Birthday in Mount Prospect

Normally, the minimum time for a party is two hours, but I made an exception –executive decision!—to drive to Mount Prospect for just one hour.  I drew all seven girls in that time, a pleasure for me because they were just so thrilled to get these drawings.  It’s a great age to be, obviously, you [...]

Read Full Post »

Sweet Sixteen in Lincolnshire

The sunny party room at Walker Bros in Lincolnshire—perfect setting for a sunny crowd of sixteen year-old girls.  I drew all twenty-five of them in two hours.  That means, black-white, goes fast, and only the birthday girl gets the whole body drawing.  As you can see, the head already has all the cheerful information.  Now, [...]

Read Full Post »

Ex-pat Ladies in Highland Park

Their husbands are executives in an international company and so they move around a bit. They talk about London, Rome or Rio as if these were neighboring suburbs.  Everybody speaks a handful of languages—fluently.  I drew thirteen of these cosmopolitan women, who came from India, Australia, Denmark, Germany, France, Argentina, Belgium, Britain and the Faroe [...]

Read Full Post »

Drawing Girls, 11

Somebody should do a study of why eleven year old girls are so wonderful.  They are probably my favorite demographic in the caricature business.  The absolute best crowd for caricaturing is undoubtedly the inebriates at a December party, but they are so special, they don’t count in the real order of things.  Right after them [...]

Read Full Post »

Girlfriends in Winnetka

What a great place for a birthday party!  You’re turning eleven and you invite your girlfriends to, ta-tah, “Girlfriends.”  Girlfriends—a professional nail and girlie boutique (even their web site is fun)–is on Tower Road just off Green Bay in Winnetka.  It’s classy and the choices of colors and techniques are amazing.  I drew all twenty [...]

Read Full Post »

Bud Strom

Bud Strom is a cowboy poet,  raconteur and retired one-star general.  Notice the red kerchief and the mess –o-medals on his chest.  He lives out west now, Arizona, where he raises cattle and is much in demand for his verbal gifts.  His friend Harry contacted me from Oak Park, right here in Illinois, to draw [...]

Read Full Post »

EXTRA! EXTRA! RIOT IN MARENGO!

I did a lot of map-questing to find this town. It’s way up near the Wisconsin border.  They even had snow up there while we in Chicago were still a little green.  I used this city-country theme to rile them and explained my humor as being from the “big city, you know.”   I would use [...]

Read Full Post »

Lake Forest Cross Country Team

After these 4th graders came in second in a state-wide competition, one of the dads threw a party for them at the family’s Sheridan Road mansion.  Here you see the group “shot” of the twelve runners and their two coaches.  This drawing is on 11 x 14 paper and took about an hour to do.  [...]

Read Full Post »

Bistro in Lake Zurich

The hostess introduced me and I said in my best French accent, “I just flew in from Paris. “  We were celebrating the 50th birthday of her husband at the D & J Bistro in Lake Zurich.  Wonderful, convivial atmosphere.  Ten friends around a square table are sipping wine and nibbling on quelque chose.    I’m [...]

Read Full Post »