Gift Caricature for an Irish Pony Clubber

So, yer man is a proud member of the Irish Pony Club, likes tennis, cheating at cards, farming his cows, hunting the fox and has a gash on his right leg he loves showing everyone. What do you get him for his 50th birthday?

Yes indeed, you guessed it, a caricature!

I've started using a bit of acrylic paint because the color comes out looking nice and vibrant.

To order yours, go to MarkHeng.com

How To Create a Gift Caricature

Ever wonder how a gift caricature gets made?
Click on the grey rectangle to Big it Up...

Gift Caricature for The Mayor!

Anyone from Cork recognize this guy? This was a special commission by a friend of his. A few special touches to notice- The broken finger on his right hand, the shoe coming apart, and the odd trophy in his hand. That's Cork City Hall on the left and the Cork coat of arms on the right. Cool, eh?

Christmas is coming! Order your unique gift caricatures NOW while there's still time! MarkHeng.com

Brush Shiels Caricature

Done entirely in black and white for a poster...Brush Shiels was the front man in Gary Moore's Skid Row back in the day and still performs around Ireland today!

Gift Caricature for a Sudoku fan...

Loads of clues in this one about yer man's hobbies...
Go to MarkHeng.com to order your gift caricatures for Xmas!

Hi Mark,

Just to let you know the caricature is fantastic! Loved all the detail and likness to Dad was brilliant - especially the eyes
He really liked it and we all had a good laugh with the detail - suduko and esp the pint of Heineken!
It is now hanging up in the kitchen!
So thanks a million - was a fantastic gift to be able to give to him and we really appreciate how quickly you were able to do it

Many thanks
Ciara

Art by Committee...Bright Eyes

Another fun entry for the monthly art jam on the James Gurney Art Blog!

“He is shorter than I remember, and thin. His fur is grayed to white in a fringe around his head, just below his ears. His coat is dull, thinning, and coarse. His eyes, so bright I…”


Click it to Biggify!

And, Hey! Some cool words from the man himself:

Hi, Mark,
Thanks for doing ABC this month. Your solution is fantastic, and goes to the head of the pack. He looks to me like an old college professor, someone who has spent his career trying to explain obscure theories to students who aren't necessarily listening. His eyes are often tired from reading and he has to keep his glasses in a little alligator skin bag because they won't fit in his pocket. And he's secretly proud of his eyebrows.

I love the way you made the eyes slightly non symmetrical. I've been noticing that more and more in real people, and I'm beginning to think it was the key to Sargent's likenesses.

All the best, and thanks again.

Jim G.

Caricature as a gift for an Army Man!

Yer man's in the army and loves to play golf...

Why not practice yer swing on the battle field and take out a few low flying bombers while you're at it?

Christmas is coming, so get your orders for caricatures in soon!

MarkHeng.com

Caricature for a Surprise 50th!

So, your husband's turning 50, you're throwing a surprise party, and you need invitations that'll make everyone crack up.

Yes, you know who to call...Hehehe...

MarkHeng.com

Rugby Gift Caricature

This gift caricature was for a guy whose passions are Irish Rugby and guitar. Cool, eh? Watercolor and ink.

Christmas is coming, so get your orders in now! Go to MarkHeng.com for more samples and how to order.

Weddings at The Rectory in West Cork

You can imagine my surprise when I showed up to draw caricatures at The Rectory in West Cork and was greeted by Michelle, the owner, whose wedding I drew at in Dromoland Castle almost 3 years earlier! In fact, I've been using Michelle and Eoin's caricature pic on my website's front page! The Rectory has an amazing view of the harbor which makes you imagine you've stepped back into some mythical age...Check it out!

Thanks to Donagh Glavin for the pics of me drawing

Optical Illusion Site

84 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena by Michael Bach

Just goes to show you can't always believe everything you see!

Caricatures by MarkHeng.com...The New Ad!!!

I do my own graphic design, which is fun...What do you think?

Man Eating Plant Caricature!

OK, he's actually a science teacher who enjoys gardening...His daughter commissioned this for his retirement party. It's done with colored pencil, pen, and watercolor and matted and framed. Nice, eh?

If you'd like to order one as a gift, contact me with your idea.

