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Caricature Drawing

Caricature drawing is not an easy art to master as this caricature artist explains in this article ...

Caricature drawing is often thought to be much easier than exact replications of the subject. However, caricatures are very difficult to develop and create for many artists. Creating an image that portrays an individual as a character is challenging and sometimes it can be aggravating as well.

A caricature is basically a portrait drawing of a person. This portrait distorts and exaggerates the person’s essential features. The essence of the individual is captured in the drawing so that the subject is easily recognized even though he has been distorted by the artist in some way.

Capturing the essence of the subject is the main challenge a character artist has to face. Figuring out which features to exaggerate and which to downplay is a time-consuming task that many talented artists have achieved with such success that they make the entire process seem easy. The process is definitely not easy.

Losing the subject through the exaggerations and distortions is easy. You can over-exaggerate a particular feature, making the subject unrecognizable and you can under-exaggerate the feature, making the drawing look like a bad portrait. It is important to recognize that a caricature is not an identical replication of the subject.

Creating an exact replication of an individual is far easier for some artists. We like drawing what we see as we see it. Mistakes are easy to recognize when you are making an exact replica portrait or one that is closely modeled after the subject. Caricature artists would argue that they are drawing the subjects as they see them. I guess it is literally how you look at it. 

The purpose of the caricature drawing is quite important as well. The artist will commonly have an agenda when creating the image of the individual and his agenda may be to compliment or to criticize. This is why so many caricature drawings are found in political satire.

Perhaps the best way to learn about caricature drawing would be to take a class from an artist who specializes in this form of portraiture. Many professional artists conduct classes in communities around the country. Some rely on teaching as their major source of income.

Proceed with caution when signing up for a class. Not every artist is skilled in caricature drawing. It takes specific skills and a certain eye. You can learn much about the process but you may never learn how to see like a caricature artist.

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