Cross-eyed Drawing Techniques...Just kidding

So here's another post on how I practice. I motivate myself to do this everyday at work .Unless I get a non stop crowd, and then I don't get to :(

 

Mark Simon's facial Expression books, are a fabulous way to practice, in all types of medium. I started out using his book (of adults) "Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists, in 2010. The photo's in this book are in black and white. (He also has one called "Facial Expressions: Babies to Teens :  A Visual Reference for Artists, which is printed in color.

Anyhow this is what I do:

*When I get to work, once I get situated, I grab my paper, orange col-erase pencil, and AD Chartpak marker. Then I randomly open the book to a page and the first photo my eyes lay on (be honest with yourself!) I make myself draw that. No matter how challenging it seems!!

*I set my stopwatch on my phone (or you can use your watch or another method, as long as you're timing yourself.) I start with a reallllllly fast gesture sketch of the shapes that make up the face. THE SHAPES ARE IMPORTANT!!! Everything has a shape, or many. And I do mean everything! Cups, flowers, your phone, your BBQ, food, your car, etc. Sometimes, when a persons face is frustrating me, and I can't "grasp" the overall shape. I "blur" my eyes. It's the same way you'd cross your eyes, lol, only it's not "all the way crossing". You just "out-focus" your eyes, if that makes sense. You know how sometimes you squint to read a sign or something far away? Do that, until what you're looking at becomes a little blurry. Once you've blurred your eyes, you can see more of the overall shapes, and the details aren't clouding your judgement/vision. Just don't go TOO crosseyed when doing this. Either you'll make a kid cry (or even better, they'll laugh) , or make people think you're wierd. lol...And besides, my mom always told me if I kept my eyes like that too long, they'd stay that way. Hardy har har...lol.

TIPS TO REMEMBER:

*Gesture sketch is REALLLY fast - basic shapes and direction of features (i.e. drooping eyes)

Gestering faces for caricature should only take a few seconds, but no more than 30 seconds, otherwise you're cutting into your detail time with the marker, and your coloring time.

*Do all your detail with the marker. You won't get better at anything you do, if you don't take that first step and challenge yourself. It can be kinda scary at first, you'll think "I can't do that ", but eventually you'll get it as long as you step out , and stick with it!!!!

And remember, you don't trace your lines on your gesture. They are only there as a guide. So if you realize the nose needs to be wider and the eyes droopier, then do it. The more you do practices like this , the easier and faster your gesture sketches will become, and the more detail and freeform exaggeration you'll be able to do with the marker, just on a whim :)

*Quickly right your time in the corner for your gesture sketch with the pencil, then once you're finished with the whole drawing, stop your watch/phone watch , and write down the time, date, your signature, and the page/picture/row number.

KEEP THESE PRACTICE DRAWINGS!! You should keep these drawings for a while. Eventually the stack will start to build. Go through your old drawings. It will help you down the road on those days when you're uninspired, or lacking motivation. Also, it will inspire you to draw them again! "Oh wow, I drew that 4 months ago? Man, I see what I did wrong. I can do that much faster and better now! " There is ALWAYS room for growth.

A while back I went through my "growing-pile-of-caricatures-over-the-last-4 years" and organized everything into portfolios, so they are easier to look back at. And I have a couple specifically for my Facial Expressions Practice.

Here are a few close ups. Enjoy!

As you can see in the two above, there are big differences in the drawings.

All of these are drawn on different dates in 2010 and 2011.

The one on the left is the first one I did, and the lines are pretty rough.

The one on the right is the second, and is OBVIOUSLY better. Better lines and quality,

and actually took less time than

Hope this post will help you in your daily drawing practice!

And dont forget: ALWAYS HAVE FUN WITH IT!

NEVER take it too seriously!!!!!

*Peace Love and Paintbrushes <3

Goofy Caricature doodle

I've been playing around with imaginative caricatures from my head, between customers at the stand. I've also been experimenting with the prismacolor col-erase pencils, for backgrounds, but sometimes also for different shading techniques. Basically, whatever I'm in the mood for at that particular moment.

I see areas where I'm weak, and ones where I'm getting better by the day. I still have trouble with cartooning teeth, but I've been taking more risks on customers caricatures latley, trying to stretch myself beyong my comfort zone.

Either way, I'm having fun with it. :)

Practice Body from Magazine

So heres some new/old art that I've been promising. When I'm at work, it can get pretty slow sometimes. Especially in the winter time....and ever since the economy took a huge canonball down the crapper. So, between drawing customers, I'll either draw caricatures from magazine photo's, made up people from my imagination, or I just doodle random stuff in my sketchbook.

