Mark Penta Caricatures

North Andover High Grads!

2011-06-11T13:05:00.001-04:00

Service Awards for Nurses at Morton Hospital

2011-06-01T13:13:00.000-04:00

College Pals

2011-05-12T15:23:00.000-04:00

Graduation is near!

2011-05-07T13:54:00.001-04:00

Boston College Spring Week Event

2011-05-05T19:43:00.001-04:00

Superhero theme at UMass Lowell

2011-04-30T15:22:00.000-04:00

Babson College Buds

2011-04-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

Hired by Reebok/Bright Horizons Daycare to Draw Staff

2011-04-12T12:07:00.001-04:00

Father Daughter at Sheraton Portsmouth Hotel Staff Party

2011-04-03T22:10:00.000-04:00

Bentley College Student Event

2011-03-27T09:59:00.001-04:00

Ready to Draw at a Boston Wedding

2011-03-25T09:25:00.001-04:00

Bar Mitzvah at Primavera's Millis MA

2011-03-19T22:09:00.001-04:00

Bank function

2011-03-01T18:39:00.001-05:00

Wellesley College Pub Party

2011-02-13T20:21:00.001-05:00

Making Dreams Come True!

2011-01-29T18:16:00.000-05:00

Mass Lobsterman Trade Show, Hyannis

2011-01-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

Some Heads Are Bigger Than Others

2011-01-09T10:50:00.000-05:00

School event

2011-01-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

Cutey Patootie at Microsoft Holiday Party

2010-12-12T09:12:00.000-05:00

Moody Teen drawn in 4 minutes!

2010-12-04T14:28:00.001-05:00

4 minute caricature

2010-12-04T14:20:00.000-05:00

Office Team Building

2010-11-02T09:44:00.000-04:00

Sweet 16

2010-10-23T22:45:00.000-04:00

Gift commission for a 50th birthday

2010-09-27T11:08:00.000-04:00

Wedding reception

2010-09-18T23:11:00.001-04:00

Graduates! Billerica MA

2010-06-10T22:26:00.001-04:00

Corporate Event

2010-05-04T08:57:00.001-04:00

Bat Mitzvah party

2010-04-17T18:39:00.000-04:00

Mt. Wachusett College

2010-03-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

Northeastern University

2010-02-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

Drawings from a company awards breakfast

2009-12-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Mt. Wachusett College

2009-09-17T11:09:00.000-04:00

New England College

2009-08-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

Drawings from a 16th Birthday Party

2009-07-13T15:24:00.007-04:00

This fella sat down and didn't budge or blink for 5 minutes. I asked him if I could exaggerate a bit, and he said, "sure". So I did.

All the teeny-boppers wear 1980's hairstyle's these days!

High School Graduation

2009-06-03T14:49:00.000-04:00

Salem State College

2009-05-10T12:22:00.000-04:00

Tech Trade Show, Hynes, Boston

2009-04-11T09:45:00.000-04:00

MIT Holiday Party, Cambridge, MA

2008-12-19T13:39:00.000-05:00

Company X-mas party, RI

2008-12-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

UMass Boston

2008-09-19T14:27:00.000-04:00

Wedding - Groveland, MA

2008-09-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

Caricature of a 12-Year-Old Girl

2008-09-14T12:09:00.003-04:00

I drew this in about 3 minutes last night at a wedding. Don't ask me how this poor girl manages to balance her gigantic head on her teeny body, but she does! But seriously, as my caricature drawings go, I'm happy with this little ink drawing. I have so much fun drawing the body poses - it says so much about the person...the way they sit in the chair. It's my new favorite thing.

Hired by companies! (Masterman's & Google)

2008-09-08T12:46:00.005-04:00

This family cracked me up - they were making fun of each other the entire time I drew them. The matriarch - "Mom" - (red shirt) was non-stop with the wisecracks. Hilarious!

It's always fun to draw a grandfather with his grandkids. Especially when grandpa's name is "Bumpa".

