THE CREATIVE SHOPPER

Artists are creative. That’s a given. Painters as diverse as Norman Rockwell and Picasso had their own way of interpreting reality. People who give gifts can be creative as well. The first step is to free yourself from the mindset that manufactured items are the only way to go when it comes to gifts. Places to find gifts are not limited to malls, and internet sites like Amazon. A caricature artist is waiting to create a work of art based on a photo of the person you are giving to. You’ve seen famous caricatures. Celebrity caricatures are cool, but cartoon portraits of regular folks are just as cool. I think of caricatures as “art for the people”. When I draw at a fair or event, citizens of all walks of life enjoy seeing how the artist sees them. Sometimes the art is funny caricatures. Sometimes it’s a portrait sketch. This depends on the style of the artist you choose. You could also tell an artist like Bill Dougal that you want it conservative or exaggerated. You can ask the artist to make decisions on the look of the piece, or you get specific.  In that case, you are the art director, choosing activity, clothes, background, colors etc. You probably know your giftee well enough to specify an activity. It could be a golf caricature, baseball caricature, or beach caricature.  Some clients come up with pretty creative scenarios for caricature drawings. Dori and Bill Dougal have had request for tightrope walking, A doctor fixing a guitar, and being run over by a steam roller. But even if the theme isn’t that crazy, the person who gets a caricature will enjoy the stylized portrait, and think you’re pretty creative to think of such a personalized gift.