Merry Christmas Everyone

Hope you all have a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas with your friends and family.

I look forward to completing your orders in 2012.

Star Wars Caricature

My Star Wars Caricatures are extremely popular with orders coming in regularly.

There are many space and Star Wars themed backgrounds to choose from or you can have your very own sci-fi background designed.

From Han Solo to Luke Skywalker, now you can be rescuing your very own Princess Leia from the clutches of the dark lord himself, Darth Vader.

The Star Wars caricature, like the Star Wars films has a bit of a cult following here at DrawMe.com.au.

The ability to create anything with no limits is a great asset to have. There are no pre-defined concepts in the Star Wars universe so anything is possible when it comes to producing alien creatures, cool space ships or new blaster weapons.

The Star Wars caricature will make a great gift for the sci-fi geek in your life.

Any amendments can be made to any of the various Star Wars or other sci-fi themes available. You can truly personalise these stunning pieces of art.

The Star Wars prints look awesome at 12" x 18" (30cm x 45cm) but for real effect I recommend either the 50cm x 75cm canvas or any of the framed versions. They larger full colour versions make a real impact and allow more detail to be shown. And, after all, the sci-fi fan loves to show off his memorabilia.

If you would like your very own Star Wars caricature designed then contact me via the website at http://www.drawme.com.au

The Wedding Proposal

The dreaded wedding proposal. The day when the young man gets down on bended knee to ask the most important question of his life!

Now, what you would say if you got a reaction such as that shown opposite?

It's always great to work with a couple who like to add a little humour into their caricatures.

The wedding proposal caricature is one of my favourites and it's easy to see why.

The scene can be recaptured and preserved in your very own commemorative caricature for all to see.

The great thing is that once the faces are drawn they can be used on new backgrounds for the wedding invitations, wedding gifts etc.

If you have a unique idea for your own wedding proposal or engagement caricature then I am always happy to design what you require. I have had many very strange requests over the years but I always manage to oblige.

Get in contact with me today to arrange your unique wedding proposal caricature. http://www.drawme.com.au

Wedding Chains

The wedding season is almost upon me as I prepare for the rush of wedding caricature orders.

This 'Wedding Chains' theme is a great talking point for wedding invitations, guest signature board, or even as little wedding favours.

If you are getting married or know someone who is then this is the perfect gift for you.

The wedding caricatures always delight and always seem to be one of the highlights of the wedding.

Order your wedding caricature early and present the wedding party with a truly unique gift. That's right...forget the toaster, let your imagination (or mine) run wild with the design of your very own commissioned piece of art!

You can contact me via my website at http://www.drawme.com.au

South Sydney Rabbitohs

Are you a fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs?

This unique caricature design can feature you as a South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby player with a difference....you are a rabbit!!

This is a very popular design and is one of many I produce as rugby caricatures.

Any team and any colours can be produced. Any number of people can be included...even a whole rugby team if you wish.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs themes include many family caricatures and individual rugby players. Just as for more details.

If you would like your very own South Sydney Rabbitohs caricature designed then simply place your caricature order via my website at http://www.drawme.com.au

Retirement & Leaving Gifts

This is a retirement gift for an employee of SCS, a company dealing with satellite TV.

One of their colleagues was retiring and planning to travel and they requested a caricature design to show him about to take off on his travels around the world. There was also a requirement to include a reference to the company business (hence the SCS logo and satellite dish).

All of his colleagues were captured waving him off on his travels.

A caricature makes an excellent leaving, retirement, or farewell gift. It can capture so many memories....plus everyone can have their own copy!

If you would like to order or discuss a retirement gift for a colleague then simply get in touch via my website at http://www.drawme.com.au

Michael Jackson Moonwalk Party Invitations

The Michael Jackson Moonwalk caricature is one of my most requested designs.

The design is simple but the easy recognition of the Michael Jackson moonwalk makes it a firm favourite for party invitations.

The background makes it easy to incorporate party invitation text on the front.

Many clients have requested this design over the years and it is nice to see that literally 1000s of party invitations have used this design.

If you are after some unique party invitations then opt for one of my world-renowned caricature designs.

Please contact me at http://www.drawme.com.au today.

Budweiser Brew 66

This is one of the many caricatures I have designed for the Budweiser beer commercials.

Every month I provide a new caricature design for Budweiser and Stella Artois.

