WALKABOUT
ENTERTAINMENT
TO ROAM THE LAND OR TO TAKE ROOT?
Walkabout entertainment (also known as roaming entertainment) means I move through the room with sketchpad in hand, navigating between drinks, conversations and canapés, capturing guests in quick, lively caricatures right where the action is. It’s sociable and spontaneous, with portraits appearing naturally as I follow the flow of the party.
Little clusters tend to gather around to watch the drawings take shape - friends comment, colleagues offer unsolicited artistic direction, and people who've never met can suddenly find themselves chatting over the shape of somebody else’s eyebrows.
There’s also an element of surprise. Guests don't necessarily have to decide to come and have a caricature done. They might be halfway through a conversation when I appear, or watching somebody else being drawn, and suddenly think, “Go on then.” It feels less like a planned activity and more like something simply happening around them.
I can also work seated or “stationary”, with guests coming over to sit for me. With their full attention, fewer flying elbows and the calmer mood, this tends to produce more polished sketches, but there’s something more to it - with everyone gathered around, there’s a touch more drama and ritual to the process, and people have time to enjoy commenting on the emerging likenesses. Many guests also appreciate the excuse to sit down briefly!
Walkabout entertainment spreads the fun around the room, and working stationary creates a bit of theatre. Both approaches work well, and I can use either - or both - during an event, depending on the venue, the flow of the event, and what the client has in mind.