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A caricature in three minutes

Introduction

Drawing a caricature calls on the same powers of observation as a real life portrait

but, in addition, requires the application of particular techniques, coupled with a sense

of irony. The execution of a caricature is grounded in two factors: observation of the

physical characteristics of the subject and a fast reading of the subject’s personality. A

caricature is the synthesis of these elements and is realized through the accentuation

of individual characteristics. This paper recounts my own personal experience as a

street caricaturist and outlines the techniques and “tricks of the trade” that I have

developed over the years.

Getting started

In my experience, it is essential for a caricaturist to possess of a keen sense of irony to

be successful in this business, after which there is the important choice of materials,

as well as the selection of drawing sites and the employment of techniques for

attracting the public and the subject. No least of all, there is the execution of the

caricature in three minutes.

Materials

I begin with a clean sheet of white paper, of a magnitude at least equal to, if not

exceeding, A3 size and of a thickness not less than 100 grams. A smaller sheet

confines excessively the space available for creativity. Importantly, there is not

enough time to divide the page and develop the scenography. One runs the risk, if

using a smaller piece of paper that, starting with a particular point on the face, there is

not enough room to complete the drawing.

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The thickness of the paper needs to meet two practical requirements: the first

concerns the transportation of the drawing by the subject. The drawing must be rolled

up and, if the paper is too thin, it is more likely to crease and rip even before the

subject arrives at home. The second, practical consideration is that a thin sheet of

paper is transparent, which leaves a negative impression on the public, especially

when, as often happens, the satisfied customer holds the work up to show it to friends.

I position the paper vertically because this allows an easier intuition of the proportions

of the face and leaves enough space for the eventual inclusion of a body. If a subject

requests two faces in the caricature, it is better to place the sheet horizontally, and

divide it into two imaginary, vertical sheets side by side. In this case, I take a little

extra time to do a scenic calculation in order not to be “caught short” of space on the

single sheet.

I do all caricatures using b4 or b3 graphite stick, which I find works best on sheets of

100 gram thickness. I usually break the stick into pieces about 3 centimetres long,

which is ideal for drawing lines using the tip or point and as well as using the flat side

for shading and creating necessary nuances. To cancel any part of the drawing, I use

rubber bread, to be held in the left hand while drawing with the right. Rubber bread is

ideal because it clears graphite completely and can be shaped to clear both small and

large portions of the drawing quickly.

A good rigid support is required to support the paper. It is more convenient if a stand

is attached, which makes it transportable and easy to set up. On the back of the

support I attach a logo or caricature, to make the support attractive to customers,

particularly children, who are fascinated by caricatures. I clamp together more than

one sheet of paper and anchor each sheet with adhesive tape. If I am on the street, I

take two chairs, one for the customers and one for me, a piece of thick cardboard

which acts as a stand to the display of work, and plenty of rubber bands to scroll the

caricatures for the customers. It is important to state clearly the bid price (or the name

of the sponsor, if it is a sponsored event).

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Positioning

For caricatures done on the street, one needs to choose a place where people

transition, free from obstacles. The position must allow a space behind the caricaturist

for a small audience and potential customers to gather. If the artist is required at a

party or an event then it is useful if the space allows for a crowd to gather there too.

Time is critical because people in transition tend to have limited time available and a

limited attention span. The rule of thumb is three minutes for a caricature, otherwise

the audience tends to disperse, which detracts from the spectacle and also from the

enjoyment for the subject. Time has definitely run out if the caricaturist exceeds six

minutes.

On the Job

Preparation

I start the caricature in my mind, even before the subject takes his or her place on the

chair. I seek inspiration from the moment of the request until beginning the drawing.

Observation of the subject’s movements and words contributes significantly to the

success of a caricature. The idea is that the initial impression of a person in those first

moments is what should be realised on the sheet. If I have no initial intuition on

observing the subject’s face then I usually exchange a few words or even ask the

subject’s name to obtain a second impression. In practice, the subject’s

embarrassment in sitting as a model usually reveals some peculiar character trait.

My goal is to raise a smile, either in amusement or astonishment. To some degree, the

objective is to draw the subject in the most appealing manner possible and yet,

critically, still make the image closely resemble the actual subject. The trick is to

emphasise those characteristics which would typically be considered more deserving

and de-emphasis those less flattering aspects.

In my experience of doing caricatures on the street, male subjects are the most willing

to accept being jibed in public. Females, who commission a caricature, tend to be

curious to see if the caricaturist has understood their beauty. Children are fascinated,

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curious and eager to be surprised. They are the caricaturist’s best allies, always

enthusiastic and creating the perfect atmosphere in a public place.

