Bill Dougal programs for libraries are listed on The Connecticut Library Consortium. Of course the programs are for more than libraries. Parks and rec, schools, senior venues etc. Anyone can view it without an account. How? Visit https://www.ctlibrarians.org/ Then resources tab. Then Program directory. Then "Bill Dougal". Se what Bill does besides caricatures.
The directory iis for performers and speakers who offer programming for Connecticut libraries, schools, and other organizations. You can find authors and artists, entertainers of all types, lecturers and expert speakers, and so much more.

I wear a beret at Fairs, so folks will know I'm an artist. {rare at a fair}, That's my uniform. I'm not saying that's ALL I wear. My beret is wool. It can get hot in the summer. I don't like to be hot headed, so look for options. I had a mesh one, but lost it. Couldn't find similar on line. I get berets from John Helmer co. They have an oversized french beret I wear. They say another model is fine gauge cotton. I got it in time for Brooklyn fair. I don't wish to berate the beret, but not as cool as I had hoped. Plus, it was a bit tight. I remembered a trick. Yank on the hem, every few inches. It worked... too well. Now it was loose. I tried putting some double sided velcro in the hep, but it wouldn't stick. I can't win. I joked with another vendor that my only hope was to garner lots of compliments, so my head would swell.
That would be a swell solution!

The Process (Political) Caricature.
 
I was asked to create a political cartoon recently. It involved a caricature, but surprisingly I didn’t know it. Every message cartoon does not use caricature. Messages are not inherent in caricature. However exaggerated drawings of particular public figures are often shown in situations meant to sway opinion. Caricatures of regular folks, ordered online for gifts is my usual work. Lawyer Randall Carrreira had an opinion and asked me to represent it visually for publication. My job was to draw a wide mouthed person shouting, “We don’t need no stinking supreme court.” His clever caption was, “The mouth that roared”. I remembered the Peter Sellers cold war film, “ The Mouse that Roared”. His rough sketch was primitive but informative.[fig 1]. I did six rough sketches with various options. [fig 2].  He picked the sketch on the top right.  I did a better preliminary sketch. [fig 3] I did the final line work [fig 4], since time was of the essence, and I guessed that that it would be approved. Ooops. It seems that I had overlooked his note that AOC would be the highlight. He said; “ I thought it would look like AC.” I said; “what’s AOC? A person?” “It stands for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“, he said. I pay no attention to the news, so I didn’t know that. To re-do the artwork, I referenced the photo he sent with open mouth, but combined it with a ¾ view showing hair. [fig 5]. I thought I’d just re-draw the head, but the new one came out bigger, so I re-drew the podium.  I didn’t re-draw the microphone stand, but patched it on, knowing that it would work with the new scan. A clean original was not important, since the scan for print was all that was needed. I added the type in a graphic arrangement. Voila. [fig 6] I emailed it to the client. He was pleased. I also made a Photoshop variation, omitting the request Red Chinese flag, in case he decided to do that. Three previous ones were published in the Waterbury newspaper.

Here is the link. This tight 20 minute interview is worth a listen. Brian Scott Smith is a very professional interviewer, and caused me to respond with some interesting insights. The custom caricature service was featured, but we also touched on my music, videos and books. Connecticut East This Week is a weekly news podcast covering the stories and community of Eastern Connecticut. Everyone loves Brian's Brittish accent. https://www.brianscottsmith.com/

Here's a caricature I did of  Brian Scott Smith.

Yes, it’s possible. 20 years ago I wouldn’t have said that. But now technology has made it possible, and the pandemic has made it needed. Virtual events have been successful, and we think they’re here to stay. Let’s go back in time. Picture a caricature artist drawing at an easel among party guests. Onlookers are entertained, and the sitter walks off with a personalized portrait. This can work in a similar fashion in the virtual world. Now picture the caricature artist joining your meeting or party on zoom, or a similar platform. He signs his camera in as well, so you can all see the likeness develop. After the virtual event, the artist scans the pictures and emails them. This can be a cool addition to any event… Personal ones like parties for birthday, holiday, anniversary, reunion etc. Business ones like meetings, client or employee appreciation, conferences etc. Guests will probably get their caricature black and white, head shot style, as that is faster than color, and results in the most folks getting drawn. I can draw an average of 15 per hour. However, if you have a small number of people, color is possible. Another possibility is adding little activity themes; a golf caricature, for instance. This is an easy caricature solution; caricaturists are hard to find unless you happen to be at a fair. This way people can get their cartoons portrait in minutes, remotely from their own home. Bill is an ideal choice, since he can draw cartoon portrait art quickly, getting a good likeness.
With virtual art entertainment, folks can always chat as they watch, and I make a caricature drawing. In a way this is a real-time conversation piece. Of course, if it’s a formal meeting, the artist need not speak or be acknowledged. People that plan parties and events have always considered entertainment. The smart ones have discovered the popularity of caricatures. Now virtual event planners need to get hip to virtual caricaturing. Their people will thank them for the cartoon caricature. This unique extra is appreciated by all. Sometimes we are called by a person planning a personal party for no special occasion. That’s cool. Plan your own zoom get-together with a cartoon portrait artist. All you need is an internet connection, a computer or digital device and a list of favorite people. Most of us have that. Dougal loves providing socially distanced party entertainment. Zoom caricatures are a great treat for folks stuck at home due to pandemic concerns. While you're in the comfort of your home or office, caricaturist Bill Dougal is in his studio drawing you. Your friends, family or coworkers are in on the session to watch and talk with each other. It's special entertainment, and lots of folks get a special personalized portrait. I can join your zoom event, or if caricatures are the main focus, and you prefer, I can instigate the zoom meeting, and we can invite your people. Another option is drawing from photos as you watch, or drawing them ahead of time and presenting them online. The charactertures can be printed out or the digital version can be download on a phone, tablet, or laptop. Some artists draw digitally on tablets. I prefer to draw traditionally on paper; I get my best results and speed that way.
So, spice up your virtual get-togethers on zoom or a similar platform, with live zoom party caricatures by Bill Dougal from https://www.caricaturedrawing.net
All 15 of the sketches below were drawn in a 1 hour zoom meeting.