Monday, July 18, 2005

Don

I'd like to tell you about my "little" brother, Don. Growing up we were very close. Of the ten of us kids, we were 7th and 8th. My older brother, the 6th, didn't seem to want much to do with 7 and 8 apart from teasing and other mild sibling abuse;--for that matter, it didn't seem to me he was interested in any of us besides older brothers, 3 and 4--so that left Don and me to our own devices, which was fine by us. We did most things together and we had a great friendship. I told him what to do, and he did it with a smile. Isn't that was friendship is all about? We even read Superfudge together! (All hail Judy Blume!) Anyway, he has been fiercely loyal ever since, which always makes me want to brag about him. And I do. But I wouldn't brag about anyone whom I didn't think deserved it. Ask my girlfriend who thinks she can sing.

And that brings me to caricaturesbydon.com. First of all let me say that art on paper (drawing, sketching, cartooning, caricatures) is just one of the many talents Don possesses. He is also a very gifted standup comic, writer of plays, sketch comedies, screenplays and stories, a a singer and songwriter, and a natural comedic and dramatic actor. I would also venture to say that he is a good husband and father, and definitely an all-around good guy. And I promise I'm not the only one who says so.

Don has been drawing since he was very young. He would draw picture after picture as a kid, and created his own cartoon strips with original characters before the age of ten. He continued to excel in art throughout high school, and after serving a full-time mission for the LDS church and then getting married, he was accepted at Sheridan Collage in Oakville, Ontario to major in animation. He graduated in three years (his final project was an animated short based on one of his original sketch comedies), and was immediately hired onto an animation studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has been in Halifax ever since (albeit not at the same studio), and works at the waterfront on the side, doing caricatures for tourists.

Then he launched his own business, via the web, at http://www.caricaturesbydon.com/. Go there to check out his unique style of caricaturing, bearing in mind that--correct me if I'm wrong, Don--his completed caricatures are all done with pencil crayons (aka colored pencils). If you admire them, feel free to post. More importantly, feel free to patronize. His t-shirts are original and reasonably priced, and you will have done him and yourself a great service, not to mention a personal favor to me! And he accepts PayPal! What could be easier than that? With that in mind, I'd like to post my caricaturebyDon of the week! Of course I have to start with the Beatles. The two of us have always been fans, especially him. And this particular caricature launched one of his first paying jobs from the website.






So there you have it. I hope I haven't embarrassed my brother. I do hope, though, that I have helped sell a few t-shirts.

Maria

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