Tips for the aspiring caricature artist.

Many people struggle to come to terms with what is involved in the art of drawing caricature successfully and many people who have a degree of proficiency in creating portraits of people often struggle the most to come to grips with this particular skill. The problem is that whilst caricature is loosely based upon the principles of portrait drawing, the influence is merely a side dish rather than a main course and so many portrait artists end up over-complicating things.
Caricature is often regarded as a near impossible skill to develop and learn but in reality the reason for this apparent level of difficulty is that the caricaturist has not came to realise the most important aspect of the drawing process: that the human face is very geometric. What that means then that the face will conform to certain rules, measurements and ratios as well as shapes meaning that the artist who can learn these principles effectively will then be able to apply these to all of their drawings.
The easiest position to start drawing caricature sketches from is the side view (or if you want to give it its proper technical term: the profile) and is therefore a firm favourite among novice sketchers. Many novices feel that they are in some way “cheating” when they draw from the side, feeling that they are inadequate as drawers and artists.
There is a lot of controversy as to the best methods for novices to learn and this awkward position is not helped any thanks to the volume of conflicting information that is available. Some sources argue that drawing from the side (i.e. the profile drawing) is the best way to start, as it is the easiest and most direct way of learning the basics. Others argue that the aspiring artist should focus on a full frontal view of the face in order to ensure that they come to grips with all of the “facets” of the face.
One tip that the novice caricature artists should learn to adopt (and the sooner the better) is the value in varying their strokes. If the artist simply uses the same pen strokes with no attempt to vary or alter them then the end result is a painfully monotonous portrait which is flat, lifeless and dull in the extreme. By varying not only the pen strokes but their thickness and shade the drawer can then really bring the portrait to life.