TheChairman at 05:49, 5 August 2020

2020-08-05T05:49:31Z

TheChairman: Created page with "==Article Transcript== For eight years I drew caricatures at Alton Towers, the UK’s largest theme park. This was my dream job. I couldn’t believe my luck when I was given..."

2020-08-05T05:49:05Z

Created page with "==Article Transcript== For eight years I drew caricatures at Alton Towers, the UK’s largest theme park. This was my dream job. I couldn’t believe my luck when I was given..."

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==Article Transcript==
For eight years I drew caricatures
at Alton Towers, the UK’s largest
theme park. This was my dream
job. I couldn’t believe my luck when I
was given the opportunity by concession
owner Mick Hollinworth. I loved everything
about drawing there and got to work with
fantastic artists like Mick and Mike Giblin.
It was a great learning ground for me as
a new caricaturist to learn my trade and
without a doubt helped make me the
artist I am today. There was a quality-first
attitude, with the emphasis on giving the
customer a good experience and value for
the money. Yes, you got the odd comment
now and again ― “her nose isn’t that big,”
etc., as if that was the first time you had
heard it, but nothing could take away from
what, to me, was the perfect job. We had
repeat customers each season, and even
in these hard financial times, the sales
remained at a good level. Records were
broken for most caricatures drawn in a
day, a record that I am proud to say I still
hold to this day. You may think it was too
good to last, and sadly it was.

The arrival of a new management team,
who had no prior experience with theme
park management, soon began to
change things.

Their expertise was in retail, managing a
chain of stores, which went into liquidation.
From the outset, it was clear that
they intended to make big changes and
soon started to apply pressure, telling
us that they would want a much higher
percentage from our sales “if you want
to keep the concession.” They wanted
to open another caricature booth to be
manned by two more artists. This was
not a new idea, as the addition of an
extra booth had been tried on a number
of occasions over the years, without any
real success. Experience told us that on
most days, there was only enough work
for one artist, two on a good day. In addition,
due to the new concession terms
they had in mind, it would not attract
good artists, as they would be unable to
make enough money.

The quality-first approach of the old
management team was a thing of the
past, with the new team even urging us
to spend less time on each caricature,
which would inevitably result in worse
drawings. It was clear that they had little
regard for the caricature art, asking us to
draw at a lower level in order to employ
more artists with less drawing skills than
ours. It was also clear that any advice we tried to give was not well received and that,
from their point of view, it was their way or
the highway. The last straw was when we
were informed that a new caricaturist had
offered them a better deal, the plan being
that they would have four artists manning
two booths every day of the season. The
lead artist claimed that she could train anyone
to be a caricature artist in seven days!
So you can imagine the level of skill each
artist would have. All the previous enjoyment
had gone from the job, and I knew I
couldn’t continue any longer.

I admit it was a big worry leaving the
security of the theme park, wondering how I
would pay bills, etc., and initially I felt anger
at basically being forced out and replaced
by less-skilled artists. I decided then that I
wasn’t going to go down without a fight, so I
started to promote myself more and looked
for different events and festivals to draw at.
I also started to do more studio work.
I remember the first event I worked at after
leaving the theme park. I was sitting at
my easel feeling a bit low and wondering
if anyone would sit for a caricature. I was
still angry with the way I had been treated
by my past employers, and my confidence
had taken a knock. I was also worried that
I wouldn’t find enough work to pay the bills
even though other artists had told me that
I was one of the best live-caricature artists
in the UK. I never talked about how worried
I was, so on the outside, I would give the
impression that everything was fine, but the
way I felt inside was very different.

So I will never forget that first caricature
after I left, when a lady asked me to draw
her son. I felt all the worry and anger flow
out of my body, and I started to regain my
confidence. It turned out to be a great day,
and my mojo was well and truly back! The
fire had been lit! Let the marker see the
paper!

Since that day, I have worked at all sorts of
events, one of my favorites being the Tattoo
Tea Party. It rocks. I get to see some awesome
tattoo art and the opportunity to draw
some very unique looking people. It makes
drawing at weddings seem very tame!

My latest venture is producing themepark-
style color caricatures for Wowcher,
an Internet-based discount site. They are
a massive company, and I am very happy
with the deal I have negotiated and also the
exposure I have received.

I recently had a booking at a wedding for
a couple who worked at Alton Towers, and
as many of the guests were Alton Towers’
staff, it was great to see everyone again.
They all told me the same thing, that the
new caricature team takings were very low
and there were reports of complaints from
guests unhappy with their caricatures. I
was told that the artists are now on a low
wage, with a bonus payable if they reach
an unrealistic target, the result being that
they don’t care how many caricatures they
draw, as they will still earn a wage. It is
sad to see what has become of a once
successful caricature concession, and I get
no satisfaction from being the guy who said
“I told you so.” I no longer feel anger about
the way I was treated, as I am doing just
fine on my own.

I have great memories of the fantastic people
I met and the great times I had working
alongside my fellow caricaturists, who I am
glad to report are all doing well too! There
was concession owner Mick Hollinworth.
The hard-working, hard-drawing, quick
stretching, doodle master, cider drinking,
marker bending, nose stretching Wayne
Savage. Sadly, Wayne only had one season
at the park. He was developing into a
good artist, and I am sure that, given time,
he will become one of the better artists in
the UK. Then there was Liesbeth Beckers,
whose catchphrase before each drawing
was “Let’s see what we can do then.” She
is a great artist and a fantastic person. And
last but not least, my good friend Tim Wells,
who helped us out from time to time whilst
learning his trade. Tim now works in sunny
Blackpool!

Looking back, I now know that the experience
at Alton Towers has made me
stronger and a better artist, and more
confident in my own ability. So to all fellow
caricaturists who are reading this,
remember that all is not lost if you are told
that your services are no longer required.
Here are a few of the things that I tried in
order to secure bookings and establish
myself: Stay calm and stay focused and
never doubt your ability. Be willing to
adapt to other methods of working and to
learn new skills. Adopt a quality-first approach,
a value-for-money, quality product
will always attract more clients. It is also
important to grow as a business man or
woman, as it is to grow as an artist. The
two should go together. With hindsight, I
suppose I was insulated at Alton Towers,
without the need to look for additional
work. These days, I am always looking
for new ways to put myself in the shop
window to attract more business.

Finally, I would like to thank my partner,
Helen, for her never-ending support and
encouragement and also to the wider
circle of my family and friends who helped
through the darker times of being a caricature
artist.

Here’s to the future and the next chapter!

''Mike recently finished filming a segment for a the new spin off Pawn Stars UK, to be aired in the UK, USA, Japan, and Europe. To see what else he has been up to, visit his website at [http://www.mickeytoones.co.uk www.mickeytoones.co.uk]''

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	''Mike recently finished filming a segment for a the new spin off Pawn Stars UK, to be aired in the UK, USA, Japan, and Europe. To see what else he has been up to, visit his website at [http://www.mickeytoones.co.uk www.mickeytoones.co.uk]''		''Mike recently finished filming a segment for a the new spin off Pawn Stars UK, to be aired in the UK, USA, Japan, and Europe. To see what else he has been up to, visit his website at [http://www.mickeytoones.co.uk www.mickeytoones.co.uk]''
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Life After the Theme Park - Revision history

TheChairman at 05:49, 5 August 2020

TheChairman: Created page with "==Article Transcript== For eight years I drew caricatures at Alton Towers, the UK’s largest theme park. This was my dream job. I couldn’t believe my luck when I was given..."