How to draw a caricature

A caricature is a portrait of a person that captures the essence of a person in an identifiable form, and yet exaggerates those features that suggest the essential essence. A caricature has a certain cartoon look to it and the essence that is being exaggerated can be positive or negative. Caricature began in years ago as a form of flattery for the rich. It was done more to show the positive side and to flatter the subject. In the middle of the 19th century with the rise of Newspapers, the negative caricature became popular. They were used often in political cartoons, and for the most part they were either poking fun at the subject or outright demonizing him.

In order to draw a caricature, the first step is to study faces. You need to study as many faces as you possibly can. You need to study them in photographs and you need to study them in real life. You should try to visualize those features that make the face unique. In other words, since you are going to capture the essence by exaggerating certain feature, you need to understand just what the essence is. The basic rule of this stage is that you are going to maximize the features of the face that are maximized in the subject, and minimize the features of the face that are minimized in the in subject. If the subject has small eyes, for instance, and you draw the eyes very large, you may make a cartoon looking image, but you will not have captured the essence. It will also be unidentifiable.

Proper equipment is important, and the next step is to make sure you have what you need. A good place to start when learning is with pencil. Avoid #2 pencils and look for 4B or 5B pencils instead. The 5B pencil makes a thick and black line. The caricature is going to have a certain cartoony look to it, and the thick black lines will help accomplish this. Then draw the subject much as you would a regular portrait, but using bold and exaggerated lines and a minimum of shadowing.

You are going to be maximizing the dominant feature that captures the essence of the subject. You should be able to determine what that is from your study of the face. It could be a large nose, large forehead, or a big smile. It could also be a small ears or a weak chin. Your caricature drawing should reflect this dominant feature. If you are seeking more of a cartoon caricature, merely do a bit more exaggerating of that essential feature. Like any art form, caricature takes practice, and when you feel you have practiced as much as you can, the next step is to practice a little bit more.

Natalie Aranda writes about arts, travel and history. A caricature is a portrait of a person that captures the essence of a person in an identifiable form, and yet exaggerates those features that suggest the essential essence. A caricature has a certain cartoon look to it and the essence that is being exaggerated can be positive or negative. Caricature began in years ago as a form of flattery for the rich. It was done more to show the positive side and to flatter the subject.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Aranda

This 12 step guide to success will show you EVERYTHING you need to know to become a professional cartoonist in literally minutes. And it's JAM-PACKED with content. The course includes an amazing 1028 hand drawn illustrations and 174 pages of quality content.
FREE BONUS - When you decide to try the exciting "Draw Cartoons Today!" course, you'll receive a BONUS "Cheat's Guide" to submitting your work to the top industry markets, as part of step 1. Learn more...

Anyone can draw a caricature, but only a real artist can transform a doodle into a work of art. If you are serious about improving your caricature drawing skills, you should consider taking classes. Here are some tips to help get you started.

Observe, observe, observe. A caricature is only effective if it actually resembles the subject. More than artistic skills, you need keen observation to pull this off. Carefully study your subject's facial expressions, outstanding features, angles and mannerisms. Think of ways to capture the subject's personality and character to give "life" to your caricature. Zoom in on details like what type of clothing the subject wears, the gadgets he has in his hands, and other minor details.

Exaggerate like there's no tomorrow. A caricature is always larger than life. Don't be afraid to lay it on thick - if the subject has distinguishing features like a particularly big nose, highlight it even more. Use bold lines for distinct facial edges such as the upper eyelids. The best thing about caricatures is the creative freedom it gives you. Don't be afraid to use it.

Vary your strokes and lines. Caricatures rely on the quality of its linear structure for its composition, so use it to give dimension and shadow. Be sure to vary them to avoid making your caricature look flat. Use harder strokes for facial edges such as chins and noses and lighter strokes for other details such as facial lines, unless that's the distinguishing feature of your subject.

Finally, have fun. Drawing caricature is a serious art form, but no one says you can't have fun doing it. If your first few attempts do not quite make the cut, set them aside and move on. Making mistakes is part of the fun. After all, even in the world of art, the old adage is still the golden rule - practice really does make perfect.

