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