Gestural Thumbnails!

We are working on animal caricatures. Part of the development process is developing thumbnail drawings. Artist, Peter De Seve, has published extensively his process work. His examples give good instruction on how we should proceed on our approach for animal caricatures.

Every picture that looks like this has a start from somewhere. This image was built from thumbnails many concepts. Here is an example that helped De Seve get to his final illustration, but has an idea he didn't ultimately use. 

Thumbnail drawings are about exploration. Allowing yourself to make mistakes and make discoveries. What doesn't work can be as informative as what does work. It is through this process that we artists have those eureka moments like a scientist discovering something new. 

I want at least 10 thumbnails for us to explore with and examine for possible outcomes. However, it may take many more to make something worthwhile. You will know when you are on to something great because you will find yourself emotionally responding to it. 

As you explore a character and how it develops, ask yourself these three questions...

1. How do you relate to this character? 
2. What is this character supposed to be for the audience? 
3. How does this character relate back to what you are trying to say?

Chris Ayers

We are studying animal caricatures. A master of the animal caricature, Chris Ayers is movie concept artist and illustrator. A leukemia survivor, Ayers used his art as a positive motivation to help heal mentally as his body fought against his cancer. The result was creating an animal illustration for every day the year in his sketchbooks, which became books called The Daily Zoo. 

A key to Ayers artististic success besides diligently working everyday, is his use of gesture drawing.

Gesture Drawing is a laying in of the action, form, and pose of a model/figure.

Master Artist Rembrandt says...

Not only are Ayers's animals well drawn with a clear understanding of their anatomy, but are combined human characteristics. It is important to make combinations of anatomy and feeling that viewers can identify with. The star of the caricature is the exaggeration of these human emotions that Ayers wants to convey to his audience. 

Nearly any artist can draw an octopus, but through gestural exaggeration the octopus really develops a personality that is hard to convey without it. Ayers has mastered imparting a life and energy in his work that feeds the personality of his creations and our imaginations. 

Body language is a wonderful example of gesture. You can see a whole story in this illustration by Ayers without reading a single word. Think of how you emotionally express yourself not with words, but through actions. Why is your stance the way it is? What are your eyes doing? How are your hands responding? (Never forget the hands, only amateurs hide the hands...or in this case the claws, hooves, or feet.)

So when designing your animal caricatures are you thinking about the personality you are trying to impart on your character? What makes someone memorable to you? When you tell a joke or a story, a little exaggeration can take a ordinary moment and upgrade it to a memory. The key though is keeping the exaggeration truthful. A distortion doesn't work. George Carlin once said the, "Secret to being funny is to tell the truth."  Give your character a name and recall your personal experiences with that name. Chances are your audience will relate.

Elephant Personality

What is your animal's...

1. Name
2. Occupation
3. Accessory

It is easy to think of our pets as having a personality. We named them for a reason. That personality we attribute to them may be a better reflection of our thoughts and feelings versus the reality of theirs. We do this to relate to our pets better. The things we name become a symbol of our thoughts and emotions. Does my dog really, really love me? Or is she happy I know where the food is?

Artist Peter De Seve, world famous concept artist, is amazing at animal caricatures. He has been a concept artist for movies such as Finding Nemo, Treasure Planet, Ice Age, and many, many more. Peter is an expert at pushing emotion and creating character by combining human emotions and attributes to animals ones. These combinations have created memorable characters such as Finding Nemo's Bruce. We are learning how to create animal caricatures.

Don't Forget to finish your realistic animal study.

Newtonian Physics and Funny Faces

The 3 most important elements when doing a caricature are..

Likeness: If the viewer is going to respond to a caricature, they have to understand who the artwork is about. Context is very important to establish so that the viewers can be in on the joke. A Coke can be like a Pepsi, but a Coke is not a Pug

Exaggeration: We are not distorting. We all have an uncle that tells an amazing fishing story. In fact, we know that maybe that last fish he caught wasn't the size of a oil tanker, and may have resembled more your pet goldfish. However, that great exaggeration makes for a better story.  

Sometimes an exaggeration feels more real than reality. Think about when it rains really bad, do you really want someone to describe how precipitation works, or do you relate more to the old it's pouring cats and dogs? Think about exaggerations that you use to describe your life. What are they? Why do you use them?

Statement: You need to be actually saying something. Artists are not copy machines. If you want to make a perfect reproduction why not just take a picture? You need to have an opinion, this will engage your audience. Think of your work as a persuasive case of how you feel. Your ideas matter! People will care more about your work, if they feel you actually have something worth saying. So take up the challenge of visually speaking by demonstrating why what you think matters. 

These are the basic components of the face you will need to understand and manipulate to create an effective caricature. 

Don't forget to have your realistic Animals drawn!

Sebastian Kruger

Some basics to understanding the eye and why it is so important to understanding the face. First, it can be used to establish a mood or feeling in a piece of art. Second, the eye can be used as a system of measurement. Lastly, the eye can be used as an anchor point. The anchor point in a drawing is often the starting place where an artist will begin 

Sebastian Kruger is the polar opposite of C.F. Payne. If Payne is a gentleman in his approach to caricature Kruger is the embodiment of being nuclear. 

(James Dean, Sebastian Kruger caricature on the left...photo portrait on the right)

Kruger is known for combining fine art styles with his caricatures and cartoons. This combination creates original and breathtaking imagery that while not always pretty is visually interesting. 

Remember: Get an awesome animal photo!

Intro to Caricature: Chris Payne

Today we are looking at the modern illustration master C.F. Payne (http://www.cfpayne.com/). Payne has been compared to being a modern day Norman Rockwell. His ability to capture likeness, but push those traits to create a better story are legendary.

What is caricature? Caricature is a drawing that is exaggerates appearance to enhance story.

It is important to realize that caricature is an exaggeration not a distortion. Think about how hot it is when the air condition is broken. It’s hot. Saying something is hot doesn’t necessarily get across how it feels. Is it melt a volcano hot? Or is it more like, “Mom, my popsicle melted!” warm. Exaggeration at times can be more truthful than reality because of how we feel.

 People, objects, and animals can all be caricatured. As all of these story elements are routinely exaggerated to create a mood or make a statement.

Remember to find an amazing picture of an animal.

What makes a frog?

What makes a frog? Why does Kermit the Frog have "frog" in his name? Does Kermit even look like a real frog? If a frog looked like Kermit can you imagine what a veterinarian would be thinking? 

Goodness did that frog swallow a crown? Is that a collar or contagious growth around his neck? 

Why does Kermit have human like features? Anthropomorphism is when you apply human characteristics to an object, animal, or supernatural being. The reason that artists and authors do this is to create a relatable character. 

Often theme parks will create toys and cartoon like images of orcas to psychologically relate to children. When you look at the cartoon versus the reality of a real life orca there is a very different interpretation of what these creatures are. The cartoon orca is happy and fun. The real orca is majestic and powerful. Contextually these images can have very different meanings. 

Pick one of your favorite cartoon characters and draw it. Now draw its real counterpart. Write what characteristics were carried over from the real to the cartoon. Analyze and Interpret why you think the artists made those design choices.