This one was for Budweiser Brew 66 and had to show something reflecting a cold drink. What better than to show the director pulling the Budweiser beer can straight out of the ice!

If you would like your own custom caricature then please contact me at http://www.drawme.com.au

Family Caricature

It's always nice when a customer returns for another caricature as it confirms the exceptional quality that they have received previously.

This family caricature was produced for a Super Mother. The brief was to show some of her reading interests, the fact that she is always cleaning, and include the previous caricatures I had drawn for other family members.

The 2 younger daughters were the first to get their caricatures drawn about 6 months previously. They wanted something that showed their love of fashion.

The next caricature was a Beauty and the Beast style caricature for the older daughter.

The family then came back for the final instalment for their mother.

Thanks to Emma and her family for their return custom. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with and left some fantastic feedback.

If you would like a custom caricature then please contact me at http://www.drawme.com.au

Aussie BBQ at Christmas

So, how may of you will be having a traditional Aussie BBQ this Christmas?

This caricature was designed for one of my repeat customers. The brief was to show a few traditional Aussie items such as the flag, kangaroo warning triangle, thongs, VB stubby, BBQ.

'Throw another shrimp on the barbie'...does anyone actually say that?

The saying originated from the old Australian tourism adverts starring Paul Hogan where he actually said 'I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you'.

The items displayed in this caricature have become synonymous with popular Australian culture.

If you would like your own caricature designed then please contact me at http://www.drawme.com.au

Cricket Team Caricatures

There is a great interest in cricket in Australia and I am often asked to design cricket team caricatures.

This cricket team caricature was produced for the directors of an Australian company.

The brief was to design a simple cricket themed caricature.

It was great that they had good quality photos to supply. Having good photos makes the whole process so much easier and the results speak for themselves.

If you would like your own cricket themed caricature then contact me at www.drawme.com.au

Mary Poppins at QPAC

Mary Poppins is currently showing at various venues around Australia including QPAC in Brisbane.

I was asked to complete a caricature with a Mary Poppins theme and produced the caricature you see here.

The brief I had was to capture the 2 main characters from Mary Poppins against a simple stage backdrop...this was for the 2 clients you see in the caricature.

Mary Poppins is the winner of 8 Helpmann awards including Best Musical.

Mary Poppins commences at QPAC on 30th December and runs through to 17th March 2012.

I have created a few musical themed caricatures over the years including one for Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company to celebrate the hit run of Phantom of the Opera.

If you would like to commission your own caricature then please contact me.

Hyperrealism - the next phase

I have been interested in the hyperrealism style of painting for some time now. I have dabbled with a few small projects but want to complete something of significance in 2012. I envisage this being an extensive project probably lasting a few months...yes, a lot of hours of work!

WHAT IS HYPERREALISM?

For those who do not know, hyperrealism is a genre of painting where the finished artwork actually resembles a photograph. Many people have difficulty in telling the difference...something I find myself discussing with visitors to my artwork at Eumundi.

I am currently looking for a major project to undertake. It will probably be for my own collection but I am open to commissions for businesses or private collections.

This will not be a caricature! What I am hoping to complete is something different to my usual work. This will be a hyperrealistic painting of significance.

At present I am leaning towards a landscape/cityscape...something depicting the essence of Australia. However, the idea of a portrait of significance also intrigues me.

Throughout 2012 I will be posting my progress with this project on this blog and/or my website.

How to paint a portrait

Yesterday I showed you how I paint my caricatures. Today I show you how I paint my portraits.

The video above is a very quick 'sketch' rather than one of my more detailed paintings. My detailed portraits can take up to 40 hours or more to complete. Every hair is painstakingly painted by hand...there are absolutely no photo manipulations, scans, trickery...all my work is produced by hand!

I usually start painting a portrait with a black (or dark grey) background and white outline. I find this easier to work with than having a black outline. It's therefore strange that I prefer a black outline on my caricature work! However, the two styles are very different so it is only right that I have a different approach to each.

After the initial outline I will redefine the outline and smooth it out a little. At this stage the portrait is still a very rough sketch.

I prefer to work in B&W (greyscale) and build up layer after layer of shading. I use a soft brush with fairly light strokes, ensuring I blend the various shades.

The next stage is to add some details to the face i.e. the eyes, mouth, nose etc.

The eyes of the portrait are extremely important and I find myself revisiting this are of the painting over and over again.

Once the majority of the facial detail has been completed I will smooth out the initial outlines...often erasing them totally or blending them into the face.

