Caricature Drawing Lessons
A caricature is a drawing of someone that emphasizes features and attributes of the subject in such a way that it produces an exaggerated or satirical representation of the subject. Caricature artists tend to have an eye for spotting those elements of a subject that can be enhanced to produce the desired effect. Using the same keen eye and your drawing skills, you can create caricature portraits of your friends, loved ones or public figures.
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Aim for Recognition
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The most fundamental rule of caricature drawing is to ensure the subject of your caricature is recognizable. While you are drawing your subject in and exaggerated manner, you are still aiming for a realistic representation. It's a good idea to study your subject a moment to determine which features give your subject a distinct look. If the subject of your caricature has big hair and squinty eyes, these are the features you will emphasize in your caricature. The end result, regardless of how much emphasis you put on these features, should be a caricature that people will recognize as being the subject.
Building a Foundation
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Begin by sketching the subject of your caricature as you see them. This will give you a foundation upon which to build your caricature. Consider those elements you will be modifying and sketch them lightly, leaving room for expansion. This initial sketch is closer to the real features of the subject and gives the caricature artist a template.
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Key Facial Elements
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The mouth, nose, cheeks, and forehead are key areas of the face to focus on when expanding upon the appearance of your subject to bring out the caricature aspect of the drawing. Ways of bringing these features to the forefront include enlarging them, making them smaller or thickening the lines.
Body Styles
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While many caricatures are portraits featuring a subject from the neck up, including the body of your subject can add some depth to your caricature and give you even more opportunity to create. When the body is included, take into account how your subject dresses. The clothes you draw on your caricature should be the clothing type most associated with the subject. Bodies are often drawn out of proportion with the head in a caricature, leaving the head much larger than the body.
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