Sometimes a company hires me to come in and draw the entire staff on one big board, which they later frame and hang in the lobby. It goes like this: I show up, they put me in a conference room, and one by one each employee walks in, poses for about 7 minutes, then gets back to work! (This particular drawing is of the Google staff in Cambridge, MA. I made the drawing on a thick piece of 100% rag drawing paper. I pencil in each face first, since it's a group shot. Then I ink it with an archival ink brush pen, and for color I use Prismacolor Art Sticks. Wala!)

Bunker Hill Community College

2008-09-04T11:42:00.004-04:00

This is a pretty good example of how my drawings have evolved lately. A little more stylized exaggeration, high contrast, with the body drawn in whatever pose the person happens to be sitting in.

I liked this guy's dignified persona. It would have been wrong to make him "smile" for the picture. (my apologies for the bad Photoshop enhancements - it's hard to balance the lighting levels from some of my iPhone pix!)

Amherst College, MA

2008-08-25T10:46:00.003-04:00

Lately my favorite thing is to just draw the person's pose. It's taken me a really long time to understand that the neck (or lack thereof), shape of the body, and posture are critical to capturing the person's likeness and personality.

Summer Picnic, Sheraton staff

2008-08-18T01:02:00.000-04:00

My Set-up, Hyannis Port, company event

2008-07-29T15:31:00.000-04:00

Corporate Event, Sheraton Boston

2008-07-24T14:17:00.000-04:00

Family Graduation Celebration

2008-06-30T20:53:00.000-04:00

From a Wedding Reception

2008-06-28T09:59:00.003-04:00

Some guys have all the luck. These friendly folks got a real hoot out of my depiction of them. Drawing at weddings is a lot of fun, mainly because the guests don't expect a caricaturist to be there, so it's a fun surprise for them. My thanks to my talented associate J4 for hiring me for this one. Everyone loved the caricatures.

Grad/PoolParty! (click to enlarge)

2008-06-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

Eyes? What eyes?

2008-06-21T13:43:00.000-04:00

Party All Night!

2008-06-10T19:45:00.000-04:00

Graduation Time! Billerica, MA

2008-06-05T13:17:00.003-04:00

Every year around this time many high schools throw "All-night" graduation parties. I've been invited to draw at some of them for over 10 years now. Even though it can be tough working vampire hours, the whole thing is very casual. The kids are fun, food is everywhere, and I get to work with my friends. By the time I get home and my head hits the pillow it's usually around 4am, when the first morning bird starts to sing.

Prom Season!

2008-05-28T18:17:00.003-04:00

Too cool for school? It's always fun to draw at these events. The hairstyles, the dresses, the tuxes - all super fun to draw.

UMASS Boston

2008-05-27T12:02:00.000-04:00

Concord Art Association Cocktail Party, MA

2008-05-22T09:18:00.003-04:00

The Concord Art Association hired me to draw at their annual auction, and a fun time was had by all! It was a semi-formal affair, so I drew lots of elegant ladies in cocktail dresses and dapper guys in sportcoats. As you can see from the photo, they displayed my drawings on the walls, which made for lots of laughs as people walked by. It was a beautiful evening for drawing, and the CAA made lots of money that night. Bravo!

Fairhaven HS After-Prom

2008-05-17T21:25:00.000-04:00

Bar Mitzvah - Norwood, Ma

2008-05-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

Fenway Park

2008-04-21T12:39:00.000-04:00

Harvard Law (office)

2008-04-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

Harvard Law (office)

2008-04-18T09:47:00.000-04:00

Harvard Law (office)

2008-04-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

Private Party

2008-03-25T22:54:00.001-04:00

Bar Mitzvah - R.I.

2008-03-15T07:54:00.000-04:00

Taj Hotel - Boston

2008-03-06T10:24:00.005-05:00

So last week I got a call from the elegant Taj Hotel
here in Boston. (The Taj is the former Ritz Carlton - the
one on Newbury Street.) They asked me to come in
(last night) and draw a group-caricature at a special
dinner honoring Mr. Zeller, the hotel's C.O.O.

The plan? I was to show up and secretly draw all the
"key" Taj players in attendance - the top managers,
VP's and staff. I would have 2.5 hours to make the drawing
and then they would frame it and present it to Mr. Zeller at
the dinner as a surprise.

