Vix -vs- ai caricatures machine
- Vix Caricatures
- Mar 4
- 5 min read
Professional Caricaturist vs ai creations..
Firstly, who am I?
Sat for many Caricatures when I was little, and absolutely adored it!
Gobsmacked how fast they sketched my face extravagantly but recognisably, it certainly ignited an interested in the art-form for sure.
Lots of face doodles began appearing in my sketchbooks, friends and family drawn over and over again, sketching folks at school for 50p!
Safe to say I always had a love for drawing and cartooning.
I used to spend hours creating my own comics, with young ambitions of having them up for sale in the shops! They used to include quizes and competitions as well. They were epic!
Growing up in London, with a mad family life that provided plenty of whimsical inspiration for my doodles.
That, and the Beano and Dandy annuals I received every year at Christmas (which I now give to my son yearly as well) were definitely the making of me.
How my Caricaturist career started
At college I studied Art, this was more for the love I have for it than anything. I had no idea what my plans were then. a million years ago.
It is evident from my CV, a lot of life experience was gained before I found my forever career.. spanning over all sorts of job genres, such as; a TV extra and music videos, loads of retail (shoes, sportswear, jewellers, clothes), admin roles, front of house at the Hammersmith Appollo theatre, call centres, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, hospital admin, accountancy, law firms, tattoo apprentice.. to name a few.. After a thousand different jobs throughout London and Northampton. I believe fate put me back on the creative path I was meant to be on..
In 2012, while I was a tattooist apprentice, I received a request from a friend to draw caricatures at their wedding.
The seed was planted, and it grew from there.
I discovered a world I absolutely adore.
I found my place.
I found my calling. I now get paid to draw funny faces.
Live Caricatures (on the spot)
I connect on a deeper level with every person that I draw.
My style is light-hearted and fun.
My favourite part of the live experience is ‘the big reveal’..
Watching each person’s face light up as I turn the paper round to show them, never gets old.
Even some people that refuse to smile while I’m drawing, can’t help but burst into a big grin once I show them my sketch.
I attend around 150 events per year. Many of them are weddings, which I love being a part of, helping to create a day that’s magical and memorable.
Other events I am often booked for are birthday parties, work parties, corporate and business events as well. I love that there’s such a mix of different events.
So many fabulous faces drawn!
I’ve lost count how many.. Each one is a memory I’ve created, for them, and for myself.
There are two options when Drawing Live on-the-spot:
- Pen and Ink – Markers straight to paper
- Digital, iPad – Hand-drawn on an iPad, and emailed / airdropped or printed
Ai vs Live Caricatures
I’m finding, more interest is being generated for Live on the spot bookings at the moment!
There is nothing like watching real art being created right in front of your very own eyes, by a real artist with a real pen in hand, not a person with a keyboard and sometimes, a robot.
Guests love watching as I’m drawing away, laughing together, and creating a buzz that so lovely, it’s all about bring people together.
On the spot live illustrations take no more that 5 minutes, and within that time, there has been a human connection made, that lasts a lifetime within the artwork.
I’m told often; the artworks are framed and proudly displayed in their homes, and talked about for years to come.
The work I do creates snap-shot memories of the wedding / party / event that I am working at.
Ai cannot replace this. It can try!
I believe people will always want that real, human creative connection, that lives on.
Commission work from photos
I take orders from photo’s, creating caricatures – again light-heartedly and fun.
I draw these mostly on a digital platform with my iPad and Apple pencil – They are still absolutely 100% HAND-DRAWN.
Using the digital platform for these creations for a few benefits,
- For the creation itself, it’s great if minor adjustments need to be made, colour changes, size changes.. add something, take away something.. easily.
- They can be adapted to designs seamlessly – designs such as invitations, posters, social media, cups, tote bags, t-shirts… and so on!
- There can also be more than one print provided.
Ai vs Commissions
For commissions, I’m not worried because, people are recognising ai caricatures from a mile away, it is a free mock up, a bit of fun.
They lack essence and personality.
Real artwork created by real artists speaks a thousand words, blood sweat and tears have gone into their creation, and hours of work.
I take pride in the fact that heart and soul is invested in creating the artwork I do. They are on a much personal level that can even be captured by ai.
I know I certainly can spot that an Ai creation straight away!
Ai art is basically an upgraded clipart library.
Ai generated Caricatures
Many colleagues in my industry are panicking but actually, the virality of this ai trend has brought Caricatures to the forefront of the peoples minds.
Ai can be great in many areas, but I think people need to be mindful of what they are putting into this giant machine.. giving it permission to learn as much as it can about you to then generate a caricature that’s using all your personal info!
The trend has highlighted the fun of caricatures, and generated an increase in interest for commissions and live attendance booking are on the rise as well.
Computer generated art has been floating around for a while, and sometimes it can get a bit threatening, but at the end of the day, nothing beats human skill and imagination when it comes to the creation of art itself.
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This Blog is the extended version of a conversation / interview with Katie Wheatley at the local newspaper - Northampton Chronicle and Echo, initially it was about the effects felt due to the virality of ai caricatures and cartoons.
You can check out the published article here
Really excited for the year ahead, lots of weddings and events coming up.
I'm all over the socials:
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