A caricaturist is a portrait artist who creates portraits of people with grossly distorted features but still recognizable subjects. A caricaturist can work in a variety of settings, including sidewalk street fairs and editorial departments of magazines. To work as a caricaturist, an artist must be able to work quickly, as well as have strong illustration skills and the ability to develop accurate likenesses. Some people enter this field with no prior education, while others pursue degrees in art, illustration, and related fields to further their education.
When a caricaturist is given a subject to draw, he or she examines it for unusual features or features that deviate from the norm in order to find features to exaggerate in the final drawing. The caricaturist might also try to learn something about the subject so that recognizable symbols can be included in the portrait. A banker with small lips and large ears, for example, might be caricatured with monstrous ears, tiny lips, a monocle, and a top hat in an illustration.
Political cartoonists are caricaturists who turn current events into illustrations that can be used to provide information or commentary. Political cartoonists want their subjects to be recognizable to readers, but they also want to play with how they are presented; the goal is not accuracy, but clear lampooning that everyone can understand. In this field, working as a caricaturist necessitates a high level of political awareness.
Caricaturists can also rent out their services at events. A caricaturist may be present at weddings, parties, conferences, and other events to draw quick portraits as mementos or ice breakers. Working at an event can be interesting for an artist because it exposes the artist to a wide range of people and facial variations. A caricaturist can also work as a sidewalk artist, drawing quick caricatures of people on the street for a small fee.
Despite the sometimes childish appearance of caricatures, this type of work necessitates a high level of artistic skill. It also necessitates a high level of patience as well as the ability to draw large amounts of work. In a single day, a caricaturist at a wedding, for example, may create dozens of caricatures, each of which must be unique, engaging, and interesting.