Analyzing Contrasts-Pushing The Exaggeration

TJ is a very talented student and he has asked me to critique some of his studies.Here's one that perfectly illustrates a point I was making the other day.

This copy is well done, and I only have one critique:

It has been toned down. The original is more exaggerated. Where?

Especially in the eyes:
Let's analyze the expression in the original.

ANALYZE IN WORDS

The open eye is wide open and big or tall -taller even, than the left eyebrow. The closed eye is small and the eyebrow that goes with it is also small.


If you wanted to caricature this, then you would take the descriptive adjectives and add "er"

I would make the open eye TALLER. The closed eye SMALLER. MORE white space than pupil.

I haven't yet asked anyone to take a drawing and caricature it, but that's coming.


But I have cautioned about toning down drawings - or "maintaining the guts" when copying. When you draw a pose or expression less specific or exaggerated than the original, you are underturing.

This is something that seems to happen with a lot of us naturally and something we should resist. Analyzing the contrasts (in words) in a drawing helps you avoid underturing them.

Thanks TJ for the example and I will critique more of your drawings in the next week if you like. This particular one just happened to illustrate this:

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-is-exaggeration.html

What is Exaggeration?

That's what I have been thinking about posting about. I don't have all the answers to it, but have struggled with getting the idea across to my crews for decades now.

It's partly - maybe mainly caricature, which is a concept that most cartoonists say they believe in - even Walt Disney, but not many practice.

My experience is that most cartoonists underture what they are given to work on, rather than caricature it.

To be able to exaggerate something means you are basing your drawing on something that already exists. You are staring at it - either something in life like a human, dog, or tree....or

a storyboard drawing that you have to translate into a layout pose, or an animation drawing.

To exaggerate well and with focus, you have to understand contrasts, which takes an ability to analyze what you are looking at and then say what you see, then push it farther.


It also takes the ability to control relative exaggeration - not just to make every part of your drawing extreme or crazy.


I'll find some more illustrations later to help with the concept.

Pete Emslie Wants To Know...

Hey John,

I've been reading all the comments on your recent post about specific
vs generic designs as they apply to Indians in cartoons. I had been
planning to write up something similar myself, only in regard to
blacks and the art of cartoons and caricatures. About a week ago I'd
even sketched a few faces from this series of mug shots you'd posted
recently of the "Baggy Pants Gang", with the idea of showing how
different individuals can look, while still retaining those features
that are common to their race, such as the wide, flared nostrils,
thicker lips, and dark hair and eyes.

Anyway, before I go ahead and write something up for my blog, I'd like
to offer you first dibs on this. Fact is, you get much more traffic on
your site with a more far-reaching readership, so I'd be happy to let
you use these if you'd like to post a follow up to your Indian topic
relating specifically to the visual portrayal of blacks. In fact, I'd
even suggest asking your readers outright whether or not they consider
my cartoons of these dudes to be racist, when they are so obviously
based on existing humans. It would be interesting to me to hear their
opinions. By the way, don't feel bad if you'd rather not use them, as
I'm just offering them to you as a courtesy between friends. I just
think it would have a lot more impact on your site than mine. Let me
know what you think.

Pete
http://cartooncave.blogspot.com/


POLITICAL CORRECTNESS RUNS AMOK


Hi Pete,

those are all good drawings but to me, defeat the purpose of caricature. Caricatures are meant to be funnier than the subjects, not sweeter.
Anyone who wears his pants under his exposed bvds in public invites brutally honest ridicule and satire, he shouldn't expect a reward of pretty flattery. "Thank you for being rude and stupid. What else would you like to get away with?" And I don't care what race you are.
Cartoonists should provide equal opportunity ridicule.

Cartoons and comedy shouldn't be apologies for actual human appearance, behavior and personalities; they should make fun of it. Most people with a sense of humor can especially laugh at themselves. All races and cultures in most times enjoy a good joke based on themselves.

They still mostly do today, but are afraid to admit it in public, because of the PC police.

Walt Quote Of The Day

"All cartoon characters and fables must be exaggeration, caricatures. It is the very nature of fantasy and fable. "

Walt Disney
Walt said a lot of smart things, and this is one of the smartest.