‘It’s not work to me.’ People’s Choice Festival fixture marks 40th year as caricature artist

As State College caricaturist Chip Mock marks 40 years of drawing, he’ll also spend his 28th year at the People’s Choice Festival in Boalsburg on July 11-14.

Mock has become a staple at events all over central Pennsylvania. You can find him drawing at athletic events, weddings, proms and arts festivals all over the county.

He has also been a fixture at the People’s Choice Festival, where he has been drawing since the festival first started. However, Mock’s story dates back to his childhood when he first realized his talent.

“I learned that I could draw back in kindergarten. I noticed that my drawings didn’t look like the other kids’, and I would constantly be drawing at home. It’s always come naturally to me,” Mock said.

As a kid, Mock was inspired by the caricatures drawn by artist John Johns in the Pittsburgh Sunday paper.

These early inspirations pushed Mock to continue drawing throughout his adolescence, and he furthered this passion by attending art courses throughout high school in Johnstown.

“I was doing about four hours of art class every day, five days a week. It helped shape who I am as an artist, and I really wanted to continue that passion,” Mock said.

This path led Mock to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh throughout his college years, where he worked under Johns, who became his mentor.

“My friend would give me tips and tricks in order to become a better caricaturist. That way I stood out to Johns,” Mock said.

Johns eventually chose Mock to participate in the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh among 30-40 other student artists and hundreds of visitors.

It was a pivotal moment in Mock’s career.

“I learned I could do (the drawings) quick, but you have to get likeliness too. I found that the more you exaggerate a face, the more it actually looks like the person,” Mock said.

Over time, Mock mastered his craft and was able to keep up with Johns’ time at different events. He continued attending the Three Rivers Arts Festival for years before graduating and finding work in central Pennsylvania.

Mock now runs his own graphic design business, and his top client is UPMC Altoona.

“It’s a day job where I have to work on the computer all day, but it’s all right because it still allows me to be creative,” Mock said.

Mock is still able to create a person’s face in under two minutes, and is constantly on the road with his pad and pen in tow. His artistic ability allows Mock to observe a person’s face an exaggerate the features. Mock says that these exaggerations are what make the drawing look so similar to the person who is being drawn.

Mock has been working proms and festivals for years, but is now entering the world of weddings. He used to only work a few weddings a year but has seven booked so far for 2020.

He has found that having a website is important, but exposure and word of mouth works even better.

“Most of the clientele I get for weddings is because they saw me drawing at another wedding,” Mock said.

Mock does not anticipate his caricature career ending anytime soon — he plans to continue as long as his fingers can hold a pen.

“It’s a part of who I am, and I still enjoy it all the time. It’s not work to me,” Mock said.

During this year’s People’s Choice Festival, the caricaturist said that he is excited to meet both newcomers and regulars, and hopes that he can celebrate his 40th year with some familiar faces.

“I’m getting to the age where kids are coming up to me, and saying that I drew their parents while they were in college. It’s one of the coolest parts of the job,” Mock said.