Exercise: Caricature & character

It was an interesting exercise which I didn’t want to do as I don’t like caricatures as an art form. However when I was exploring how caricatures are made I was struck that my drawings are like caricatures. These drawings were made while watching TV ( a film called The boy with the the top knot). The characters are here and here. My aim when I draw in front of the TV is to capture something about the character I am watching and I felt with these particular drawings that I had done.

In the course notes it suggested that it might be easier to do a caricature based on a negative viewpoint of the character. I didn’t feel comfortable with that as I much prefer to focus on people’s good points and in the end I chose to do Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division. I had watched a film about him and found him an interesting and complex character. He committed suicide at a young age just as Joy Division were starting to take off, partly precipitated by his worsening epilepsy which was often triggered on stage. He had a particular stage presence with jerky, erratic movements and a fixed far away stare which made him a mesmerising performer at the same time as it was part of his illness.

My first picture is more recognisable and shows his characteristic stance.

These are my attempts at caricatures. I I don’t think anyone would recognise the drawings as Ian Curtis, he was not terribly well known anyway and the thing that made him so recognisable was his stage performance. I also don’t think I have captured a likeness with these drawings but I was aiming to capture some of the spirit and I felt that I had achieved that. Funnily enough, the drawing I liked best was my first attempt in pencil.