A bad start is not necessarily fatal. I proceed using the rubber to effectively begin

again, occasionally using an excuse like "cold hands." I never discard the sheet of

paper, which leaves a very bad impression, while a correction may only arouse a

comment like: "what a complicated face?" Once I get back into the rhythm of doing

caricatures they come easily and quickly. Typically I can do no more than three hours

in a sitting, and take a break to rest my arm and mind.

As a working method, I divide the three minutes into thirds, using the first minute to

observe the subject and the other two to draw. I draw from impression and memory,

occasionally raising my gaze to check some detail or to ensure that the original idea is

taking shape.

Technique

The expressions must be learned and stored as essential luggage for a street

caricaturist. I imagine the face as a circle which incorporates the shape and design of

the eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks in their simplest forms. Below is my index of key

expressions and emotions:

•

 

 

Smiling: eyes closed or semi-closed with the nose facing toward the lower

outside. If the eyes are semi-closed, the irises are cut off at the bottom of the circle

and supported by the lower line of the eye. To increase the effect of the smile, the

eyes gaze towards the upper right angle of the sheet. The mouth is semi-circular

with the concave pointing upward.

 

 

 

 

 

Cool: concave mouth with one point facing upward and sunglasses covering the

eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

Amazed: eyebrows high on the forehead, eyes open in a circle and mouth open to

circle.

 

 

 

 

 

Sad: eyes open in a circle, eyebrows raised at the centre, horizontal mouth closed,

tears slipping down the eye.

 

 

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•

 

 

Exhausted: eyes open in a circle, raised eyebrows at the close of the nose, mouth

convex downward, droplets on the forehead.

 

 

 

 

 

Shy: eyes open, small eyebrows close to the eyes, lifted near the nose, mouth

concave upward, cheeks circled.

 

 

 

 

 

Doubtful: one raised eyebrows with the other lowered, mouth slightly concave

facing upward.

 

 

 

 

 

Vague: small horizontal mouth, eyes slightly open, eyebrows close to the eyes and

running horizontal.

 

 

 

 

 

Sneering: concave mouth opening upward, eyebrows concave and facing down,

close to the nose, eyes in a small circle.

 

 

 

 

 

Angry: mouth in the shape of an eight, eyes horizontal, eyebrows straight with the

lowest point near the nose.

 

 

 

 

 

Out-of-sorts: circular eyes, irises looking upward to the right, semicircular

eyebrows, mouth concave upward to the right, semi-circular eyebrows, small

mouth concave upward and moved to the left side face.

 

 

 

 

 

Concerned: eyebrows lowered towards the far side of the nose, eyes in a small

circle.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy: broad smile (see above), eyes open, eyebrows high and open in a semicircle.

Contour of the face

To create a clean effect, the face should be balanced with lines but without sharp

corners. I highlight lines on the page using shadow and light, proceeding all the time

with a continuous and decisive line, which varies only in pressure on the sheet. The

enthusiasm of the subject is generally captured in the smile. It is useful to ask the

subject to smile and see how he or she responds.

Eyes

Starting from the eyes, I draw the first line of the bottom of the right eye. The line

starts from the most distant point from the nose. This will give the impression of a

smile. Without lifting the graphite from the sheet, I move in the opposite direction to

draw the top of the eye until closing the summit of the previous line. Still not lifting

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the graphite from the sheet, I draw again in the opposite direction and with a higher

line, mark out the eyelid.

Using the form of the eye, I define the race of the subject. If this is a person of Eastern

origin, the line will resemble the shape of an almond. I do not draw the line of the

eyelid, leaving it ambiguous through shading. In any case, the characterization of an

Eastern face is determined also by the shape of the cheekbones, which tend to be long

and low, rather than the shape of the eyes, although they are still important. The

appearance of a person of African descent is determined mainly by the shape of the

nose, slightly flattened and also by the size of the lips, which are more prominent than

those of people of Western descent.

Once I have the eye shape of the right eye, I move onto the iris. The “look” should be

to the top right-hand side of the page, as it creates a nicer effect. The lower portion of

the eye acts also as the base of semi-circle of the iris. I draw another dark circle in the

center (the pupil) and a lighter circle on the high left diagonal of the iris, which gives

the effect of light.

At this stage, I mark on the paper four points from which the eyebrows and the second

eye begin. These four points are the internal most points of the eyes and the eyebrows.

