Spot On George

Holding a fundraising event and need entertainment? Remember that entertainers are WORKERS just like the caterers, waiting staff and bar staff and expect to get paid, so unless every other worker at your event is prepared to donate £350 each, please do not ask your Caricaturist to do so. Raising money by using my skills is simply not cost effective and here is an explanation why:

Scenario 1 – Hire your Carix and drawings are FREE. Punters will love it, all have fun and maximum numbers drawn (around 40 in 3 hours). Cash raised is £0 – Carix fee £350 = deficit £350
Scenario 2 – Hire your Carix and ask for donations. Punters are put off and those who do feel fleeced, so give £5 each. Fewer are drawn (around 25 in 3 hours). Cash raised is £125 – Carix fee £350 = deficit £225
Scenario 3 – Ask Carix to charge and give you 10%. Minimum charge would be £10 each, punters are put off, so even fewer drawn (around 15 in 3 hours). Cash raised is £150 – Carix fee £135 = profit £15
Scenario 4 – Ask Carix to charge and give you 10%. Minimum charge suggested by you of £5 each, punters are put off, so fewer drawn (around 25 in 3 hours). Cash raised is £125 – Carix fee £112.50 = profit £12.50

Very few Caricature Artists would be willing to offer their services at the prospect of £112.50 weekly wage and so most will refuse all but the first scenario. Caricaturists are not insured to collect cash at live events and so would need a member of staff to follow them and take donations, this alone is enough to deter most punters as experience has taught me over 26 years.

So please please please think twice before hoping to make a profit from your walkabout entertainer. Have a raffle, an auction or a quizz, maybe even include a donation in your ticket prices, but do not put the burden of fund raising on an already pressured artist. Caricature Artists are there to entertain your guests, not pester them for cash.

Caricature resources: iToons digital – Weddings – Artist directory

Hiring a Caricaturist – Time is Money

When you hire a party caricaturist, you hire them for their time and not by the drawing or on a productivity basis. There is a simple reason for this; productivity conditions are out of the Artists’ control and so no guarantees of time spent drawing or productivity can be made. You hire me for my time, from the moment I leave home, to the moment I leave your event.

Example 1: Time On Site – I was once hired for a Golf day in Liverpool, the client stated he wanted just 2 hours drawing time, so I quoted for this. Turns out I was expected to start at 8am before they tee’d off, drawing for one hour, then the second hour was as they returned from their golf round after 4pm! That means I was on site for 8 hours of my time, not to mention the 2 hour drive each way, making for a 12 hour day, but the client only wanted to pay for 2 hours!!

Example 2: Drawing Time – I was hired for a large dinner event (ball) for 3 hours. The client made the mistake of booking me during the meal while other entertainment was going on. As a matter of professional etiquette, I cannot draw while punters are eating, during speeches or awards, during the raffle or table games of ‘Heads & Tails’ etc. On this occasion the lights were dimmed between every course, as a team of Ballroom dancers showed off their skills. As a result my productivity suffered, despite my best efforts.

Remember that once an Artist is at your event, drawing or not, they cannot attend another event and so you must pay for their time, even while resting. For exhibitions with long days on site, you would normally hire a caricaturist for upto 6 hours on site, which includes lunch break and hourly breaks. This does not mean 6 hours of solid drawing, we are not machines or photo-booths and such extended periods of extreme concentration are utterly exhausting. Would you expect a live band to play for 6 solid hours or a Comedian to tell jokes for 6 solid hours or even a Speaker to make a 6 hour address??

Please remember this when hiring your caricaturist. They will do their utmost to draw as many willing punters as they can within the allotted time, but they will be entitled to breaks, food, refreshments and consideration.

Caricature resources: iToons digital – Weddings – Artist directory