Generic Caricature

I am a member of an organization called the International Society of Caricature Artists (which, incidentally, I heartily recommend to anyone doing caricature professionally at any level). Right now there is a lively discussion going on on their members-only Facebook page about the trials and tribulations of what many call “cookie cutter caricature” and what I call “generic caricature”. I thought it would make a good topic for an article here.

Briefly, “generic” caricature is when a caricature artist draws the same features over and over again on everyone, regardless of what that subject actually looks like, and is often seen in live caricature done at events, fairs and theme parks. You see this with caricaturists to varying degrees. Some caricaturists just have a tendency to draw certain features with the same basic shape, or draw the relationships of features basically the same on almost everyone. Some caricaturists literally draw the same face for everyone, and only change the obvious superficial elements like adding a mustache or glasses or whatever.

This is a source of disdain for many live caricaturists, who consider it bad art. Some people are extremely judgemental about it, but the fact is that almost all live caricaturists have these tendencies. It’s just that many have a blind spot for them, or write generic caricature tendencies off as their “style”. Style is a different animal, and should be independent of observation and what you are drawing. Generic caricature is when you look at a face, and then draw something that is not representative of that face but rather the same basic shapes or relationships over and over again.

Live caricatures cannot avoid these issues without effort on their part. They often have no idea they are doing it. Part of it is the repetitive nature of live work. You draw face after face after face at fast speeds for hours on end. Shapes begin to look the same to you, and while you THINK you are drawing the eyes in front of you what you are really doing is drawing the same shapes eyes are you did on the last drawing, changing them so slightly as to be imperceptibly different to other viewers. Muscle memory is also a factor, especially with respect to the relationship of features. You have a tendency for your hand to go to the same place on the paper after each element is drawn. You THINK you are being very specific to your subject but you are barely changing the relationships of the features in front of you. Another issue is that live caricaturists are often looking at every face on its own, and not in comparison to another face. If you were to take the face you just drew and put it next to the one you are drawing now, you will see, for example, that the eye shapes are very different and that helps you make those observations. When you have nothing to compare it to shapes are harder to “see”. That’s why some of the best caricatures a live artist does are ones with two or more people, because they can compare the faces and it helps them see the individuality of shapes and relationships.

Back in the day when I worked in the theme parks I would observe artists at work and then point out where they are drawing generic features. Often I’d get a defensive response. I might say “you are drawing the same eye shapes on everyone” and they’d say “No, I am not!”. Then I would hand them one of those cardboard disposable cameras and tell them to take a picture of every drawing they do until the camera is full. After developing the film I’d line up the photos and, sure enough, the same basic eye shapes on everyone. Or the same chins. Or the same basic relationships of eyes to nose. They cannot see it until they see a lot of their live drawings in comparison, and even then they sometimes still can’t see it.

I see the same thing in my workshops. A live caricaturist with year of experience will take the class and I’ll point out some generic tendency like that they are drawing the same relationships of features on everyone. Sometimes they don’t believe me, even after I line up their drawings side by side. One artist argued with me about it until I pointed out that despite the fact we were working from photographs with each face at different angles, they drew every face at the same 3/4 angle facing the same way every time. That’s not drawing what you see, that is imposing aspects of a type of face on everyone.

Calling generic caricature tenancies a “style” is disingenuous. Style is a way of drawing, a collection of techniques of visual representation that is identifiable to a given artist. Style is HOW you draw things, not WHAT you are drawing. All caricatures use certain lines or ways of rendering features that can be called a “style”, but these conventions should not extend to misrepresenting what you are drawing. The underlying shapes and the relationships of those shapes should be specific to the subject you are drawing. The lines or whatever you use to render them is style. The substance of what you draw is independent of the style you draw it in. Too often I see generic caricature tendencies considered “style”

There are two important elements in combating generic caricature. One is the desire to do so at all. Many live caricaturists are quite content to draw generic-type caricatures to whatever degree, either knowing they have these tendencies and not caring or drawing away in blissful ignorance. Most customers of live caricaturists react more to what I call the “cosmetic” aspects of a drawing than they do the substantive elements. What that means is that most customers are more likely to approve of a drawing with beautiful, fun lines and a polished, professional look even if it isn’t as accurate a caricature than they would a really great caricature with maybe less superficial aesthetic appeal. Let’s face it, it’s quicker and easier to have some generic qualities to live caricature, and it often leads to more commercial success on top of it. That’s hard to argue against. If that’s your thing, then more power to you.

If an artist want’s to fight the generic caricature malaise, then it takes effort and, to borrow a phrase from the Harry Potter character “Mad Eye” Moody, CONSTANT VIGILANCE! You have to work hard to try and treat each face like the only one you are drawing that day. You have to make careful observations and draw the shapes like you MEAN them. This is a key point and one of the reasons it’s so easy to have a blind eye for these problems. Because of muscle memory and repetition live caricature artists tend to see very minor changes in they same shape as significant when they are really so subtle as to be invisible to the casual observer. You need to really change the shapes you are drawing to represent what you are looking at, and that takes attention and effort. Finally you need help to see where you are falling into generic tendencies. The photo trick I mentioned earlier helps a lot. Having an independent observer critique you helps also. One technique I used was to concentrate on a different specific feature or element each day. Say one day I’d concentrate on the relationship between the eyes and nose. I would make myself slow down for a few extra seconds when I reached that point in my drawing, make a careful observation, and then really commit to what my observations told me.

Most of all you need to keep an open mind and understand no one is immune to these tendencies, especially if you do a lot of live work. I struggle with it myself when I am doing live work.