Starting from the first inside right point relative to the right eyebrow, I draw an oval

extending horizontally outward right. This is the right eyebrow. Drawing the eyebrow

as an oval shape gives the eyebrow a softer look. Now I move the flat side of the

graphite tracing the oval, to give the impression of hair. Depending on the type of

eyebrow, I either shade over the area to give it weight or lighten the area with the aid

of the rubber or by passing my finger over the sheet.

Although the oval shape is standard, I try to personalize and shape the eyebrows for a

greater similarity. In the case of a female, I trace high on the eyebrow to give it an

arch. Women generally pay much more attention to their eyebrows and tend to

appreciate the application of this technique, which thins and heightens the eyebrow.

The eyebrows of the children are always very slight and subtle. The eyebrows are one

of the main factors in determining the age of the subject.

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The next step is to draw in the eyelashes. On females, these are typically long and

well defined. For males, I avoid actually drawing in the eyelashes, instead simply

passing more decidedly over the upper part of the eye to suggest the existence of

eyelashes.

Before drawing the left eye, I draw thin horizontal, converging lines, within which I

subsequently draw the eye. The first four points drawn (discussed above) are the

fundamental anchor points to avoid errors in the proportioning, and are also the

rotational determinants of the face. I angle the face slightly to one side, as this usually

renders a greater similarity with the face of the subject, to better identify the size of

the nose and cheeks. The converging horizontal lines give the effect of depth, so that

the left side of the face is smaller than the right, leaving the impression that the left

side is further away. In caricature, you can exaggerate the perspective as well as the

proportions. Indeed, the exaggeration of perspective is visually advantageous to the

overall composition.

Nose

The next step is to draw two light, vertical lines to map out the nose and then a circle

on the lower part inside the lines. To maintain the perspective and proportion, I draw

the left nostril smaller than the right. Again the sex and personal characteristics of the

subject will determine the ultimate shape of the nose. The curves should never close

on themselves to form a circle, but rather give the impression of reopening the

external boundaries in the shape of an S. This technique allows the external part of the

nostrils to be drawn in. If the vertical lines tend toward the inside, this may create a

witch-like appearance, which is never much appreciated by the subject. The circle is

drawn as a blueprint for the centre of the nose and serves as an indication of the light

focus. As with the eyes, I draw a smaller circle inside the upper right circle. I pass

over the nose with my finger to give the shape some depth.

Mouth and cheeks

For the mouth, I mark two points below the nose at the centre of the two eyes. These

become the extreme sides of the mouth. The mouth, following the pattern of

perspective, will be smaller on the left when compared with right. When the subject

does not open his or her mouth to show their teeth, it is usually because they do not

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wish them to be drawn in. I look up once more to confirm the size of the mouth and

lips. To finish the mouth, I draw in a light line to show the expression of the smile,

then closing the smile to make it blend with the rest of the face, tending obliquely

outwards.

The cheeks are pulled upwards by the smile and have compressed the lower part of

the eye, masking the lower part of the iris. At this point, I return to the right eye and

add a dash outside to conclude the smile with laugh lines. I draw two short lines at the

extremities of the mouth in order to understand the size of the cheeks and structure of

cheekbones. If I must draw the teeth, I proceed first to mark the center line of the two

front teeth, then draw the lower part of the smile, starting from the outside left and

going close to the right, bearing in mind the center line just drawn. If I do not see the

teeth of the subject, then I just draw in the lower lip. The mouth forms an important

part of the perspective. The upper line is drawn like a trapeze, where the upper side

appears, but the lower side is not parallel to the base and tends to fall to the right side.

An additional light line beneath the lower lip determines the chin.

Chin

I mark out the chin with points and place the graphite near the outer left eyebrow. I

observe the face of the subject to understand the shape. The chins is drawn in with a

single stroke descending vertically until reaching the start of the cheekbone, then

expanding and narrowing to increase the inclination up to the beginning of external

point, on the left side. I immediately close the chin, making the closure of the face on

the right hand side near the base, where I then draw the right ear. The right side

appears lower than the left to highlight the shape of the jaw.

Hair

I draw a guiding line of the skull and then observe for a moment the subject’s hair,

which is crucial to the success of the caricature because adds immensely to the overall

likeness of the subject. The hair also marks out the ear. I draw long hair using long,

decisive lines down. I then pass the flat side of the graphite over the hair to give it

body.

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If there is time then I will draw a body, which is disproportionately small when

compared to the face and which I frame with two stretches of flat shading, tending to

the outside left of the paper and guaranteeing perspective.

The final step

Once the caricature is complete, I sign and date it, and then wait a few seconds

putting down the graphite stick to create a dramatic atmosphere and heighten the

suspense for the subject, finally letting him or her see the work.

Guido Salimbeni - Written example