Click on it to Big it Up

Caricatures at Lesley and Padraig's Wedding!

Sometimes the crowd is a little wild and crazy and ready for an amazing caricature time, like at this wedding at the wonderful Radisson, Limerick! It makes my job a treat. Check out Maca and his 2 lovely lady friends. Apparently, they had just met him at dinner and were enjoying each other's company very much!

Click on a pic to Big It Up!

The Carder Method of Painting...

Just stumbled upon this today:
http://www.thecardermethod.com/

It's a common sense method that takes all the guesswork out of painting realistically. Basically, a shorthand version of the stuff you (should) learn in art school. Always good to get a refresher.

Wedding Caricatures for Jenny & Eoin!

A few caricatures from a wedding in the stunning Cromleach Lodge in Sligo. The flower girl made the dj play "Poker Face" about 10 times. Kids love Lady Gaga. Must be her wholesome family image...!

Click on a pic to Big it Up.

Gift Caricature with Limerick Pride!

This gift caricature was a surprise for yer man's 60th birthday. His occupation- Making wax molds of sets of teeth! It's not everyday you get such great material to work with. That's the Limerick flag hanging in the background. Up Limerick!

His wife and daughter came to pick it up and were absolutely delighted. I believe the word "Brilliant!" was the word used...Ah, yes, more happy customers...

Want to commission a caricature for a gift? Contact me!

A Special Gift Caricature...

Well, I'm back from a great vacation in the UK...First, Brighton (Mega Party Town), then London where we saw the J.M.Waterhouse Exhibition at the Royal Academy. Everyone has seen his paintings in reproduction, and it was very interesting to see them up close in person. Hmmm, maybe I'll try my own hand at some "Maidens with that Faraway Look" painting...

Here's a big 10 person caricature I completed recently- It's a gift from the Best Man. That's him in the front doing the Haka with another buddy. Want to commission a caricature for a gift? Contact me!

Click on the pic to big it up

Wedding Caricatures for Diane and Andre!

A few of the caricatures drawn at the lovely Blackwater Castle in Cork...Check out "Tom and Alice"...They laughed hysterically when I showed it to them- And every time they showed it to their friends for the next 3 hours! Click on a pic to big it up!

Glad You Liked It!

Wow! Some great responses from the subjects of my previous post:

Hi Mark,
At the MCB retirement party on June 19 I was greatly surprised to receive a wonderful colorful and funny poster of me which I loved. I am writing to say thank you. Without knowing me or ever seeing me you managed to convey my personality and physical appearance very close to the original. My husband loves it also, it will be treasured in our family as a cheery reminder of the good times at Harvard - and of the very talented artist from far away Ireland who definitely made the farewell afternoon at MCB very very special.
Good luck with your art!
Cheerios,
Tatiana

Mark,

I am one of the retirees at Harvard University, who was fortunate enough to receive a caricature of myself. I feel truly fortunate to have been given such a wonderful gift done by a famous, talented caricaturist and illustrator. We were all so pleased with our individual caricature, and happy with this gift.

Thank you so much.

Alice, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Dear Mark,

I’m one of the retirees at Harvard University that you recently did a caricature of and I just want to let you know how much I enjoyed it! Actually, I want to let you know how much everyone enjoyed all of them. You gave us such pleasure plus made us look really, really great!

Keep up the good work!

Best,

Joanie

Retirement Gift Caricatures!

Glad to be of service...These were drawn for a retirement party for a biotech company associated with Harvard University. Brainy people!



Dear Mark,
Though we have never met, somehow I feel I know you through the beautiful art that you did for our retirees. Today was our party, and each of your "cartoons" were proudly displayed along a long hallway on very large poster boards. They were the absolute "hit" of the party. Everyone wanted to know who did this work, how did this person capture the personalities of the various individuals? Well, thanks to you and Renate, what could have been a dreary event was spectacular. Thank you so much for everything. All best,
Susan

Funatico!

Hey, Check it out! I'm on Funatico!

What's Funatico?

Funatico is one of the most popular entertainment sites on the web with huge collection of funny videos that will make you lol. If you want to have fun and you have some free time at home or school you can play something from Funatico flash games archive. Don't forget to check out their cool gallery of funny pictures too.

