This was in River Oaks at the grand opening of Parker Joes, a children's clothing store. We were in the shadow of high rise luxury apartments and next door to us was a fine dining restaurant. It's not unusual for me to be invited to draw at River Oaks communities but I always find pleasure in going every time.
I do have one question, though. Notice the plant by the front door of the restaurant on the right. If a five star eating establishment serves such expensive meals, I would think they could keep there plants from dying.
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"Super fun", said Ruth at Johanson and Fairless law firm. A rare midweek gig in honor of Professional Administrative Assistance Appreciation Day, otherwise known as Secretary Appreciation Day. The entire office of secretaries, paralegals, clerks, receptionists and all around office people, were lampooned. The Pin Oak Charity Horse Show was the event and The Great Southwest Equestrian Center was the venue. Aside from having to watch my steps to avoid stepping in mounds of horse poop, it was a thrill.
Recently I was invited to draw at the American Heart Association's 100th anniversary gala and at $300 a plate, it was no cheap affair. The theme was 20's night and I drew in the speakeasy part of the Northgate Country club. Ironically, one of the patrons innocently pointed out a characteristic of my drawings which I didn't notice until she told me. Personally I think it's a bad habit of mine and in order to advance in my artistic skills, I should modify this particular inclination. I won't say what it is because I'm not in the habit of pointing out my bad habits to everyone. The point is, helpful comments from non-artists about my work can sometimes help me.
Over the years, as I've drawn at many live events, one of the most common phrases I've heard is "I wish I could do that" So I began live drawing lessons and had frequent classes as a result. However, the covid pandemic slowed things down considerably and subsequently I haven't focused on revisiting the drawing lessons. That is until now. I'm going to re-establish live drawing classes but until it really gets off the ground' I'll be promoting it through online drawing tips and this blog may be filling a big role in that endeavor. It's a great platform to provide drawing lessons and may encourage others to join in or even enroll in the live classes. Of course, the premise or theme behind the class will be to encourage others to draw even if they don't consider themselves an "artist". No matter what a person's age, drawing is a learned skill and under the correct tutelage, anyone can get great at it with practice especially if I can tell them how I learned. It took me many years and I can help others get to where they want quicker than I did by skipping most of the trials and errors. So stand by. I've been to dog days at dog parks, doggie day cares and dog day at Minute Maid Park but never in all the years I've been drawing have I ever been to a birthday party for a dog. This was truly a first. It was a party with all the typical trappings like decorations, balloons, the buffet and all their friends were invited.
I'm not complaining. It's simply something I've never seen. Thank goodness it was work for me as well as the balloon artist. In January of the new year I've had the pleasure of performing at KT Antiques in Katy Texas and also the first Houston Astros Fan Fest of the year at Minute Maid Park. I wish to give a special shout out to Twist it Up Balloons and Best Entertainers for their indispensable help in providing venues for me to work my craft.
An interesting thing happened at my most recent event at a Lamar Consolidated ISD Christmas party. I was there with my colleague, Jody, and early on, I noticed many of the customers in line preferred to wait to be drawn by him instead of me. This was a real head scratcher, and it isn't actually the first time it's happened.
As the evening wore on, the tide turned and some of the customers actually chose me over Jody, so it all evened out but still, the question remained as to why more people were attracted to his artwork as opposed to mine. There were times when I had to actually go halfway down the long line of customers before I found someone willing to take my hot seat. After pondering the issue for two days I realized much of it was associated with the perception in the customers mind of what to expect and how they envisioned themselves. Jody's drawings were well drawn, to be sure and the customers, mostly women, saw them (and themselves) as flattering and cute if not drawn in a good likeness. It's what the masses prefer, much linked why the majority of the population chooses McDonalds meals over home cooked variety. My drawings, on the other hand, may not have been as flattering and traditionally "cute" but the likeness was there, as some of the customers said as the evening continued. It comes down to my preferences. Do I want comments like "that's cute" or would I prefer "that looks just like you, Betty". The answer to me is clear. It's my intention to draw in my own style, differentiated from the others and even though the other artists are very talented indeed, I prefer my own style and frankly, so does the clientele I seek. However, it is important to attract people, especially in an environment as a live gig. So how can I do so without sacrificing my own creative style?
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