Blog and Artwork updates of Singapore caricaturist, portrait artist and illustrator - Jit

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Caricature theme - Chinese traditional wedding


Very upset with this client.

Her friend ordered a caricature of them as a gift to them last December.

Now, she ordered another a wedding caricature for her wedding purpose, through the same friend, as she stayed in Beijing.
Did you see anything wrong with the caricatures above?
Below was the brief she has sent to me.

Written there - key features:-

1) Bride and bridegroom in Chinese traditional wedding costumes (including red headdress, bow etc)

2)Bridal sedan chair.

3) "喜喜" and fireworks as the background. ( I told her friend that I can't create good fireworks effect using marker when she placed the order. So it was not drawn in.)


She got back to me, saying that she was satisfied with the faces, but it was not according to their Chinese traditions (not acceptable to her family of older generations), that the bride and the bridegroom both in the sedan chair. It looked like the bride was outside the sedan chair.
I said no. She was popping out from the sedan. Then she asked me to switch their position. It was hand drawn and not done digitally. I can't change like that.
She claimed I should change for her, since I don't know Chinese traditions.
Told me she has stayed in Singapore for more than 20 years....... Singapore is more traditional than Beijing....... I should know it.
Told her I didn't see any couple in sedan chair on their wedding day!!!
And I don't draw according to traditions.
If based on tradition, don't need to draw caricature already.
First, caricature is big head and small body. This is not proportional and traditional way of drawing.
Second, she has thick lips. If I exaggerate her lips thicker and bigger, what would the bridegroom's parents think? According to traditions, wife with big mouth will eat till the husband broke (嘴大吃穷郎). Will the older generations accept that?
Most importantly, this caricatures shouldn't have done in the first place, if she wants to follow Chinese traditions. Why?
See the reference provided by her. Can you see her face? The bride shouldn't reveal her face at all till she reached her bridal room. Her face will be covered with a piece of red cloth. How contradicting can she be?
She claimed that she didn't state she want both of them in the sedan chair.
I said she didn't said both of them cannot be in sedan chair too, since she wants to argue that way!
I draw based on the brief given.
They just mentioned key features.
So of course I will design for them, since they didn't specify every details they wanted.
That was my usual way of working on caricature with theme.
She told me "the creation is on the features but cannot be on the theme of the picture"
This really made me angry.
I treated it as an insult, and you may think I am seeing it too seriously.
No creation?! Should I draw out all the features she stated standalone. The faces, the headdress, the sedan chair etc. All layout side by side then!!! No need my creation to put them together as a caricature with theme?!! Am I an artist with no pride?!!
I replied her in email, stating clearly she has no respect to me as an artist. It was an insult to me.I will not redraw for her, even though she was preparing to pay extra for the redraw, regardless of any prices!!!
I know this post will scare off some potential clients. However, if they belong to the same school of thoughts as her, I would rather missed such orders. I have my principle. Not an artist drawn for the sake of money!!! I want to enjoy drawing, not upset!!! Damn...... Wished I have never encountered such client at all!!! Worst client I have seen in my 13 years of drawing life!

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