Caricatures provides detailed information on Caricatures, Celebrity Caricatures, How To Draw Caricatures, Caricature Artists and more. Caricatures is affiliated with Vintage Comic Books.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Bailey

3 Top Cartoon Drawing Tips For Beginners by Tapan Sarkar

Cartooning is not about drawing it is about telling stories. Yes, even when you are drawing a single illustration you are telling a story. Cartooning is about expressing your thoughts. And it is your thoughts expressed beautifully through your cartoon characters that make you different from other average cartoon makers.

But as in every other field of life here also you must learn to walk first before you try running. To express your thoughts and ideas through your cartoon characters, you need to master the skill of cartoon drawing first. Then of course you can use your cartoon drawing skills to tell story to your liking.

To be skilled in cartoon drawing you have to face a learning curve. You just can't decide to be a cartoonist then copy some popular cartoon figures and become an accomplished cartoonist who is rich and famous. If you are lucky and talented with keen sense of observation you may pickup one or two tricks by making copy of popular cartoon figures. But that is too inadequate to be of any use.

There are various ways that you can take to learn cartoon drawing --you can join cartooning school or take a home study course or follow a book of an expert cartoonist -- the bottom line is you have to follow the steps. Like you should first teach yourself drawing 3d shapes, then learn to stretch, squash those 3d shapes in your drawing. Next you need to practice things like drawing hands and head before moving on to motion and emotion and advanced things like that.

If it sounds like lot of work, you are right. But what you achieve at the end is worth working for. If you are smart however you can use the tips you are going to discover here to make the whole learning process fast and painless.

1. ==> Do not start with computers. I agree I run the risk of sounding backdated. But here I am not opposing usage of computer altogether, no sane person can do that. But for beginners there is no alternative to using paper and pencil.

There are various software that help you so much that you can go ahead even without learning how to draw a smooth line. This kind of over dependency on computers from the very beginning always backfires down the road.

More below

2. ==> Nail the fact in your mind that construction of human, animal, cars and most of the things that that we see around us are complex 3d structures though we draw them on paper which is 2D. So when drawing you must mentally analyze your model in terms of 3d shapes like spheres and boxes and not in terms of 2d shapes like circles and rectangles.

Also when you draw something from paper (i.e. 2D), look for and find out the 3d shapes that make up the character.

3. ==> Most of the cartoon drawing or figure drawing tutorials always start with some basic 3d shapes and after a number of steps end up in a complete and beautiful figure. This technique is very effective in learning how we can draw complex figures starting with simple shapes. But what I am going to tell you will make your pace of learning even faster. It is in fact very simple way of using the same tutorial. Just a lot more effective.

What you need to do is start where the tutorial ends and go backward from there. See the completed figure and try to recognize the ingredient basic shapes. And compare your analysis with the exact shapes that are used in the tutorial.

This will give you a very through exercise in recognizing the basic shapes. And after some time you will be analyzing the real life around you like an expert. Just take your time and practice this technique, and see how fast it will improve your skill in cartoon drawing.

Cartoon drawing is pure fun both for professionals who earn their living through cartooning and hobbyists who draw cartoon only for personal pleasure. I do not know what you goal is but hope the tips here will be helpful for you. Never stop learning: there are a whole lot to learn and even more fun to have in the process. Happy journey!

Do you know what the beginners find most difficult in cartoon drawing? It is drawing the head and face. Check this simple tutorial on
head drawing and never be nervous again.

Want to draw like a Professional Cartoonist? - This 12 step guide to success will show you EVERYTHING you need to know to become a professional cartoonist in literally minutes. And it's JAM-PACKED with content. The course includes an amazing 1028 hand drawn illustrations and 174 pages of quality content.
FREE BONUS - When you decide to try the exciting "Draw Cartoons Today!" course, you'll receive a BONUS "Cheat's Guide" to submitting your work to the top industry markets, as part of step 1. Learn more... .