Lesson 6: Is That A Growth On Your Brain?...or "Dolly Parton Has A Huge Smile Too""

Week 3 Reflections: Part 1

Steve Buscemi has a host
of features just dying
to be exaggerated.

If you have been here since the beginning, both of you know that it has been about a week and a half since my initial post. You probably couldn't tell with all the smoke and mirrors but this blog is not happening exactly in real-time. I had to build up a little material first so I would have experiences to share, plus my wife didn't even give me the idea to do a blog until I was a week or more into it. So I am a little further on my journey than I am leading on, but not much. 


I got my Tom Richmond book in the mail around the end of November and did nothing but read through the "theory" chapters and marvel at the artwork for the first 5 or 6 days. Then I started working on some of the basic ideas presented such as drawing the different shapes and learning to see the things that give individuals their individuality.

Joe Montegna has a
crooked mouth and
distinctly asymmetrical
eyes.

Even though it has only been a short time and I have yet to make a single successful drawing, caricaturing has already changed how I look at things. I remember when I got into the graphics business 15 or so years ago. Soon after I started making newspaper and magazine ads the whole world changed. Before this, I had always skimmed over and never really even "saw" the ads in my magazine subscriptions. I always went straight to the pic... er, articles and never even noticed the junk in between. Then when the junk in between became my job, I not only started noticing the ads but scrutinized and dissected them. 


Nerd thoughts were popping into my brain like "I wonder what font they used in that" and "Wow, what a great color pallet they chose here." As a former Army Light Infantry/Airborne Vet, these thoughts were unsettling to say the least. Still, it continued and evolved. As I got better at ad-setting, I began to see how these other artists were putting their ads together and could quickly analyze their processes. To be truthful, in some ways it ruined that type of art for me. I couldn't just enjoy something like a cool wedding dress ad or Martha Stuart crafting article anymore, I had to pick it apart and figure out its construction so I could eventually add it to my own repertoire.

Who knew Dolly
had other features
to pick on?

Now, after only three weeks, I notice the same thing happening with caricature. With every face I see in a sitcom or at a  dinner party, features are popping out at me. Thoughts like "Your overbite really sets you apart", "I never noticed your eyes are so far apart" and "I'd love to draw your pig nose someday" are invading my brain. 


I may need to install a "Kramer" filter before long but I still think that it is a good sign!