Ventures into the Art of Caricature

I've been drawing ever since I was 10 and have realised that with much practice an artist can resort back to their "memory banks" in order to draw various objects or draw people from a number of different angles with differing facial expressions. Caricature on the other hand, although utilizing many of the same skills is a completely different animal.

I have been enamored by those who can capture a likeness and exaggerate it just enough to make it funny while still being instantly recognizable. Mort Drucker of MAD magazine fame is who immediately comes to my mind as "The Master" whenever I think of this topic. Two of my other favorites who incidentally were also both influenced by Mort is Kent Gamble (CRAZY, CRACKED, THWAK) and Tom Richmond (MAD, CRACKED). I always wondered how they did it?

Back in 2007 I had the opportunity to learn and practice these techniques from my buddy Wade Collins (Caricature Bliss), a then just starting caricature artist. Like myself Wade could draw and taught me, as he had been taught (and with the use of the book "Face Off by Hamernik"). Wade has since developed a great business doing everything from setting up his own operations at various Theme Parks to doing Caricature Maps and everything in between. I myself did a number of special request family portraits/caricatures as well as drawing at Stone Mountain Park here in Georgia. The above caricatures of Austin Powers, President Bush and Condeleeza Rice were all examples for the folks to see. It was certainly an enjoyable experience if not a little exasperating to entice folks to sit down in front of you to be caricatured all the while you are trying to talk to them to keep them entertained while trying to capture a good likeness in black and white or color within about 5 to 10 mins. All I can say retail caricature is not easy. The pros make it look that way but it really takes a tremendous amount of skill and experience to bang out sometimes 100's of faces a day. It's been a minute since I've practiced myself - time to dust off the old pens, paper and drawing board!