There is little doubt you’ve seen them at some point in your life; they reside at carnivals, fairs, amusement parks, and anywhere there is general happiness abound. They are what society refers to as caricature artists, and there is a reason they remain so widespread and popular. Going beyond the traditional aspect of simply drawing a portrait of a person, They add the unexpected and make it fun and lively. But it’s not as easy as you might assume it is. Drawing a caricature takes a lot of practice and hard work to achieve. But do not get discouraged and throw in the towel just yet. If you follow the bellow tips you will see that you can do it too, if you put in the effort.

It is very important that you take the time to know your model. Go over their face and observe anything that you could use and exaggerate in the caricature. Perhaps they have a gap between their two front teeth, or they appear to have an excessive number of freckles. On top of this, take the time to notice also how they react and what their mannerisms are. How do they smile? How do they laugh? Do they do anything with their hands or other parts of their body?

Do not be hasty and simply begin drawing without planning out the layout of the page first. No matter how nice your caricature may be, if it is not centered, and instead located at the bottom, top, or far sides of the paper, it won’t look right and might appear sloppy and unbalanced. Think about how the picture will and should appear on the piece of paper and plan accordingly. If this is not done you might have to start over, and the customer probably will not appreciate having to wait and sit for even longer than they wanted to.

The only way you can improve and get better is through practice, so this can’t be skipped no matter how good you think you are. Always carry a notebook or other kind of pad of paper with you, whether you’re on vacation or sitting in a waiting room, so that whenever inspiration hits you can work on it right away. If you keep it up you’ll become so accustomed to the steps you’ll be able to come up with the perfect caricature drawing no matter who your model is.

Learning how to draw funny cartoons can be a fun hobby. If you really enjoy it, and are good at it, you could even get paid for your creativity. But before you even pick up the pencil to begin drawing, you need to think about your character, or characters.

First, you need to determine what you want to express through your character, and the message that you want them to convey. You need to create a life history, or a biography of your character, or characters, as you will usually have more than one character in each caption. This will make it easier to draw them with the right attributes and qualities. It will also make it easier to draw them in new, future situations, should they be a continuing, or main character.

Next, you need to decide on their physical characteristics: are they, fat or thin, attractive or weird looking, short or tall, young or old, male, female, an animal, or some other creature. Then you need to decide on their personality traits: are they, dramatic, serious, happy-go-lucky, sad, suave, or stupid. Next is their social life, and how they interact with others: are they, grumpy, loving, optimistic, pessimistic, friendly, or rude. If you find yourself blocked, just look at the people around you on the street, and in the store. Notice what makes the cashier unique, or your dentist, or neighbor. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

Finally, you are ready to draw. You should begin with the head and the eyes. The eyes are what helps to instantly give the character life and personality, and can instantly create a mood, telling you what the character is thinking and feeling. You then draw the body, and fill in the background.