Once the black and white base shading is completed it is time to start adding colour to the portrait. The video above does not show this stage but it is fairly quick as the majority of the painting is completed during the black and white stage.

If you would like to commission your own caricature or portrait then please feel free to contact me or visit my website at www.drawme.com.au.

My work is receiving international recognition with many of the top companies seeking my work.

Below are just a few of the 1000s of pieces of art I have completed.

MARILYN MONROE

I have always wanted to complete a portrait of Marilyn and managed to get this one finished a couple of months ago.

Here it is hanging in one of my rooms at room.

ROBERT PATTINSON

With the latest release of the Twilight movies I thought it only fitting that I complete a portrait of one of the cast.

This portrait has received a lot of recognition on various sites including a coveted 'Featured Portrait of the Month' award.

You can view the portrait at the world famous Eumundi Market every Saturday.

How to draw a caricature

We look at faces every day yet when it comes to drawing them there are few people who can do it well.

When I am hand painting a caricature I follow some simple steps.

In this blog post I walk you through the steps involved when drawing a caricature.

STEP 1 - the outline of the face. This is probably one of the most important steps as it will define the actual likeness to the person being drawn. The caricature does not have to be extorted in any way...my caricatures are not the extreme type. I spend quite a lot of time on this stage, ensuring I get a really good shape for the face. I keep referencing the photo sent to me as I need the caricature to look like the person...after all, that is what I am renowned for!

STEP 2 - base shading. This is what gives the caricature its shape. A solid base colour is applied followed by some lighter and darker shades to define the shape of the face.

STEP 3 - the eyes. The eyes of a caricature or portrait are extremely important. The hardest thing for me is telling what colour the eyes are from the photo as few people actually list this in their description...despite my requests!

STEP 4 - the mouth. Actually a difficult part of drawing a caricature as there is so much to include. The lips, teeth, inside of the mouth, subtle highlights etc all define a person's mouth. I often get asked to add a smile to the caricature but this can be difficult as everyone smiles differently.

STEP 5 - the hair. Almost finished now and just the hair to do. Hand painting hair on a caricature is relatively easy. For my portrait work I actually hand paint every strand of hair which is extremely time consuming. However, the results are worth it. If the person has a beard or stubble then I also complete that at this stage.

STEP 6 - finishing touches. I now add some more highlights and shading to further define the face of the caricature.

Once the caricature face has been drawn it is time to complete the body and background. It is at this stage that the whole piece comes to life.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Doctor Who Caricature

This is the latest Doctor Who caricature which was completed earlier today.

It is based on the Matt Smith Doctor Who (customer face) with his signature red bow tie and tweed jacket.

The background contains the TARDIS and shows a wormhole...all adding to the fantastic look of a caricature worthy of any Time Lord.

The whole caricature is awesome at any size but I particularly recommend the 50cm x 75cm canvas print for this...it truly is stunning!!

You can have your very own face hand drawn on this Doctor Who caricature.

If you require a custom Doctor Who background then this can also be uniquely hand drawn for you. Just specify what you require when you order your Doctor Who caricature. Perhaps you would like to include a DALEK or some Cybermen...the choice is yours.

Order your very own Doctor Who caricature today.

Hand Painted Portrait

If you are after something totally unique then a hand painted portrait is the way to go this Christmas.

All I need is a photo of the person to be painted and I will then turn it into a portrait.

Special techniques can be applied to the painting to turn it into the portrait bust you see on the left.

I can turn old photos into modern day masterpieces which can be produced as a framed print or onto canvas.

These hand painted portraits make ideal Christmas gifts as they are totally unique and tell the receiver that you actually thought of something other than the pair of socks!!

Order your very own hand painted portrait today.

Family Caricatures

At this time of year I always receive many requests for family caricatures.

You can order your family caricature here: http://www.drawme.com.au/order.php

You can include any background detail you wish on your family caricature.

Each caricature can be drawn to your exact requirements and to any size.

All I need to draw your family caricature is a good photo of each person. I then hand draw the artwork and it is professionally printed at an external lab (no cheap inkjet prints here!).

Place your order today and receive a totally unique gift in time for Christmas.

Christmas Delivery Times

There is still time to order for pre-Christmas delivery.

LAST ORDER DATES

Canvas: Friday 9th December

Prints: Tuesday 13th December

Framed Prints: Tuesday 13th December

E-mail: Wednesday 21st December