You'll find lots of other cool artists there like Stephen Silver, one of the major players in the American animation scene!

Paula and Michael's Wedding Stationery

Hi Mark,
Just to let you know the invitations have gone down great, everyone loves them!! some people are even getting them framed!

Thanks so much for all your help, you have helped set the tone for a really fun wedding celebration which we had hoped for...

Paula n Michael

Wow, people are framing my caricature stationery? Cool!

If you'd like to order your own, visit my website:
http://www.markheng.com/stationery.html

The Harper

Another one for the latest installment of "Art By Commitee", the illustration game on the Gurney Journey BLOG! I tried for some Baroque lighting on this one...

Click on the pic for a large version!

A Quick Bridezilla!

Here's a quickie of a bride for her hen night and scrap book...Don't mess with her!!!

...The pic was fab, i put it in the memory book for soph and also enlarged it and stuck it on our hotel bedroom doors at the hen party! She loved it. Chat to you at the wedding, i owe you a pint! Thanks again, Shel

The Tookah's Eye Opened Wide...

Yessiree, another random snippet from a SciFi pulp, illustrated for Art By Committee, the monthly game on the Gurney Journey BLOG.

I had fun with this one, trying to capture pub light and ambience, and playing with different rendering techniques on my brand new Cintiq...Yeah, baby!!!

Click on the image for a BIG VIEW
























“Behind the bar, polishing four glasses at the same time with his blue tentacles, was the Tookah. Two of his three eyes didn’t bother to look up, but it was the third one, the upper eye, the sleepy one that appears bored by everything but never misses anything. That one sleepily looked over at me and then blinked and opened wide.”

His Voice Enchanted Her...

Here's an illustration from back in the day when I had time to do illustrations for fun...
It was an entry for the "Art By Committee" game on the Gurney Journey BLOG. The idea was to illustrate a preselected snippet from a science fiction novel...Check out some of the other entries! It's always amazing how many different interpretations arise from the same text.

Caricatures at Karina & Paul's Wedding!

Wow! I often get Thank Yous from the bride and groom after drawing caricatures at a wedding reception, but this one was the best! A hand written card with a nice photo of them holding up "Thank You" on the front:

Dear Mark, Thank you so much for helping to make our wedding celebrations in Mount Falcon, Mayo in October so much fun. Our family and friends thouroughly enjoyed your funny caricatures and our own is now framed and hanging in our kitchen. We hope your are keeping well and wish you all the best for the year ahead. Karina and Paul McGrann.

What a classy couple, eh? Lots of great faces here- Check out the one of the priest!

Pamela & Martin's Wedding Caricatures!

Hey, another nice email from a happy bride! Thanks, Pamela!

Hi Mark,

Happy New Year to you!

Sorry that I'm only making contact with you now since our Wedding but it was so hectic after we came back from honeymoon and then Christmas was on top of me before I knew it.

On behalf of myself and Martin I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you for the great job you did at our wedding. You have such a talent. Everyone was thrilled with their drawings and they got a great kick out of it all! Myself and Martin loved ours too! Hopefully we'll get a chance to see you in action again in the near future. Have you any photos you can email on to me?

We had a fantastic Wedding day from start to finish and everything went off to perfection so we were thrilled.

Many thanks again,

Pamela.

2009 New Year's Resolutions

1. I have a TON of caricature photos taken at 2008 weddings which I never had the time to upload, so I'll slowly but surely get them posted. I've decided to stop taking photos at weddings because it slows me down a little while drawing- Unless, of course, you request I take them. I'd actually recommend you have the wedding photographer take pictures of your guests holding up their drawings- They'll have a much better chance of being in focus!
2. More Projects at home- Specifically paintings and copyrighted works to sell. I have a few ideas for prints in mind that have less to do with caricature specifically and will aimed at various hobby and activity markets...I'll post more about that when I have stuff to show!
3. Get out of the house everyday with my daughter- She must be going stir crazy- I know I am! So, after her afternoon bottle, we'll head to the bank, or the library, or into town. Being an at home dad while the mom's away at work means I only get to be at the computer for an hour or two during the day...Hmmmm...