How to Draw Caricatures From Photos

A caricature is part portrait and part cartoon.

Drawing caricatures is a talent you can use to make gifts and cards---or even earn some extra cash. A caricature is a mix between a portrait and cartoon. The drawing of a person looks somewhat realistic, while their features are exaggerated. Individuals who want to draw good caricatures from photos must first possess basic drawing skills, know how to draw basic face and head shapes and have a grasp on the concepts of proportion and lighting.

Things You'll Need

• Photograph
• Pencil
• Paper
• Black marker

Instructions

1. Find a good photo. The best photo to use is one where you can clearly see a person's face.

2. Study the photograph. DrawingCoach.com recommends looking for obvious features on a person's head to exaggerate, such as the nose, eyes, ears, teeth, chin, hair, jaw line or lips.

3. Practice the different ways you can draw facial features for your caricature. For example, draw your subject's eyes in various shapes and sizes. Do the same with other facial features. Once you have drawn different exaggerated facial features, choose a couple you like best.

4. Draw the basic outline of the subject's head on your paper using a pencil. Keep in mind that the heads of caricatures are always excessively big for their bodies.

5. Draw your subject's facial features in this order on the head: nose, mouth, eyes and eyebrow, chin, forehead, ears, hair and neck. DrawingCoach.com explains that drawing caricatures in this order will help you learn to them proportionately and quickly. Use a pencil to draw the features. However, do not exaggerate too many parts of a person's face because they will look more like a cartoon than a caricature. On the other hand, keep the drawing simple, and do not add too many details or the caricature will look more like a portrait.

6. Draw your subject's body in a pose that displays them doing a favorite hobby. For example, if the subject likes to surf, draw them on a surfboard in the ocean with a tropical drink in their hand. Add a couple of background details such as the sun or a shark fin.

7. Once you are happy with your pencil drawing, trace over your pencil lines with a black art pen. Erase the extra pencil lines you do not need.

8. Color your drawing with markers or colored pencils.

References

• DrawingCoach.com: Everything You Need to Know About How to Draw Caricatures