Caricature Artist Tony'Dee'Digregorio

New caricature logo for Florida artist Tony Dee created by the artist in watercolor.

2012-09-14T14:37:00.001-07:00

Actual artwork was created in watercolor on 120 lb WC paper. No computer graphics were used.

This work is available for anyone wanting to have a caricature depicting whatever business is represented on the business card. Tony will design a complete card for minimal cost.

For further samples of my work visit my website at www.portraitoons.com

It's amazing ....God's power.

2011-05-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

I was doing an event at the Hyatt Bonaventure last night. The guests were very happy about my work and for some reason I was getting extraordinary compliments. As a result I began to get 'tips' which I try not to accept on bookings for corporates or private events. For some reason one 'tip' found it's way into my empty coffee paper cup and I added a scrap piece of paper to it. One of the guests pulled out the 'tip' which was soaked in the left over coffee and told me that it was there and I said "no...that's waste, let it be"... ( thinking it was my piece of paper )she looked at me in amazement and put the bill back in the cup. Because of my partial blindness I did not see it for some reason and put the cup on the ground under my side table to be disposed of later on. At the end of my booking I started to breakdown and pack my gear, at that time a service person for the hotel was cleaning up and a few moments later came back and presented me with the 'bill' that was in the coffee and said " sir ...this is yours, I found it in a cup "...
I thanked her and rewarded her. I wanted to share this with you to show you how 'blessed' I am at this time in my life.

One man's vision as printed in the Saint Lucie News Tribune

2011-04-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

Story by By Steve Santiago Photo by Grayson Hoffman
On a sparkling, cloudless Saturday morning, people lined up at Tony "Dee" Digregorio's booth at the open-air market along the waterfront in Fort Pierce.
For a small fee, Digregorio sketches caricatures he hopes will humor and delight his customers.
Digregorio is, by all appearances, no different from any other caricature artist.
Except that he's nearly blind.
"I can only see one quarter of a person's normal vision yet I'm somehow able to do this artwork," Digregorio said. "What I see is similar to what someone might see through a keyhole."
The 73-year-old was born with a congenital deficiency in his right eye that rendered it unusable. Then, in 2004, vision in Digregorio's left eye deteriorated to the point that the Port St. Lucie resident had to stop driving.
Still, Digregorio's caricatures exhibit a remarkable level of detail. Donna and Bernie Bires, co-managers of the Fort Pierce Jazz Society's Arts & Crafts Market, say Digregorio is welcome at the market for as long as he wants.
"He's fantastic. He just attracts a crowd around him once he gets started and he's the last one to leave," Bernie Bires said.
Born in Montreal, Digregorio came to the U.S. as a 14-year-old when his family relocated to Newark, N.J. He attended art school, then worked in the advertising and graphic art industries in New York and New Jersey.
Digregorio started doing caricatures in 1967 as a way to earn extra cash.
"My boss said a lady wanted me to do caricatures at her party," Digregorio said. "At the time, I didn't know what to charge, being I was young, but I gave it a try."
The private party led to more and more referrals, and by 1980 Digregorio decided to quit his job and make a go of it doing caricatures full time. He said he has sketched caricatures of Sonny Bono, Ed McMahon, Frank Sinatra and Sylvester Stallone, to name a few.
But now, Digregorio is content working craft fairs and corporate events. He also has worked on the occasional mural, including an 8-by-22-foot depiction of the ocean he painted for his wife, Barbara.
At his booth, Digregorio put the finishing touches on a caricature of 8-year-old Justin McKenna of Portland, Maine, who was in town visiting relatives with his mother, Tricia.
"He's doing a great job so far," Tricia McKenna said of Digregorio's depiction of Justin as a quarterback.

Boys and Girls club fund raiser at Ron Bergeron's Ranch

2011-04-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Wow...I don't think Roy Rogers had a ranch like this. This is at the event we did this weekend at the Ron Bergeron ranch for the benefit of the Boys and Girls Club...Take a look at these photos.

I don't think Roy Rogers or Kenny Rogers had a ranch like this...that's Tony with the 'not so alive alligator'...let me tell you, the only thing that convinced me that it was not going to take my arm off is that it had dirt inside it's jaw.
Next you'll see me riding the bull...well that is 'bull' because it was not turned "on" yet... and that's me yelling NO...DON'T TURN IT ON...!!! Note my caricature easel in back of bull...that's where I was going to do the sketching.

We did caricatures for all the guests while a silent auction was going on. The band on stage played country music and it was a delight to listen to.

Here I am outside the saloon area with the indian that entertained with the flute. The indian was friendly but you couldn't trust the guy with the hat.
The barn had stables with fans and cleaner than someone's house. The horses outside were grazing on impeccable grounds. The fencing was perfect and separated the horses.

The teepee was not for pee pee, they had a full size rest area that was done in a western motif. That is the side of the pavilion on the right side of the teepee it was huge.
That lake you see behind me is actually on the property.

I thank my artist associate Stoyan for taking these wonderful photos. There will be more to come.

