Caricatures are one of the most popular forms of drawing. If you think this style of drawing is relatively new, it is not. This style of drawing has existed for ages already. In fact, even Leonardi Da Vinci used it! So, if you want to learn to draw caricatures, here are the basics that you need to know.
Getting Started
These are basically portraits that distort or exaggerate a person or thing’s essence. This is done to create a very easy and identifiable visual likeness or description of a subject by the use of exaggeration and oversimplification of various characteristics. These could be complimentary, insulting or both. It can also have an intense political purpose or simply be drawn for mere entertainment. Having said the general definition of caricatures, one thing is evident here: it is a very personalized form of art.
A Higher Sense Of Observation
Since it is personalized to a very high extent, you should first observe closely the subject you would be drawing. If it’s a person then, find out what are his/her features that are very recognizable. Go for the obvious. The observation part in drawing a caricature is the key to making the whole work successful. You cannot rely on a pattern for drawing a caricature. People have varying characteristics, which is why applying a template for all your subjects is not advisable.
For instance, maybe your dad has a big nose; noses are quite popular features that are used in exaggeration. Pick out the features that would make your subject very recognizable.
Don’t Mistake It For A Portrait
One thing that you should be cautious of is mixing up a portrait and a caricature. Remember, these two are different. Caricatures are generally cartoon renditions of the subjects being drawn. However, a portrait is a much realistic view of a subject. As soon as you begin learning how these are drawn, you would want to practice with people that you personally know or are close to. You should also have sufficient understanding of the human face’s basic layout. You can make use of various techniques too, like foreshortening and proportion. Different techniques in drawing are still applicable in this style.
Seeing Your Subject
You should see your subject in a 360 degree. This means see him/her at different angles and situations. This is considered to be the best way for you to have his/her whole sense of personality. You should also find features that you can minimize, rather than exaggerate. Not all characteristics are exaggerated by making them big. There are times that you just have to make them extra small to attain exaggeration. For instance, if you’ll be drawing someone that has a small mouth, you can exaggerate by making his/her mouth even smaller than usual. Doing this is something like reverse exaggeration.
Find Features To Dumb Down!
Dumbing down some features is another technique for your drawing to look more cartoonish. For instance, hair is usually “dumbed down” since you wouldn’t really want to draw each strand of it in a caricature. This minimizes the portrait look of your picture.
The Right Way To Exaggerate
Last but not the least, exaggerate However, do not overdo it. Do not exaggerate features which are not that recognizable in real life. For instance, if your subject does not have a big nose, then do not draw him/her with a big nose. Try to focus on features which could be exaggerated without making your subject unrecognizable.
Japanese Animation or Anime is one of the most beloved kinds of cartoons all over the world. These are basically cartoons that are based on Japanese Manga series, or comics that were brought to life by being animated. If you want to learn to draw Japanese Animation, here are the things that you should know.
They Are Based On Manga
One thing that you should remember when drawing Japanese Animation is that they are based Manga. Thus, the style of drawing would be pretty be pretty much the same, only that they are moving for the animated version. Here are some things that you should take note in drawing this style of cartoons.
Characters Have Wild Hairstyles
If you observe characters in this kind of genre, you’ll see that they usually have wild hairdos. More often, male characters have long hair. In fact, there are some shows that sometimes men are mistaken to be women because of their long tresses. Their hair colors are also wild too. You can see pink and green haired characters. The style of their hair could be very extreme also. Often times, their hair would be sticking up and out to different directions.
When drawing hair, all you have to do is draw them into clumps that would stand as hair strands. For female characters, ponytails, headbands, pigtails and loose hairstyles are common. For men that have long hair, loose let down hair is also in fashion along with ponytails. Bangs are also in for both sexes.
The General Male
Most male characters would be muscular. A lot of them are depicted to be warriors of some sort. A lot of them are also lean and tall. It is normal for you to see blue or even pink colored hair male characters. However, this doesn’t really mean that they are gay.
The General Female
Most female characters are depicted to have slim bodies and long legs. These features are also emphasized by the type of clothing that females wear. More often they wear clothing that shows off their long legs, especially if the setting of the story is in the modern times. The breasts are also prominent. Women also have sharper chins and snub noses.
Little People?
Do not be surprised if you get to see characters that look like little people. These are called “Chibi’s”. These are basically distorted versions of characters. Although proportion is a rule when drawing, Chibis are intended to have a distorted proportion. This is done to achieve a ‘cuteness’ factor. This type of drawing is usually applied for child-like characters. They have big heads, small bodies, big eyes and no nose.
Villains
For villains, characters are usually drawn to be more realistic. There is more shading to make their faces look scarier and the lines used are more crooked than smooth and straight. You could usually find them in the form of mafia’s or gangs. Big bosses are also usually not seen. Body parts such as hands, feet or a mouth smoking a tobacco are the commonly used images whenever the big boss is focused on.
Cute Vs. Macho
For cute Anime’s the drawings are often simplistic with huge eyes and a lot of hearts and touches of pink. However, for macho type of Anime’s, the characters have more details and are rendered to be more realistic.
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