How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!

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Sketch OThe Week Tales from the Cineplex
How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes
This series of How to Draw Caricatures tutorials are a just a small taste of a
larger and much more in-depth book I wrote called The Mad Art of Caricature!
The book is 175 full-color pages, lavishly illustrated and contains greatly
expanded explanations of the concepts presented in these tutorials, as well and a
great deal of additional material on caricaturing other facial features, posture,
hands, expression and more, techniques on drawing from live models, doing
caricature for freelance illustration and for MAD Magazine. This is a must have
book for anyone interested in caricature, cartooning or humorous illustration. You
can order it online here.
Part One: Basic Theory and the Five Shapes
This is the first of a series of articles I will post here on The MAD Blog about my
theories, methods and processes concerning how to draw caricatures.A lot of this
information is part of what I teach my theme park artists, so it is derived partly
from the approach of doing live, quick-draw caricatures. However all of that can
be applied to more studio orientated caricature work and I have also added
points and concepts directly from the less time-constrained world of caricature
illustration. Therefore this is not instruction for just the live caricaturist but for
any artist interested in caricature for any purpose.
These kinds of things always start out with a definition, but caricature is a hard
thing to pigeonhole into a single sentence. How can you, when the word
encompasses the elegant, minimalist lines of Al Hirschfeld to the lavish, value
and color soaked paintings of Sebastian Kruger to the graphic, geometrical
collages of David Cowles and everything in between? Despite the wild
differences in style and technique, caricature is the tag that is placed on any of
these works of art without hesitation. Obviously there is a connection beyond a
common technique, school or format. So, what are the universal elements all
caricatures have that identify them as caricatures? I would say there are three
essential elements that transcend style and medium and must be present in a
caricature:
Likeness- If you cant tell who it is supposed to be, then it is not
successful. All good caricatures incorporate a good likeness of their
subjects.
Exaggeration- Without some form of exaggeration, or a departure from
the exact representation of the subjects features, all you have is a
portrait. The level of exaggeration can vary wildly, but there must be some
departure. A straight portrait is not a caricature.
Statement- I believe a caricature must editorialize in some way. The
artist must be trying to say something about the subject. It might be
something to do with the situation the subject is drawn in, it may just be a
play on their personality through expression or body language, it might be
a simple as making visual fun of some aspect of their persona or image.
Exaggeration itself can accomplish this in some cases. The best caricatures
say something more about the subject than that they have a big nose.
By my definition, a successful caricature therefore looks like the subject, is

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How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
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exaggerated to varying degrees and also has something to say about the
subject some sort of editorial comment. In live caricature at a theme park,
that third item is often turned way down or ignored completely, but in the case of
caricatures for illustration, its an important part.
Teaching Someone to See
Ive been working with young caricaturists at theme parks for over two decades
now, and Ive learned one very important lesson its impossible to teach
someone to draw caricatures. I can teach them to DRAW that isnt so hard.
Learning how a face looks and works by learning anatomy, how expression
changes the features, how the angle the face is at changes the perception of
features, how hair grows and falls about the head those are things that can be
taught. Drawing caricatures, on the other hand, is a lot more about seeing what
makes the person in front of you unique and personal interpretation than it is
about making good, confident marks on the paper. I can explain to someone
exactly how to draw a circle, but if I place a circle before them and ask them to
draw it and they draw a square well, that is all about seeing and not drawing.
The ability to see, and after that the ability to exaggerate what you see for
humorous effect in a caricature that has to be developed. For most that means
a lot of drawing and a lot of looking.
Have you ever been walking along at the mall or where ever and along comes
somebody with some crazy, incredibly distinct face that maybe sports a gigantic
nose or a Cro-Magnon brow or some other obviously out-of-the-ordinary
features? Caricaturists have a term for that kind of face its called a field day.
Think about it for a second why is that face so ripe for caricature compared to
the next guys? Are the features really that different? If you took a ruler and
measured the size of Mr. Shnozzess nose compared to Mr. Normal, the difference
would be minimal. So why is he so easy? Because you are SEEING a difference
based on perception, and that is giving you your springboard for a caricature.
One observation of what makes this person different from normal, and you are
off and running. The obvious features are easy observations its Johnny and
Susie Normal or, worse yet, Johnny and Susie Supermodel that are the
challenge. That is where developing an ability to see becomes important. There
is no face that defies caricature, you just sometimes have to dig a little deeper to
find the keys to unlock the more difficult puzzle. In caricature, the old adage of
practice makes perfect has never been truer. The ability to see doesnt spring
up overnight, and I often tell eager young caricaturists they have about 500 or
so bad caricatures in them they have to draw out first before they start noticing
the subtle things that hide inside the ordinary face.
Although I say its impossible to teach someone to draw caricatures, its not
impossible to help them develop their ability to draw them. There are many ways
and techniques to help an artist develop their ability to see what is in front of
them, recognize what makes what they see unique and then amplify that
uniqueness to create a successful caricature. There are general concepts that
apply to the overall approach of a caricature as well as specific tricks and tips for
individual features and important, main elements that I will be sharing over the
multiple parts of this series of articles.