Our lady in charge of the entertainers was very helpful and gracious. Here she is with Tony at the entrance to the pavilion area.

It was a beautiful experience that we look forward to doing again next year.

Here is a video of the mural I just finished...

2011-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

The mural is 22'long x 8' high it took 10 days and was painted in latex house paints.
For more information on custom murals call Tony at 954.977.2882

The mural is completed...

2011-02-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

The mural I created is 8' high x 22' long

My wife wanted a beach scene in our great room (living room/dining room) so I painted a mural.
The painting took 10 days or 75 hours. Created in latex paints I also create murals in acrylics, oils and other medium. If interested in a mural for any room in your home or business call me and we will discuss the theme and create something you will cherish for a lifetime.
Go to www.portraitoons.com or call 954-977-2882 in Florida or 732-286-3007 in the northeast.

Happy 2011...wow time just moves on...

2011-01-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Oh well here it is 2011....funny this year my birthday will read 2/11/2011. .Of course I can tell you how old I will be ....73 and proud of it. I have had many years of experience in my field and have great memories. To begin, I was fortunate to be able to work cruise ships. Yes I did cruises out of New York to Bermuda for 2 summer seasons and the caribbean islands for a winter season. I did caricatures for the guests and operated a retail set up. Nowadays the cruise lines will have programs where you can go on the cruise and do a trade off for your services.
I did trade shows throughout the US and Canada for major corporations. And today I operate an entertainment service providing variety artists for events in the northeast and all of Florida.
Again I am wishing everyone a great New Year and to begin the year I will be sketching caricatures for FREE at the Senior Show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood FL on
January 21 from 10am until 4pm....see you there, it's a free admission, so how can you go wrong.

Celebrate whatever...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

2010-12-18T15:19:00.000-08:00

Barbara and Tony

To everyone I am wishing a healthy and joyous Christmas season. If you celebrate other than Christmas, I wish you a Happy Holiday as well. For the coming year 2011 may you and yours have a safe and healthy year. I will be heading south to Florida after Christmas and will be celebrating the new year in Port Saint Lucie in our new home. I will continue the blog update after January 5th. God Bless everyone and stay healthy.

Why become a caricature artist for events...

2010-12-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

You know back in art school I did not know that I would be a caricature artist. Here is the way it happened. I graduated art school to join the advertising industry and worked in the big city of New York for a few years. While at one of the agencies I was working as a board artist [no not bored] we had received a phone call asking if we supplied an artist to draw at a 'sweet sixteen' party. My boss at the time remembered that I liked sketching 'for fun' and he suggested I take the call and help the woman that was inquiring about a caricature artist. I had no idea what she was talking about or that this was something being done at events. Well we arrived at a decision that I was going to do the job and appear at her party and I was to draw all the girls at the event. I gathered my supplies and I took a pad of white bond paper 14"x17" and markers. I created profile drawings at the time because that is all that I could do and they were the fastest style that could be offered. I worked for 3 hours and came home with 115 dollars for the whole afternoon. Nowadays that is about 1 hour charge. I had decided to charge her 35 an hour because that was the freelance rate back in 1967. During the party a woman approached me and asked if I had a business card. I told her no because this was my first experience. She said that she would call me because her child was going to have a Bar Mitzvah. I gave her my number and the rest was history....I continued to get referral calls and started to do it for trade shows and conventions. This was all on a part time basis. The work was pleasant and lucrative.
In 1980 I decided to go at it full time and decided to become a full time event caricature artist. Through the years I worked with performers such as magicians, mimes, clowns, face painters, fortune tellers, circus performers and I met a variety of famous people. So my reason for becoming a caricature artist is because it made me a decent living and I enjoyed the experience very much.
In future lessons to come we will review all the angles for creating a caricature business. Tips and advise will be given. In the meantime visit us at http://www.awesomepartyentertains and http://www.portraitoons.com

The 'Rocky III' story...

2010-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

Back in the days when I was living in New Jersey I had a friend (Bob) who knew the body guard for Sylvester Stallone. At the time they were filming 'Rocky III' in Philadelphia at the art museum. He had asked me if I would do a caricature of "Sly" that's what his friend used to call Stallone. I agreed and did a color caricature from a photo. After he gave it to Sly I was invited to go onto the movie set at the Rocky III filming. He said to bring my sketchbook and a camera and enjoy myself on the set.

When I arrived, the friend, Tony Munafo (actor associate producer and good friend to Sly) invited me in and told me to just wait until the crew would come out of the trailer. Stallone came out with all the supporting staff and shook hands with me and I was introduced as the artist that did his caricature. I was then invited to go anywhere I wanted on the set. Well this is where it gets interesting. I then took a spot in front of the podium with the crowd to watch the action. "Rocky Balboa" was to be presented by the mayor as in the scene. The actors posed as photographers but I did not realize it, I was standing in the spot where 'extras' were making believe they were photographers. I was taking real shots with my camera. I discovered this after one of the extras asked if this was my spot. I told him it must be since I was standing there. It was a thrill to meet ...Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire and Mr T in addition to Sylvester Stallone.