a picture that I think is an especially good one that takes the heat. That's when I count on crowd support to keep me out of trouble! I've done this for over 20 years and drawn tens of thousands of people, and so far, so good...

Q. Did you have formal training in art?
A. Actually, my college education was in music (I spent my 20's as a professional musician), but my entire childhood was like being in art school. My father is an amazing artist who trained at Chicago's Art Institute (you can see some of his works here), and I grew up surrounded by art, art books and the atmosphere of watching my dad draw, paint, and be creative in every imaginable way. I was also blessed with a mother who encouraged "thinking outside the box" and supported all of my artistic explorations. As a child I drew constantly (and was way too into MAD Magazine), and as an adult I've taken classes in different media to acquaint myself with new things. Studying art in books, comics, and absorbing the influence of artists I know makes my job a fun and ongoing learning process.

Q. Can you draw caricatures from photographs?
A. Yes, I do them quite often as gifts or presentations, or just for folks who'd like a caricature of themselves or their family and aren't able to get everyone together for a sitting. For more info on work from photos, please click on this link to photo guidelines.

Q. Do you do "serious" art?
A. I guess I've done my share of still-lifes, portraits, and landscapes, but to me, if a person can draw one out of six billion or so people on this Earth, exaggerate and distort their features so as to make it a cartoon, and still make that person recognizable...that's serious art!
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