Caricature drawings can be a favourite past time, but even as many have come to realise, it is a full time job with established career paths.

There are many things to consider before taking up a job as a wedding caricature artist. There can be quite some handsome reward for portraits but often, the clients would expect a quality job in return. It is hard to find quality in a drawing that is meant to ridicule but, the generally, a quality caricature portrait must capture the likeness and should show a reasonable semblance to the subject and subject must be easily recognised at first glance.

The skill

To become a great caricaturist London artists, learning to draw well, is far from the primary skill needed for the job. The ability to interpret the personality, attitude and mood of the subject is paramount. The artist should have an eye to spot out a specific and outstanding personality trait or use the scenery of the subject to create a fun portrait.

It is common for general caricature artist to emphasize negativity in their arts but for wedding caricature artists, zeroing in on the funny traits or scene of the subject is preferable. This is because, a fun portrait will promote the happy and perfect mood of a wedding, hence, attract more client base than an insulting one.

For instance, if a person has an interesting and talkative personality, the artist might consider laying emphasis on the lips or mouth and blowing it up in proportion. Simple drawing a caricature with giant mouth/lip/nose does not make for a great portrait; there should always be a proportionate exaggeration of the persona and characteristics of the scenery of the subject – something that anybody that has pre-knowledge of subject/scene will be able to pick up at first glance.

To be able to point out these unique areas of the subject, it is not uncommon for caricature artists to engage the subject or friends of same in a conversation to strike out the fine points.

The Business

Think of it, should the artist work for hire or simple start an own business? This can only be answered in relation to the forces of the environment at any given time. As long as the business demographics favour it, working for self is always a preferred option. With the competition of owing and running a business, it is better to leave the business side to the experts and concentrate of the creating charming caricatures. One way to go about this would be hiring or partnering with someone else to run the business part or working for an already existing wedding business outfit. While this might mean less money than being the boss, a pay on regular basis minus the rigours of overhead expenses can dull anyone serious about being a successful wedding caricature artist.