The Five Shapes
The human face is perceived by many as an incredible complex object. There are
about 52 muscles in the face, depending on your source and its categorization.
Age, sex, race, expression (the face is capable of about 5,000 expressions)
weight and environment can all play a role in the look and perception of a given
face. Sounds pretty complex. Not really. Every building, no matter how complex,
starts out with a foundation and framework. Look at this simple drawing:
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andytgeezer: Ill never be able to look at
How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2008/02/14/how-to-draw-caricatures-1-the-5-shapes/[17/06/2014 21:53:15]
Show that drawing to any human being in the world and ask them what it is.
Barring a language barrier, they will tell you its a face. No other information
needed. In its most simple form, the human face is made up of only five simple
shapes:
Place these shapes in their proper relationship, and you have a human face. It
really is that simple. Drawing the shapes accurately, so they recognizably
represent the subjects features, is the basis for a good likeness. Beyond that is
nothing but details things like dimples, wrinkles, eyelashes, cheekbones, etc.
They are the decor to your building the millwork, furniture and drapery that
makes the place unique and filled with life. Without the strong foundation,
however, it can all come tumbling down.
What does that have to do with caricature? Everything. I mentioned a single
word in the last paragraph that really is the secret to caricature as a whole no
matter what technique or approach you intend to practice:
RELATIONSHIPS
Its the manipulation of the RELATIONSHIP of these five simple shapes that
create the foundation for your caricature. In fact, Id argue that 90% of the
entire caricature resides in how you relate these five simple shapes to one
another. It is the foundation upon which the rest of your building is built, where
the real power of exaggeration is realized. Make it good and almost all the
Usagis trousers in the same way again
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How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
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heavy lifting is done, the rest merely referring to details. What do I mean by
relationships? I mean the distances between the five shapes, their size
relative to one another, and the angles they are at in relationship to the
center axis of the face. Distance. Size. Angle.
In traditional portraiture, the head is divided into classic proportions (well get
into that more next time), meaning the relationship of the features are within a
certain, accepted range of distance to one another, size and angle relative to the
face and head shape. You achieve your likeness in a classic portrait, in its most
basic form, by correctly drawing the shapes and then the details of each feature
according to the model in front of you while staying within the framework of the
classic proportions. Of course each face varies minutely here and there, but still
you do not stray far from the classic formula. In a caricature, like a portrait, the
likeness is also achieved by drawing the features as they really look but you
change the relationship of the features based on your perceptions of the face.
The relationships you change are as I listed before: distance, size and angle.
Look at these VERY simple drawings that demonstrate how you can change the
relationships of the five shapes and create very different caricatures:
No detail, and all the shapes are basically the same with the exception of the
head shape (again, more on that later MUCH more) but all are distinctly
different and when the details are added will make for highly varied caricatures.
The difference is the relationships between the features, and how they have been
exaggerated and changed. Caricature is not about choosing one feature and
making it bigger, its about all the features together and how they relate to one
another.
Here are some quick studies of the 5 shapes beneath a few caricature sketches:
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How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2008/02/14/how-to-draw-caricatures-1-the-5-shapes/[17/06/2014 21:53:15]
The relationships differ in distance, size and angle from one another. The bigger
the differences are from classic proportions, the more exaggerated the
caricature. Its much easier to see the differences when the details are removed
and only the 5 shapes are left. Its also much easier to create those differences
at this simple, fundamental level. Its easy to get caught up in details when the
important information rests beneath the rendering.
How does one determine the correct changes to make to a given persons
feature relationships to make a good caricature of them? Well, thats the trick,
isnt it? That is were that pesky seeing comes in. In his book How to Draw
Caricatures, Lenn Redman uses a concept called The Inbetweener as a basis
for almost every observation. It is basically the classic portraiture relationships
used as a point of reference for making observations. Every caricature begins
with the observations the artist makes about the subject, and how their particular
face is perceived by them. MAD legend Mort Drucker has been quoted as saying
that there is no one correct way to caricature a subject. Any given subject can
have several difference interpretations with respect to the exaggeration of the
relationship of their features and each may be as successful as the other. Thats
one of the unique things about caricature as an art form. Portraiture is basically
absolute Your drawing either looks like the person with the correct features,
proportions and relationships, or it does not. Caricature is subjective to a point.
The artists goal is to draw how they perceive the face, and exaggerate that
perception. The result may be different than how others perceive that face, but if
the three elements we described in our definition are present its still a successful
caricature. Hirschfeld used to say he once drew Jimmy Durante without a nose
at all, yet it was still recognizable as Durante.
Thats not to say that any observation is appropriate after all you cant give
someone with a small, button nose a gigantic potato schnozz and call it
exaggeration. Thats not exaggeration, its DISTORTION. You can, however,
choose NOT to exaggerate the noses smallness but rather find something else to
exaggerate. That is the caricaturists task, to find what it is about the subjects
face that makes it unique and alter those relationships to exaggerate that
uniqueness.
