Caricatures, Silhouettes and Illustrations by Leona Hosack

Drawing Caricatures all year has been such a source of joy for me, and after the reduced events of the past two years,  it was so much fun, doing caricatures at parties, weddings, festivals and graduation events! I think I have had more gigs this year than before the Pandemic, which is really meaningful to me, since this is my tenth year doing caricatures! Below are photos from a few of my Fall gigs! Some people always ask me what part of the face I choose to exaggerate first and how I decide that.  I don't really think about it consciously, because I'm used to doing this.  But If I take the time to think about it I would choose to increase or reduce whatever stands out to me first when I look at a person. Large ears will be larger, small eyes smaller, long hair, longer- all compared to the rest of the face.  Each caricaturist does it a different way but, I draw the face from the inside out. I found out that if I draw the outline of the face first I have trouble maki...

 Faces, Faces, Faces So grateful to be doing caricatures again! In June I was hired to do four different graduation events that occurred in the same week! three out of the four were in the middle of the night at all-night grad parties! I drew this caricature of this cute couple during the 2021 Project Graduation party at Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center in Sanford,Maine I did this caricature at Portsmouth High Project Grad. party in Portsmouth,NH. I had a lot of fun doing this caricature of students from Mt. Ararat high School (Topsham,Me.) at their graduation party in Harpswell, Me. Another caricature of students at the same party.

Helping people celebrate birthdays one custom caricature coloring sheet at a time! A custom coloring sheet for a one-year-old's birthday party- a caricature likeness of the sweet little boy in the photo below. A custom caricature Happy Birthday coloring sheet based on this incredibly cute girl in the photos below! To check out coloring sheets in my Etsy shop click below!  https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/948251831/custom-coloring-sheetcaricature-from?ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1 Happy Coloring!

The sketch! The first final piece I did, but I had forgotten to make his hat and coat black as in the photo! I was asked to do this caricature of a deceased friend of my nephew, so he could give it to the man's widow, which is a very kind thing to do! I love the photo I worked with as it shows the person, whom I never knew, as a very interesting guy, though out of respect I have not included the photo here! I loved drawing the peacock feathers! Apparently he was a musician among other things! Which version do you like? The final final colored piece.

 The pic. on the top is a caricature I did of a woman at a bank conference, I did last May with two other caricaturists! The one on the right and the one below are caricatures I did at The Boys and Girl Club Camp of Gardiner, Me, last August. I did this caricature at a Women's Leadership Conference in Boston, in November. I did this caricature at Traipp Academy's Project Graduation last June, which was held in Laconia, NH, near Weir's Beach. This one was done at an open house at Kittery Community Center in Kittery, Maine in May, 2017. I did this caricature of this lovely lady at The Franklin County Fair, last September! This one was done at The National Event at Kittery Community Center last August. Lots of people attended and the Elvis impersonator was actually really good! I did this at a wedding in North Berwick, Maine in November, 2017!

A number of years ago, I went to a children's book conference at the University of Mass. with some friends. We got to see Tomie Di Paola (StregaNona, etc.) speak about his Italian-Irish family and how he based many of his books on his upbringing in that culture.  One of the workshops I took that day was presented by the noted African-American children's book illustrator James Ransome. He showed slides of his work and discussed his method of illustration and especially how he used composition to compliment the action in his books! After the workshop I got to ask him a question I had because I was working on a children's book at the time that featured an African-American child.  I asked about illustrating children from a different culture or race of your own. I had recently read an article saying that illustrators or writers should stay within their own race or culture in their artistic endeavors. In other words, since I'm white do I have the right to illustrat...

Here are some samples, that I drew from looking at faces in google search. I think I typed in "faces of Diversity".  I included these "practice" caricatures in my Etsy Shop as samples for custom orders. Valentines Day is coming and I like to offer my custom work as possible gifts for any specific holiday coming up! Here is a silhouette item I'm offering: Hand-cut Silhouettes in a hand-cut border! And yes, it's Mandala Monday. So here is my favorite video on making mandalas! It shows how to keep track of the marks you make, and encourages you to turn the paper to make marks in a circular pattern. It's a very user -friendly video and specifically designed for beginners! Happy Drawing!

We have been attending several Fall fairs in the last few weeks starting with the Franklin County Fair in Western Mass. a couple of weekends ago! It is actually held in my home town of Greenfield, Mass. I was especially excited, not only because I was able to visit with family and old friends while I was there, some of whom I haven't seen in many years, but also because, with the help of my husband I was able to offer for the first time- my caricatures, silhouettes and portraits on tee-shirts! A realistic pencil drawing I did at the Franklin County Fair in Mass. A caricature of my grand nephew Jacob on a tee shirt- drawn at the Franklin County Fair. A sweet family who posed for me at the Fair in Mass. My sweet hubby Larry puts my drawings and silhouettes on tee-shirts if people request them, right on the spot at Fairs and also if ordered through my Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/466749406/adult-custom-caricature-on-a-tee-shirt?ref=shop_home_ac...

A caricature I did a few years ago! This is me last summer working on a portrait outside at Alfred Festival Day in Alfred, ME. St. Patrick's Day is next week and the first day of Spring is just around the corner! I would have been playing irish music today on my guitar with my wonderful friend Mary, who plays awesome flute and penny whistle, at a local cafe. But instead I am spending the weekend with my sweet, brave and patient husband as he recovers from surgery in the hospital near us here in lower seacoast Maine. Yesterday during the long hours of the surgery I could have taken a walk outside, but I got lazy in the waiting room, warm and cosy, free coffee always available! I actually got a little done on my fantasy novel for middle readers, or young adults. I haven't decided which yet! It's a good way not to focus too much on the distressing situation at hand. I read somewhere, probably in one of the many writer's blogs I tool around at, that the...