Here's how it went down:

I arrived at 5:30 and they snuck me into an office. Then,
one by one, they sent in the Executive Chef, the Head of Sales
for all the Taj Hotels, the General Managers, and VP's, to sit and

pose for me. I sketched each person in about 3 minutes then sent them
back upstairs to dinner. A bunch of these folks flew in from
India for the occasion, so thank God I've got a little experience
at this caricature thing.

I penciled 19 people in 1 hour on an 11x14" piece of Bristol paper,
then gathered my art supplies and moved to a empty function room
upstairs to ink and color the caricature. I only had another
1.5 hours to finish the drawing before the presentation. Yikes!

Since I was alone in the room I could draw while listening to
my iPhone music. Loved that.

Some of the waitstaff popped in to watch me draw. They stood over me,

giggling, pointing to faces they recognized.

By 8:45 the two nice women who hired me, Nadine and Dana,

came over to see the finished piece. They loved it. Whew!

I managed to take a photo of it with my iPhone (above)
before they wisked it away and placed it in a gorgeous matt
that everyone signed (emblazoned with the Taj logo).

And then - this was funny - at least 6 men in dark suits entered the
room, framed the matted caricature, set it on a large wooden easel,
draped a black velvet sheet over it, and carried it out of the room.
For a second there, I thought the Pope was going to show up and
bless my cartoon.

I never got to see Mr. Zeller's reaction. Once my job was done everyone
ran back to the function room. So like a lonely caricature assassin, I put my

artsy weapons back in my black case and stealthly left the building.

Bar Mitzvah at the Sherborn Inn

2008-02-28T09:38:00.003-05:00

I had a blast drawing this man. He was really
easy to capture. Big glasses, squinty eyes, and
large neck. When you don't see a jawline, you
don't draw one. (That's just one of my biggest
secrets. You're welcome. ;)

Slam Dunk Gift Idea!

2008-02-21T17:24:00.002-05:00

Today I was hired to show up at a house in Billerica
to draw a girls' basketball team. The ladies plan to
give the group drawing to their coach as a thank you gift.
I drew them one at a time on an 11x14" piece
of Bristol paper, penciling first, then inking, and
then coloring. They watched me draw the entire time.
It took about 2.5 hours to create the picture.
Lots of laughter and giggling!

Company Event - New Hampshire

2008-02-18T09:41:00.003-05:00

Sometimes a couple sits for me and tells me that
they're expecting a child. This is always fun for me,
because I can draw the woman with a big belly,
and I can make little notes on the picture indicating
how far along she is in the pregnancy. A nice little
keepsake for a special time in their lives!

Birthday Party - Cambridge, MA

2008-02-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I drew at a huge beautiful home in
Cambridge. I was hired to draw 10 second-grade
girls at a birthday party. I don't often draw in
color at parties because there are usually 40 plus
people to draw and I have to work fast. But as
long as someone is able to pay my 2 hour minimum
appearance fee I can appear at small events.
I'm happy to report that the girls were hilarious, fun,
and happy with my caricatures. Each one screamed,
"I look GREAT!" and giggled uncontrollably.

Yankee Dental Convention-Boston

2008-02-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

Company Event - New Hampshire

2008-01-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Liberty Hotel company event

2008-01-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

Some people sit for a caricature and don't smile.
It's just not their nature. So how do you add humor
to a serious-looking person? You draw a little body
on them and make them handing a bouquet of flowers
to their sweetie.

Liberty Hotel company event

2008-01-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

The other night I drew at a company
event held at the Liberty Hotel in Boston.
My caricature table was set up on the
5th floor. This was my view. Beautiful!

Comcast/Celtics Event

2008-01-22T17:01:00.000-05:00

When I saw this gentleman from across
the room I immediately cast my invisible
fishing line and reeled him into my seat.
A guy like this comes along once in a blue
moon at most parties, so I had a ball
drawing him. He laughed a joyous laugh
when he saw the finished picture.

The key to capturing his essence isn't his
nose, or his beard, or his hat - it's his eyes.
His heavy lids give him a sleepy, mellow
demeanor. Admittedly, I drew his face longer
than I should have. What can I say -
I was overexcited!