1. I did this cartoon from a magazine photo. Most people know who Ice-T is right? For those who don't, he plays Detective Tutuolla on Law and Order SVU. There was a photo of his wife Coco in one of the celebrity magazines we keep at the stand, and well....I couldn't resist drawing her. I was actually a pretty small photo, but the contours of her body just begged to be drawn. And I'm always trying to improve my cartoon bodies.

Rough sketch with Blue Col-Erase

Finished with Black Faber Castell Fine Tip Pitt Pen.

8 year old Mermaid-princess

So, I went to the post office across the street from my house to mail the "Naked enchilada and pineapple princess mermaid" caricatures(go past the last posts to view the caricature) a few weeks ago. And when the mail lady saw it....she ordered one of her daughter. Now, Sarh knows me well from all the shipment I sent years ago when I was a military wife and I used to send my husband many boxes overseas, so ya...she knows me. So anyways...

Heres her daughter logan.....


And here's the caricature....

Flight Attendant Caricature

Another caricature through my e-mail. This guy lives in London, UK, and I guess a friend of a friend of a friend that was in vegas who had a caricature done by me, gave him my card. So this is his girlfriend, and he wanted a flight attendant style, similar to a picture he saw in a dr.s office. Soooo...

Heres his girlfriend.





Here is the drawing the guy sent me to go by. (I changed it a little when I drew it)


And here is what I came up with....

Caricature through e-mail

Okay, so I drew this lady Kristi and her "other half" Randy, back in september, and I gave them my business card. They were a great couple! So then, I get an e-mail from her, saying she wants me to draw TWO original caricatures in a "different" style. Apparently, he likes to make her Enchilada's at 4am, and she gets to sit in his office chair with a perfect view of his "perfect" behind. However, she loves mermaids, and he calls her his "pineapple princess. Soooo....this is what I came up with....

Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson & Paris Hilton

To continue my last blog about getting better, this is one of my more recent celebrity choices. I really like drawing Nichole Richie too. She has such depth in her face, and seriously begs to be drawn most of the time. With her droopy doe eyes, and the fun shape of her mouth...I can't help it. I've drawn her a couple times before, but they weren't that great. But I really like this one :)



Jessica Simpson has a great face as well, and here is my version...




This next one was done a while before that Angelina one I did. Again, I had tried to Draw Paris before, and didn't like them, but I like this one. (I've done a more recent one, but not really exaggerated, and I haven't taken a pic of it yet..will soon tho!)

Letting go...and Angelina Jolie

I've been a Caricature artist now for almost 2 years, and I'm "letting go" and experimenting a little bit more everyday. Thus, my caricatures are getting better every day that I let go a little bit more. I exaggerated quite a bit tonight, and people loved them all. Unfortunatley, I did not take any pics tonight. Grrr...Oh well.

Sometimes it's hard for me to loosen up, because well...I worry about the customers reaction. Sometimes I care tooooooo much about hurting the customers feelings....and yes, yes I know...being a caricature artist I really need to develop thicker skin. So far it all seems to be going ok.

So I'm going to post some of my best, but these were done a few months ago. I have to say that Joe bluhm is my inspiration. When I started working as a caricaturist in April of 2008, a great artist that was one of my co-workers at the time( sadly he doesn't work there anymore) showed me Joe Bluhms "Rejects" book. Funny, my co-workers name was joe too, and I guess Joe got the book at a signing event or something, and joe bluhm drew a quick caricature of my friend joe in the book. SO AWESOME! So this is when I began getting inspired, however I was still learning how to be comfortable with the marker, so I wasn't even thinking of trying his style out.

It is now over a year and a half later.....and while I have in no way mastered the damn marker...I am quicker and more confident in my strokes. However, I have to agree with Mr. Bluhm. It gets soooooooo boring doing the "cute" "generic" "average" and overall "plain" caricatures day after day. So I started playin around earlier this year.

When I started exaggerating a little, my first "victims" were brad and angelina. Seriously, you know they have awesome faces. I don't know where my first ones are but, here is my most exaggerated Angelina a la' Joe Bluhm Style (which I'm no where near as great, but...I'm trying



I think this is my favorite of all my pieces because it's my first real exaggerated celebrity that still LOOKS like the celebrity. :) Makes me proud of myself, considering how my first few drawings were!!! lol