A Step Away From Realism

Cartooning With Likeness!

22nd February 2025

Welcome back once again, creative souls! Today, I’ll be sharing my journey into the world of caricatures—a phase where I wanted to push my artistic skills beyond realism and explore the art of likeness in a more exaggerated, expressive way. Having already built a strong foundation in realistic drawing, I felt the need to step out of my comfort zone. As I was also learning digital drawing at the time, I decided to take on a project that would challenge me in a new direction.

The Spark of Inspiration

As I ventured into caricature art, I quickly realized that while the process itself didn’t take too long, maintaining the likeness of the subject while exaggerating features was the toughest part. Finding the right reference was essential, so I turned to Unsplash—a platform known for high-quality images. (Not a promo, but I’ve seen people mention this in Vlogs, and I want to say it too! 😆)

While scrolling through portrait images, my attention was instantly captured by a striking photograph of an Asian tribal lady adorned with copper jewelry. I’ve always been drawn to tribal aesthetics, and even in my 3D art, I often find myself incorporating tribal references. There’s just something about their rich cultural essence that fascinates me. This image, in particular, felt like the perfect inspiration for my caricature project.

Setting Up the Canvas

Once I had my reference image, I jumped into Photoshop and set up my workspace. I placed the reference at the top left-hand corner of my canvas and began with a rough sketch. The initial stage was all about laying down loose lines and capturing the proportions while thinking about which features to exaggerate. Since I was still new to caricature art, I experimented with different approaches before settling on the one that best brought out the character’s essence.

After refining my rough sketch, I moved on to the next stage—finalizing the line art. This step was crucial because it’s where the caricature truly started to take shape. Clean, confident lines helped enhance the exaggerations while keeping the likeness intact. I loved seeing the character come to life through these refined strokes!

Adding Color and Depth

With the line art complete, it was time to bring the portrait to life with colors. I started by color picking directly from the reference image, ensuring that I stayed true to the subject’s natural tones. First, I filled in the base colors—keeping them flat to establish a foundation. Then, I gradually built up depth by adding shadows and highlights, making sure to enhance the exaggerated forms without losing the realism in lighting.

This stage was both fun and challenging because every little detail, from skin texture to jewelry, added to the overall impact of the piece. It was during this process that I truly appreciated the balance between realism and stylization in caricature art.

A Unique Learning Experience

This project was a major learning experience for me. It taught me to see beyond proportions and instead focus on what makes a face unique. It also pushed me to create more caricatures in the future, as I found the process incredibly exciting and rewarding. Exploring different styles has always been a part of my artistic journey, and this was another milestone in my growth.