Caricatures By Ms. Cousineau

Definition? Caricature: A drawing of a real person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect, but still retains the likeness of the person.

Guess who?

Guess who?

Guess who?

Caricature artists Al Hirschfeld -Uses elegant minimalist lines

Caricature Artists Sebastian Kruger Value and colors

Caricature Artists David Cowles: Graphic Geometric collages

Relationship between Shapes In traditional portraits, the head is divided into “classic proportions”, 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. In caricatures, the important is too exaggerate how these 5 shapes relate to one another.

Characteristics of Caricatures 1) Likeness Focusing on the Main traits of a person. Example: Trumps Hair You must be able to recognize the person If you can’t tell who it is supposed to be, then it is not successful. All good caricatures incorporate a good likeness of their subjects.

Characteristics of Caricatures 2) Exaggeration Large Heads & Small bodies Large Eyes, chin or Smile Without some form of exaggeration, or a departure from the exact representation of the subject’s 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.

Characteristics of Caricatures Exaggeration Example: Obama & big ears

Long Necks

Long Chins

Characteristics of a Caricature 3) Statement or Purpose The artist must be trying to say something about the subject.

Cartoon vs Caricature What is the difference?

What is the difference? Cartoon: A 2D drawing that tends to represent a fictional character. Uses un-realistic scenarios. Purpose: To entertain or educate. Caricatures: Represents the likeness of a real person. A portrait that has exaggerated features of a certain person or thing. Uses realism, often modeled after real people or scenarios. Purpose: To make a statement, or create discussion on controversial topics. Note: Cartoons are sometimes synonyms of caricatures.

History of Caricatures Caricatures began in the 16th and 17th century. Created by satirists to ridicule public figures and politicians A satire: a caricature with a moral message. They continue to remain popular today, and are used in magazines and newspapers to poke fun at film stars, politicians and celebrities.

ART=POWER Caricaturists have wielded significant power with their pen, far more so than a writer ever could. In the early days of the genre they transmitted messages without the need for the written word, important at a time in history when the majority of the population could not read.

James Gillray (1756-1815). The son of a soldier who had lost one arm to the French, Gillray became a satirist. Gillray has been called "the father of the political cartoon", His famous “The Plumb-pudding in danger” (1805) as “the greatest political cartoon ever drawn.” “The Plumb-pudding” is a key piece in the London show. As a deft snapshot of geopolitical greed, this hand-colored etching easily transcends two centuries. In it, Gillray depicted England’s Prime Minister Pitt dining with Napoleon – with both of them carving up the globe as dessert. Pitt is drawn as lean and canny, hacking off both the Atlantic and Caribbean. A child-size Napoleon, with manners to match his height, cleaves off his portion (Europe) with a manic intensity.

Plumb-pudding in danger” (1805) “The Plumb-pudding” is a key piece in the London show. As a deft snapshot of geopolitical greed, this hand-colored etching easily transcends two centuries. In it, Gillray depicted England’s Prime Minister Pitt dining with Napoleon – with both of them carving up the globe as dessert. Pitt is drawn as lean and canny, hacking off both the Atlantic and Caribbean. A child-size Napoleon, with manners to match his height, cleaves off his portion (Europe) with a manic intensity.

Napoleon once said that the English caricaturist James Gillray “did more than all the armies in Europe to bring me down.” “Manic ravings, or Little Boney in a Strong Fit” (1803).

Political Purpose

In your sketchbook On one page draw 3 examples for each of the following: Ears, mouth, eyes, nose. 2) Draw a caricature portrait of a famous person. Emphasize a trait of that person or an aspect for which they are famous. 3) Draw a caricature of yourself. 4) Draw a caricature emphasizing an important message either political, environmental, or addressing an important issue or a parody of a movie.

Pick a famous person and draw there likeness with accurate proportions Pick a famous person and draw there likeness with accurate proportions. Representing the 5 shapes that make the human face.