1. Home
2. News
3. Lines of personality

Lines of personality

Caricaturists turn simple sketches into living works of art.

By RASHA ALY
rashaaly@sanduskyregister.com

The speed is amazing.

In five minutes, talented artists can sketch a drawing that resembles their subject without erasing or scratching out extra lines.

The art is called caricature.

And it really isn't all that easy.

For Sean Carroll, who sees himself as the grandfather of local caricaturing, practice was important. He used to practice for hours each day, the 38-year-old said.

Today, the Sandusky resident has 20 years of experience behind him, he said.

Carroll stumbled across the art form as a teenager looking for something other than a fast food job, he said.

So when he saw the ad in the newspaper -- Cedar Point needed artists -- he applied. Got the job. And hooked on it ever since.

Throughout the year, Carroll books a number of caricature jobs with area organizations, he said. Sawmill Creek Lodge books him for many of the holidays. Sometimes he is hired for city functions, too.

Cedar Point also helped start off Jodie Fleming's career.

A caricature artist for about 18 years, Fleming said each day she learns something new about her profession.

The pressure was tough from the start.

"I was always an arts kid," she said.

She got busted in the second grade for selling pieces of art, the Clyde resident said.

An inauspicious start to a career. But a start, nonetheless.

By college, Fleming worked at Cedar Point, beginning with portraits, eventually moving into the realm of caricatures. It provided income for her while she earned her degree at Ohio University where she majored in printmaking and art history.

"The goal was to be good, fast and sell," she said of Cedar Point.

That was hard.

Drawing for more than 8 hours a day for six days a week can be grueling, she said.

And she is on constant watch.

As an artist, people's eyes are on her and her hand as she sketches each persons features, she said. And those eyes are pressure as they watch for any mistakes.

From Cedar Point, Fleming and Carroll learned their skills.

But Fleming continued on with her work at Cedar Point.

She turned down a paid fellowship from Washington University in St. Louis to travel the country with the company who hired her at Cedar Point to train other caricature artists.

About 19 years later, Fleming proved she has the talent.

Now, Fleming has her own company, Big Smile Caricatures & Entertainment, started in 1997 out of her home in Clyde. In 1998, she won as the world's fastest caricature artist during a Las Vegas competition.

The company of about 15 artists travel all across the country to colleges, universities and corporate and private parties.

Throughout the years, Fleming has discovered her tastes have changed because of the kind of people she likes to draw. The perfect-looking people are not nearly as fun to draw as those who have imperfections, she said.

Brad Pitt is not nearly as handsome as Harry Connick Jr., she said.

Why?

Connick has more character in his face unlike the typical "blond and gorgeous" guys many women fall for, she said.

That character gives artists "a little bit of play" with their pieces.

For information on Fleming, call 419-547-9444 or Carroll at 419-627-2586.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com