Our Live Digital Artists have pioneered this new type of entertainment and we’ve been asked a lot of questions.
In fact, we are often asked a lot of “how-to” questions by other artists getting started in the field of live digital. Because of these questions, we’ve assembled some of the more frequently asked questions and included them for you.
If you are looking for more in-depth tutorials or articles, you might want to visit our Articles and Tutorials section, instead. So on with the show!
First Watch our Video About Live Digital Caricatures
So What is a Live Digital Artist?
Artists have traditionally used markers, pastels, charcoal, airbrushes, or a number of other mediums, all drawn onto paper.
Our Digital Artists use a digital touch screen as their canvas and a special digital pen, called a stylus, to draw on the tablet.
Because our digital artists use this pen, every stroke is drawn by hand, just like they would with a marker on paper.
Once the design is finished, the artist hits “Print” and a hard copy is printed right then and there!
If They Still Draw Like a Traditional Artist, Why Use a Digital Artist?
This is where the fun begins!
Since the software has the ability to mimic any medium, the artist is able to change from an airbrush to charcoal to watercolor to pastels in the click of a button.
It also allows our artist to draw just a person’s head and then place them into your custom background, giving you the benefit of a full body caricature in a customized them, at the speed of just drawing a single head!
That’s Cool! By the way, what’s up with that cool background in this next picture?
Glad you asked! Since your guests or clients are drawn into the software, they can be drawn into a custom background theme. Its like drawing on “layers” in the software, so anything is possible.
Our artist can create a custom background theme, specifically for your event. At a Nascar event, Angie designed a racing theme and all the VIPs were drawn as a race car driver! We’ve done themes of dancing party goers, Thanksgiving day balloons, racers, hanging onto a New Year’s ball, and many more.
Wow. I like that. Can you sneak our company name or logo into the design?
Funny you ask! We’ve done this quite often. Whether its your name, a sponsor’s name, a logo, or a special anniversary logo.
Think about that for a second. Your clients and guests will be framing these on their wall. They’ll be showing it off to their family and friends. And your company’s name or logo will be right there in the image, part of the artwork forever. And you know these pictures are going to be emailed around to friends and family too!
Speaking of that, can we get a digital copy?
Yes. We’ll burn a CD with all of the images from your event and give it directly to YOU. On it, will be a folder filled with pictures, each saved with your clients’ and guests’ names.
This gives you the perfect excuse to email them. Ask them how they are doing, how much of a good time they had at your event, and by the way, as a thank you for stopping by our booth, here’s your caricature from last night! Have fun with it and email it to your friends!
Your clients will remember you long after the event.
Are those digital files on the CD good enough to print?
They sure are. After all, we make a large, 8×10 print right there, on the spot, for your guests or clients.
Our artist will normally save them at a resolution of about 8×10 at 300 dpi. This is good enough to enlarge to a bigger poster size or print as smaller 5×7 prints.
They’ll be saved as a universal format that both home users and print shops will be able to use to print.
Tell me more about this high end touch screen.
Our artists use a Wacom Cintiq touch screen. Wacom is the leader in precision touch-screen technology and the Cintiq touch screen is their highest quality product.
While there are other great tablets available for the digital artist, we found that people love to watch her draw over her shoulder, so we chose to use the largest Cintiq available, the Wacom Cintiq 21UX 21-Inch Touch Screen Tablet. To the left is an image of both of Angie’s Cintiqs. The “little brother” atop our main Cintiq is the Wacom Cintiq 12WX 12-Inch Touch Screen Display.
Though we’ve never had to use it for this purpose, we also carry our ‘spare’ tablet with us as a backup should something mechanical go awry as electronics sometimes do.
Some artists use a smaller laptop with a tablet without the screen built in. This will get the job done just as well as a Cintiq, but as we said, we have found that many people find watching the artist draw is a huge part of the entertainment.
You’ll be amazed at how many watch right over her shoulder, despite having a 9′ screen just a few yards away.
This is exciting. What other equipment is used
Angie also uses Apple computers. After all, the Mac is the choice of creative artists for a reason. *grin* Okay, that might be pushing it, but we just love the Mac and the innovations in touch technology at Apple in recent years.
In fact, she’s the first caricature artist to have her own personal promotional iPhone App! You can more about her iPhone app and download it for free!
This wireless keyboard also helps keep the work area more aesthetic, something we feel very strongly about.
And the artist’s screen (and the artwork she’s drawing) can be projected onto a 9-foot screen or broadcast live onto an LCD high-definition flat screen television for the entire room to watch!
Stop! You had me at “Live Digital”! 
How do I arrange to have a Live Digital Artist at my event?
You can either fill out our online form on the contact page, or feel free to give our studio a call at (215) 259-8842 and we’ll have someone talk with you about your details and see if this exclusive form of entertainment is appropriate for your event and which artist would be best for your event.