Comcast/Celtics Event

2008-01-22T16:20:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I drew at an event
(courtesy of my talented associate, J4)
for Comcast. The party was held at the
Boston Celtics' practice facility in Waltham, MA.
That's me taking a break, and behind me
are the actual Celtics running around the
court shooting layups and stuff.

It's kind of funny - sometimes when I arrive
at a party people set me up in a dark basement
with no windows. Other times, I get to draw
in a room with a live view of the Boston Celtics.

Caricaturing has given me many rare opportunities
like this.

Comcast/Celtics Event

2008-01-22T16:19:00.000-05:00

Twins?

2008-01-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

The contrasting looks of these two gentleman
made caricaturing them a hilarious experience
for me. The guy on the right, Charles, has that
flaring white collar with its nine-foot wingspan,
so I exaggerated it. Raja, on the left, has
jet-black hair which really stands out against
the sea of white shirts. I like to be able to see my
caricatures from across a room. Drawing
bold black areas makes that possible.
(click to enlarge)

Boston - Hotel Commonwealth Staff Party

2008-01-12T07:54:00.000-05:00

Ana was fun to draw because of the shape of
her eyes when she smiles, which I exaggerated
a bit here. The trick to drawing the 'glimmer' in smiling
eyes is to draw black archs with white spots
in the center of them. (click to enlarge).

Boston - Hotel Commonwealth Staff Party

2008-01-12T07:46:00.000-05:00

Last night was the second year in a row I was
called by the posh Hotel Commonwealth to draw
at their post-holiday staff party. I contracted
my trusty sidekick J4 to draw with me. It took
a little time for people to loosen up enough
to get drawn, so they headed straight for the bar
and mingled for a while. But soon enough, the caricatures
were popular as usual! The couple above were
originally from Columbia.

Mass General Hospital Post Holiday Event

2008-01-06T21:49:00.000-05:00

This mother-daughter team was fun to draw
thanks to their strong features. Susan, on
the left, has intense light blue eyes and heavy dark
eyebrows - an exciting combo for drawing.
Her feathered hair was fun to exaggerate as well.
I think this is the third year in a row I've drawn
these ladies together. (click to enlarge all photos)

Mass General Hospital -Pediatric Oncology event

2008-01-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

This little girl was hilarious. She kept flashing that
wide, zany smile at me. You can see the mischief
in her eyes!

Today's gig was for Mass General's pediatric
oncology department. They call me every year
and I have to hire a couple of artists to work it
with me since there are about 200 people who
attend. It's 3 hours of non-stop caricaturing!

Private House Party - Brentwood, NH

2008-01-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

Last night I drove all the way up to the Exeter, NH
area to draw at a private party for a sales team.
(The hostess, Arie, set me up in a room displayed
with her amazing homemade wedding cakes!)

The couple above were fun to draw. The guy, Brendan,
was a real ham all night long - cracking jokes and
laughing a lot - so I knew I could exaggerate his
jock-like appearance and he'd appreciate it.

This is one of those caricatures that really gets the
crowd laughing their heads off. I was laughing
with them.

Private House Party - Brentwood, NH

2008-01-06T10:37:00.000-05:00

She has a lovely look - but I had to look very
carefully to capture her likeness correctly due
to her delicate bone structure. He was pretty
easy to draw thanks to his unique smile.

Private House Party

2008-01-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

Everyone Loves Caricature!

2008-01-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

Here I am drawing a couple of 90-year-old sisters!
They sat very still and looked much younger than
their years. I asked them if they'd ever been drawn
before and they said, "no".

That blows me away. I'm their only portrait artist
in 90 years!

Later, the hostess who hired me for the party emailed
to say that it was her favorite drawing of the
night.

"I couldn't believe that they even did it!" she said.

70th Surprise Birthday Party - Seekonk, MA

2007-12-30T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I drew at Frank's 70th birthday bash at
the Johnson & Wales Inn. I drew close to 50 people,
as did my caricaturist friend, J4, who I contracted
to work along with me. We were caricaturing machines!