Next time We will delve more deeply into the relationships of features, what to
How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2008/02/14/how-to-draw-caricatures-1-the-5-shapes/[17/06/2014 21:53:15]
look for and some rules to follow when changing those relationships that will
make the rest of the face fall into place.
This How to Draw Caricatures tutorial and others of the same series on this
website are part of a complete book on drawing caricatures live and in
illustration, entitled The Mad Art of Caricature!
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Tom Richmond
Tags: How to Draw Caricatures, Part 1, tutorial
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 1:18 am and is filed under Tutorials.
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18 Responses to How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes
aardvark says:
February 14, 2008 at 3:14 pm
WOW!
As an aspiring caricaturist I really appreciate you posting this on your blog. To read
the hows and whys of an artists work that I truly admire is a huge buzz.
Thankyou for the time and effort.
Jason
Matt. says:
February 14, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Thanks, interesting!
karloff3 says:
February 14, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Tom, thanks SO much for posting this I cant wait until the next lesson! Im
going to have to read this over and over until I get it. I know this is a lot of work
for you but I really appreciate it. Thanks for such a great blog.
Stephen
awesomeair says:
February 14, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Thanks so much, this is the one Ive been waiting for. Cant wait for the book!!
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How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2008/02/14/how-to-draw-caricatures-1-the-5-shapes/[17/06/2014 21:53:15]
DShultz says:
February 14, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Great information and excellent Al Bundy caricature!
z_wallenfang says:
February 15, 2008 at 2:21 am
Haha I like your sketch of Ben! I dont think Ive ever seen that one before. I
know these are the same guidelines you explain to the rookies year after year
(and I tend to overhear it many times), but its always a great refresher, and it
never hurts me to pay attention to every single part of it.
TerryElliott says:
February 15, 2008 at 8:17 am
Yes! I loved the lesson, Tom. Really looking forward to the next one. Very insightful
and inspirational. Thank you!
johnread3 says:
February 15, 2008 at 10:50 am
I have long admired cartoonists who could also draw caricatures there are many
who cannot and Ive just lately begun trying my own hand at it. Learning from
you, Tom, is going to be a very good thing.
yondaime_kazekage says:
February 17, 2008 at 9:12 pm
thanks for posting this, mr. richmond.
this can be very2 helpful.
ive been searching for something like this
plus, it was something came out from you
thanks again mister. : )
Tom says:
February 20, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I am glad folks are getting something from this. Part two will be coming soon!
Mantonioart says:
March 30, 2008 at 1:27 am
Thanks Tom! This is Great stuff! When are you going to do a Book?
Lr at tegne karikaturer | Tegnebloggen says:
July 5, 2008 at 9:56 am
[...] Tom Richmond er karikaturtegner, og p sin hjemmeside har han en god
tutorial om, hvordan man angriber denne helt specielle tegnestil! Se hans egne
fremragende karikaturer af kendte mennesker. [...]
Lr at tegne karikaturer | Tegnebloggen says:
July 19, 2008 at 5:58 pm
[...] Tom Richmond er karikaturtegner, og p sin hjemmeside har han en god
tutorial om, hvordan man angriber denne helt specielle tegnestil! Se hans egne
fremragende karikaturer af kendte mennesker. [...]
PM Manmohan Singh Cartoons and humor from the bowels
says:
August 6, 2008 at 5:41 am
How to Draw Caricatures: The 5 Shapes | Tom's MAD Blog!
http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/2008/02/14/how-to-draw-caricatures-1-the-5-shapes/[17/06/2014 21:53:15]
[...] of India Thats it! Armed with knowledge from the best tutorial on the web,
caricatures by Tom Richmond, I got over my inertia and fear of drawing faces and
sketched this caricature from my memory and [...]
Bischoff says:
October 18, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Thsnks Tom, the name and password worked this time. Ill buy you a beer in
Raleigh. Bisch
Pirernesto says:
October 27, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Hi Im Ernesto from Uruaguay and I draw Caricatures since dome years ago. Well,
in my country, specially in my hood, there isnt too many good places for draw, and
the ones who exists are too expensives. I live in a poor hood, so I now teaching
young kids to draw in an honorary taller. This is from BIG help. Lot of thanks for
the generosity of share your knowledge! Today is an unique characteristic!!!
marioroso says:
November 25, 2008 at 7:07 am
GENIAL, TON, WHEN YOU PREPARE A CARICATURE DOYOU UMAGINE IN YOUR
HEAD THE FINAL IMAGEN?
PLASE DRAW THE RELATIONSHION BETWEEN DE MOUTH AND THE NOSE WITH
POLEAS
THANK YOU
daniel says:
November 27, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Hey Tom as a fellow artist currently living in London I enjoy your caricatures in Mad
as well as other stuff I see of yours.
I think you have some of the very best tutorials in the way that you explain things
is really well, I would love to see more when your able to
God Bless
Daniel Denomy
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