Harold Hugenholtz: Caricature Artist Specialised in Branding
Article Transcript
Which one of us hasn’t seen a caricature artist, working in the streets, presenting his work in the worst way imaginable? Bad display, poor lighting, lousy chairs, dirty look – basically deserving the low prices asked for drawing your caricature. There are, however, a few artists who invest a lot of time and energy to make their stands look good. These leaders in the industry are important because they upgrade the caricature profession, showing other artists how things should be. In this vein, we find Harold Hugenholtz, who is really one of the best caricaturists I’ve seen in the field of caricature branding.
I met Harold at the mini-con held in Girona, in April 2011. He was wearing a jacket with his company logo on one arm and the NCN logo on the other. His work was fantastic; in fact, he won a prize in every category except 3D. During the convention, I asked him if he’d like to be interviewed for EF magazine. He accepted enthusiastically. The following article issued from our meeting.
Many artists turn to caricature because they can’t make a living out of painting. Others do so because they want to improve their income and because it’s a good way to earn a living. Still others turn to caricature because they simply and truly love the art form; Harold Hugenholtz is one of these.
When he was 8 years old, Harold saw a caricature artist working in public and lingered 2 to 3 hours to watch him work. From this moment, Harold knew he would become a caricature artist. It’s something you can feel when you meet the man by the way he transfers his passion to others. Harold has the ability to brand his product in a very efficient manner, having studied graphic design for 4 years in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where he learned graphic art, printing and branding. This really helped him when he started his business, Company Comics, in 1991. Afterwards, he opened a caricature shop also located in Eindhoven. On the ground floor he offers different products (such as postcards, mugs, t-shirts, aprons, bags, etc...), while on the first floor he does his studio work. Harold Hugenholtz designed a very efficient flight case. With his lettered van and his flight case, he drives to conventions and festivals to draw caricatures. He also prints caricatures on t-shirts and mugs on site.
Since he invested a lot in his business and due to the fact that his product is very well presented, Hugenholtz’s prices are a little more expensive than other artists. The investment pays off, though, as corporate customers love to have a professional look for their booths.
At the latest convention in Girona, I was really impressed by the astonishing quality of his art. Harold drew digitally most of the time and completed caricatures in 5 to 10 minutes (sometimes going a little longer, as these conventions are more laid back) with a quality that is simply fantastic. He works with Painter, mainly using its brush and watercolor tools.
For the first time, I found that “on-the-spot” digital caricatures didn’t have a plastic look. The lines looked so much like real brushstrokes, the resemblance and colors so true, that the artwork was nothing short of outstanding. At the convention, he printed all his caricatures on 5 by 7 inch paper. Clients could also download and print their caricature directly from his website.
Harold was one of the first caricature artists to turn digital because he attended the ‘98 showcase, in Germany, where Wacom showed their tactile digital screen for the first time. In 1999 he bought a Panasonic Tough Book tablet, which he’s been using since. Recently he bought a Fujitsu Stylistic Wacom. He keeps a few of these tactile tablets handy for when he hires other artists, in order to achieve a homogenous look.
Look is very important to Harold and it’s the main reason why he stands out from other caricaturists. Too many caricature artists’ stands look cheap and it’s nice to see someone really investing in presentation. For instance, he was one of the only artists at the convention wearing an official t-shirt with his own logo and with the NCN logo, since he was there at the beginning of the ISCA adventure. He is proud to be the first, or one of the first, artists from the Netherlands to have joined the group. In Girona, he accepted a position on the board of the European chapter of ISCA.
I just hope that you appreciate his art as much as I did. I think that the photos included in this article speak for themselves.
www.karikatuur.nl
www.companycomics.com
(Thanks to Ryllan Dobbelsteyn, the son of cartoonist Cathy McMillan, and to caricaturist Sabrina Burgen for help translating the text.)
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