It was a huge hit. We drew non-stop for 3 hours.
Everyone loved it. Lots of laughter...people showing
off their drawings to each other...

It was a big Italian family event. I drew teeny babies
and a set of 90 year old sisters with big white bouffant
hairdo's! (Neither of them had ever been drawn before!)

I was in the zone the whole time. That's a
good thing - it means I'm focused and having fun
capturing good likenesses.

The majority of the crowd was over age 55,
so every face had character (okay, wrinkles) which
always makes caricaturing a pleasure! We received
lots of compliments for our work and lots of people
took my card and kept saying, "This is a great idea!"

Special thanks to Maria for inviting us to draw
at her dad's party! We had fun!

70th Surprise Birthday Party - Seekonk, MA

2007-12-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

Stella's Restaurant, Boston - Valet Parking Company, Holiday Event

2007-12-26T15:38:00.000-05:00

This couple laughed pretty hard when I revealed
their caricature, but make no mistake - they take their
sexiness seriously! She was Spanish - didn't
speak any English...and he was 'Mr. Cool' the whole
time. These are the things that make them unique
as a couple, so that's what I try to capture on paper.

I'm always amazed at the variety of companies I get
to draw for. This event was for a successful Valet
Parking company. As I wrapped for the night,
a bunch of official looking guys in Red Sox jackets carted
in the 2 World Series trophies from 2004 and
2007! I guess the Red Sox let people rent the trophies
for photo opportunities!

Hilton Woburn, MA - Staff Holiday Event

2007-12-22T21:13:00.000-05:00

I like drawing group shots. It makes caricaturing
easier. How, you ask?

Contrast.

An apple looks red until you hold it up
next to a stop sign. Then it looks purple.
It's the same with faces.

When you compare one face to another,
it's like a helpful guide - a tool you can use - that
helps you to see how to draw each individual face.

When I start drawing a group, my thoughts sound like this:

"Oh, the guy on the left has eyes that are kind of spread
apart, compared to the guy in the middle whose eyes
look like dots..."

Etc.

I've drawn at the Hilton's staff holiday event for over 12 years!
Great bunch of folks.

NEW: I have enabled comments, so I'd love to hear
your thoughts...Thanks!

Hilton Woburn, MA - Employee Holiday Event

2007-12-22T21:07:00.000-05:00

This little girl just kind of stared at me
like that the whole time I drew her.

Company Event - Chelmsford, MA

2007-12-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

She was lovely and very easy to draw.
My eyes easily latched onto the
way her head breaks down into simple
shapes. Her bangs are one piece of the
puzzle. Her ear is a hoop, her earing a loop,
her pony-tail /bun is round...Her eyes look
black against her blonde hair and skin...
I used a fine point pen to draw the thin,
wispy angel-hairs (click to enlarge).
Those are the little touches that make the
drawing 'feel' like the person.

Company Event - Chelmsford, MA

2007-12-19T20:04:00.000-05:00

It's hard to tell from the way this man's
head is angled in the photo, but his hair
really is styled like this. I drew his body
flying sideways as if his hair were dragging
him. I added a cape and clouds just because.

Company Event - Chelmsford, MA

2007-12-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

This guy had that "Tom Selleck" good looking
man thing going for him, so I tried to accentuate it
by drawing his strong jawline.

Get Ready...The Party Is About To Begin!

2007-12-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

I try to arrive early at my gigs whenever
possible. Usually between a half hour
and fifteen minutes before I'm supposed
to start drawing. It wasn't always so.

There's nothing worse than getting caught
in traffic jam on your way to an event. Rushing
into the function room with a minute to spare
is stressful, and obviously, makes the client
wonder where the heck their entertainment is.

So I always leave extra early for the job.
And I have rituals too, similar to those of a baseball
player stepping up to the plate. He usually fidgets with his batting
gloves, spits in the dirt, and taps home plate twice with his bat.
I don't spit, but I do have to mentally and physically prepare
so I can perform well.

