HOW TO HIRE · EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

How to hire a caricaturist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Caricaturists need no licence in the UK. Here is what to check, what to ask and what the booking must say.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a caricaturist in five steps

  1. See samples in your stylePaper and pen, colour, or digital on a tablet. Ask the caricaturist for live-event samples, not studio work.
  2. Ask how many per hourA realistic figure, so you book enough hours for your guests.
  3. Plan a well-lit spotA table, two chairs and good light, away from the dance floor.
  4. Agree what guests take homePaper, a print, a folder, a digital copy.
  5. Put the hours in writingStart, finish, minimum booking, travel.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nobody licenses caricaturists in any of the four UK nations, and the law asks for no training or qualification. Speed matters as much as likeness: ask how many guests the caricaturist draws in an hour.

Ask the caricaturist for references from the last few months and read the written terms before paying.

Public liability insurance for the caricaturist

Public liability cover is a venue's demand rather than the law's, and the level varies from one venue to the next. Corporate venues and hotels often ask a caricaturist for it.

Ask the venue for its figure, then ask the caricaturist for the insurer's name, the cover level and the expiry date.

Digital drawings and guests' images

A digital caricaturist may keep the drawings and share them online. Under data protection law a business processing personal data generally pays the ICO data protection fee unless exempt; drawings of guests are personal data.

Ask the caricaturist whether they keep or post drawings of guests, and agree it in writing. gov.uk →

Trader status and cancellation terms

Booking a caricaturist who does this for a living means dealing with a trader: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies, including the duty of reasonable care and skill. What usually does not apply is a cooling-off period — regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes services for leisure activities or catering on a fixed date outside it — so read how the caricaturist handles cancellation and deposits.

Get the caricaturist's terms on cancellation, date changes and illness on one page before you commit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Drawing caricatures at an event is a standard-rated service, so a registered caricaturist adds 20% to the fee. Among caricaturists, any with taxable turnover above £90,000 must be registered, add the VAT and show it apart from the net figure.

Ask whether the caricaturist is VAT-registered; if so, ask for the number and see the 20% shown under the hours. gov.uk →

“Can I see drawings you made live at an event?”

A good answer: A caricaturist with plenty of live sketches, not only polished studio pieces.

“How many guests can you draw in an hour?”

A good answer: A real figure from the caricaturist for the style chosen; colour takes longer than line.

“Paper or digital — what is the difference on the night?”

A good answer: The caricaturist explains print time, cost and what guests receive.

“Do you need power or a printer?”

A good answer: For a digital caricaturist, a socket and space for the printer; for paper, just light and a table.

“Will you keep or post the drawings of our guests?”

A good answer: Only with your agreement, in writing — a caricaturist who asks before using anyone's likeness.

“Are you insured?”

A good answer: Public liability cover held by the caricaturist, with a copy for the venue.

“What is the minimum booking?”

A good answer: A clear minimum number of caricaturist hours and an extra-hour rate.

Getting the quote right

  • The date, hours and the caricaturist's rate, and the minimum booking
  • Paper or digital, and black and white or colour
  • What guests receive: paper, print, folder, digital copy
  • Travel and parking
  • Deposit and cancellation terms
  • The caricaturist's VAT number, if registered, with VAT under the hourly fee
  • Who actually attends: the artist whose samples you saw, or another — employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • No live samples from the caricaturist
  • No realistic per-hour figure
  • Plans to post guests' drawings without asking
  • No written booking

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Caricaturists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. Set upThe caricaturist sets up at a lit table, with a printer if digital.
  2. First sittersQuick, friendly drawings to get a queue going.
  3. Steady flowGuests drawn at the agreed pace, couples and groups if planned.
  4. Hand overEach drawing given in a folder or as a print.
  5. FinishLast sitter drawn at the agreed time, balance settled.

Live caricature
A drawing made in a few minutes while the guest sits.
Digital caricature
Drawn on a tablet and printed on site.
Line drawing
Black-and-white pen sketch, the quickest style.
Minimum booking
The fewest hours a caricaturist will accept.
Public liability insurance
Cover for injury or damage caused while working.
ICO data protection fee
The annual fee most businesses that process personal data pay to the Information Commissioner.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the bookingIt records the caricaturist's hours and what was included.
Collect any digital copiesIf included, ask for the files within the agreed time.
Note the guests drawnRoughly how many, against the per-hour figure you were given.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked jobs, which is why one about the caricaturist carries weight. If something went wrong, the make-it-right step comes first: the caricaturist is asked to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Put it to the caricaturist in writingExplain in writing what fell short — fewer guests drawn than promised, a late start, poor likenesses — and whether you want part of the fee back or the work redone. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 builds reasonable care and skill into the contract; for a one-off occasion, a reduction in price is the usual remedy.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the caricaturist below four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through, then your review is published.
STEP 3Advice and Trading StandardsComplaints about caricaturists have no regulator to go to. If the trader will not engage, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) covers England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) covers Scotland, and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) covers Northern Ireland; each can pass a complaint about caricaturists to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money the caricaturist will not returnWithout a solicitor, a refund from the caricaturist can be pursued up to £10,000 on the small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in the sheriff court in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a caricaturist: questions people ask

Not as a performer. Licences in this area cover venues and events, so ask the venue rather than the caricaturist.

No law says so; venue rules usually do. Ask the caricaturist for a copy of the cover.

No UK publisher sets out a price range for caricaturist, so this guide prints none. Ask two or three caricaturists for a written quote on the same brief — date, hours, numbers, travel — and compare them line by line.

A few minutes for a line drawing; more for colour or groups. Ask for the caricaturist's figure.

Neither; digital can add colour and prints, paper is quicker and needs no power. Choose the style you like.

Usually, but it takes longer, so fewer guests are drawn in an hour.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in events & entertainment

How to hire: MagicianHow to hire: Face PainterHow to hire: Balloon ModellerHow to hire: Photo Booth HireHow to hire: Children's EntertainerHow to hire: Stilt WalkerHow to hire: MC / ToastmasterHow to hire: Event PlannerAll 701 hiring guides →

Caricaturists near you

Caricaturists in LondonCaricaturists in ManchesterCaricaturists in BirminghamCaricaturists in GlasgowCaricaturists in BelfastAll caricaturists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — entertainment licence (Northern Ireland)
  2. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  3. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts the cancellation right does not cover
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  6. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  7. nidirect — small claims process
  8. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  9. gov.uk — pay the data protection fee
  10. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register