Caricatures

I've started experimenting with caricatures lately, even though I'd never been very interested in them before. I think I'm curious about them partly because I've stumbled across some caricaturists' blogs, and partly because I think that this exercise will make me a better artist. You have to be able to really see features before you can exaggerate them well, and anything that helps me see better can only help me.

In the process of all this experimentation, I have discovered that I have a heretofore unnoticed but interesting talent: I have the ability to take a perfectly normal picture of an actress or supermodel, and make her look like Michael Jackson.

Allow me to demonstrate with the lovely Kristin Kreuk:


First, I tried to do a decent sketch. It turned out all right -- there are a number of flaws, but it is still recognizeable as a depiction of a female human being.


Then I did a quick pen sketch to see if I could push the features a bit and emphasize her eyes and lips:


As you can see, the transformation has begun. I fixed her up a bit once I noticed what was happening, but here is a sketch with the necessary bits added in: prominent cheekbones, a slightly more square chin and the top lip reduced.


The resemblance is uncanny.


I have also done this successfully with Lucy Liu -- heck, I make it sound intentional when it just happens as a matter of course -- but I'll spare you that sight.

Unfortunately, no one really wants to pay cash moneys to make pretty women look like creepy male plastic surgery victims. Now if I could do the reverse and make Michael Jackson look like a supermodel... well, I still wouldn't make any money, because anything to do with Jacko is just way too weird.