Here's my ritual before I start drawing at parties:

My table and chairs must be ready.
I ask the client to pre-arrange my seating in advance. I need
1 table and 3 chairs, set up next to an outlet, far from DJ speakers.
Sometimes when I arrive there are only 2 chairs. Sometimes they
seat me next to a loud generator or amplifier. These things
make me go "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."
As long as there's time to resolve the issue, I'm okay again.

I need to have a full stomach.
If I'm hungry I can't concentrate. That's why I always eat before a gig.
After I eat I must have a piece of chocolate.
This is critical for drawing excellence.

I need to have a beverage at my table.
Drawing makes me thirsty. I usually sit for at least
1.5 hours before I take a break. So I must have liquid -
water or soda. Coffee is a nice pick-me-up in the home-stretch.

Mints
Altoids are the secret power-pellets that give me
enduring caricaturing power.

Advil
Yup, if I'm drawing for 3 hours or more, I take an
Advil before I start. This keeps my arm from
getting sore.

I meditate for a minute
I really do - it helps melt away the racing thoughts
of my own life and gets me on purpose, which is to serve
the client and make great drawings for everyone.

My tools must be sharp.
I must have fresh pens, plenty of paper, bags,
and a lamp that works. If any of these supplies are low
I feel a little uneasy.

But if everything is in place, which it usually is, I feel great
and can really give 100% for the party people.

Company Holiday Event

2007-12-17T13:33:00.001-05:00

3 things jumped out at me about this
gentleman's face:

1. His squinty-eyed smile
2. Extreme Dimples
3. His nose is shaped like an arrow pointing
down.

I should add, I saw lots of 'space' in his face.
You have to 'draw' that too.

Sure, he's wearing a Santa hat, but his
Christmas spirit radiates through his eyes.
You have to be brave and draw two little black
streaks for eyes in order to capture his smiley,
Santa-hat wearin' personality on paper.

Private Holiday Party

2007-12-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

I drew this in about 5 minutes tonight at a
house party. The woman on the left, Stephanie,
definitely had 'sass' and it was important that
I drew her hair covering her eye like it does in reality.
The logical side of my brain said, "No, you should
draw her with two eyes because even though you
can't see both, you know she has two." But
you can't listen to that voice; you have to draw
what you see.

Westin Waterfront, Boston- Arrowstreet Holiday Party

2007-12-14T23:47:00.000-05:00

This family was so much fun to draw. I drew
the kids first, and once they were done they
swung around to watch me draw mom and dad.
They were laughing the whole time.
This is the 7th or 8th year in a row that I've
drawn at Arrowstreet's holiday party, courtesy
of my agent, Diane Barry. Arrowstreet is an
architecture firm. They designed the new
Westin in Boston's seaport district. It's got
vast, wide open spaces. Really awesome.

Hyatt, Boston - Emerson College Holiday Party

2007-12-12T22:08:00.000-05:00

This is the 4th year in a row that I've drawn at
Emerson's faculty holiday event. People have me
draw their kids every year. They tell me they
have all my pictures framed in their homes.
Year after year, they add another caricature to
the collection. It's really touching!

Ritz, Boston - Holiday party for St. Francis House

2007-12-11T22:25:00.000-05:00

I try to capture someone's personality and essence,
not just their physical likeness.

The moment someone sits, I sense their personality
style and try to draw that too. That's what makes
the caricature 'feel' like the person.

But, you might ask, isn't essence invisible? How can
you draw it?

It comes through in the eyes. The mouth.
The general expression. These are physical things
I can see in the form of lines, shapes, spaces...
But also...

Does the person start talking to me excitedly?
Are they laughing or giggling? Smirking?
If so, I draw them that way.

Or do they just sit quietly, poker-faced?
I try not to force a non-smiler to smile because
it's not in their nature. My goal is to capture
their nature, so I draw them straight-faced.

Endy is the woman in the picture above. She
had a quiet, graceful presence. An easy smile.
You can imagine my surprise when she said,
"I like to shoot pool."

What happens to the eyes when someone smiles?
Do they morph into little black rainbows?
Or, like Endy's, do they stay wide open and

alert? (hence, draw little round circles.)

All it takes is one eyebrow drawn at
the wrong angle, and you've botched the essence.
It took me years to learn how to draw
without thinking.