On Caricature, Art and Life with Jean-Marc Borot

Article Transcript

Jean-Marc Borot is a caricature artist from Clermont- Ferrand in Auvergne, France. He took time out of his schedule to talk to the members of ISCA, and share with us his philosophies on art, caricature and life. He has been featured in six books, and is currently working on two caricature books that will be published later this year. Jean-Marc is truly a student of life, and it shows in how he strives to find balance between his art, his friends and his family. When we contacted Jean-Marc, he had just returned home from a meeting with his daughter’s teacher. He was in great spirits, and excited to share with us!

Jean-Marc, who has inspired you in caricature?
I love many different styles of caricature. Good caricatures are what inspire me, who ever created them. I admire individual pieces of art more than I admire artists. All artists can hold my interest. If I had to name just a few, I am inspired by artists Sebastian Kruger, Julio Ibarra, Jason Seiler, Russ Cook, Mario Alberto from Brazil, and of course, Jan Op DeBeeck and Jean Mulatier, along with many others.

How did you first get involved in caricature?
My grandpa died two months ago, and when I was going through some of the things in his attic, I found some books, from when I was five or six years old, that had caricatures in them. I was not really interested in “art” at this time—only cartoons and comic books, although I did like to draw a lot. I literally had not seen these books in 35 years! Stumbling upon these treasures in my grandpa’s attic reminded me of where I first admired this art form. I attended an art school from the ages of 17-23 where I studied mainly contemporary art. A teacher approached me and five other students to ask us if we would be interested in drawing caricatures for a large corporation for nine days. I had never drawn caricatures live. This was my first experience. I was not trying to become a live caricature artist. But, over the years, people continued to contact me and I would do gigs on the side. I did not feel called to do caricature. I stumbled upon it. I never thought that I would make it a career.

It was not until I had trouble with my day job, in 2004, that I decided to start doing caricatures for a living and began doing my first ever studio pieces. I thought to myself, “Wow! Why didn’t I do this before? Why didn’t I start this sooner?” I never took lessons in caricature. But, I did ask for advice from Jan Op DeBeeck once, and the advice he gave me was, “Draw! Draw! Draw!”

Did you take Jan’s advice and “draw, draw, draw”?
Yes, I did take his advice to draw a lot, because everything about caricature and many other forms of art begin with drawing. When I create studio work my favorite tool to use is a pencil. If I decide to draw in blue pencil, I use two different blue pencils-- a Prismacolor from the U.S. and a darker one by Staedler that is normally used for drafting. I have been drawing frequently the last three months working on my books. Art is a job that can take all of your time. So, I set a time to work and then time for my family when my daughter gets off school. To be honest, if I had a choice, I would not draw as much as I do now. I would spend more time travelling and with my family. I have made a conscious effort to spend a little less time this year drawing and more time with my family.

How do you come up with the concepts for your pieces?
It depends on if I come up with the concept myself, or if a co-author of the books I’m working on tells me what he wants. The point between the concept and the exaggeration is the point where I make the difference. This is the part that always belongs to me… the idea of the person before I start to draw. The most important thing is to have a good feeling of the person. You are trying to figure out the truth. If you were to look at someone you knew well, like a parent or a spouse, from 100 yards away, you would recognize who you were looking at, even from afar. You would know them, somehow. Why is this? THIS is what you are capturing in caricature—the real nature of the person. It can be extra-challenging when you are drawing someone who is playing a caricature in a movie because now not only do you need to capture the nature of the role they are playing, but also the person they are outside the acting. I always start with 5-10 pictures of the person. There is usually an idea in my head of how I see this person, and I try to find a picture that will fit my idea of what I think the person looks like. I will then usually build my caricature using the five or so pictures to capture the idea in the head. You need the multiple pictures, to see the truth. You see, sometimes a photograph will lie to you. I am trying to figure out what the truth is. You have to discover the truth.

What makes a successful caricature, in your eyes?
Perhaps simply the fact that people like it. And when I say people, I don’t mean caricature artists, but “real” people. Sometimes, they may not know the subject drawn; but, if they don’t recognize, for example, Barack Obama in a caricature, it means that there is a big problem in the piece.

Only likeness is not enough. To achieve at caricature, there needs to be exaggeration and sometimes distortions, and humor is a plus. Humor depends on the circumstance and can also depend on the country. When I do a caricature for the my own pleasure, I’m free to make really humorous things, even bad jokes, and big exaggerations. But I’m not always “alone.” I’m not always the only one involved in a project, and some times I have customers to consider.

One of my favorite things about being an artist is the simple fact, that I get to do, something I like for living.

Do you feel that caricature is an important art form?
Important to the world? Maybe not. Important to me? Yes. Caricature has been around for a long time. If you consider there are drawings from thousands of years ago that could be considered caricature, and humorous, it means that it was important in some people’s lives. Is art important? Maybe not every day, all the time. I know I need to eat. I know I need to sleep. I don’t know if I need to draw. I am not sure if its something we need in our lives to live. There are a lot of people who live their lives without caricature in it. Art and caricature are important to me and in my life. But, to everyone else… to the world? Maybe not.

The most important thing is to take time with the people you love and to take care of yourself. Find balance. If you do not take the time with the people you love, your friends, your family—you will not be good at your job. You need to feel good, to be good at what you do.

You said once, in regards to art, that each person has to “find their own kitchen”. What did you mean by this statement?
This is a very important thought. Following the way of a teacher is okay, but by doing this, one is not creating their own art, but walking inside the “footprint” of their master. As an artist, you need to find your own way, to find your “recipes in your kitchen.”

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To learn more about Jean-Marc Borot or purchase a copy of his book “Famous Faces”, please visit:
Jean-Marc’s virtual sketchbook: www.leboblogaboro.blogspot.com
Jean-Marc Borot is also on Facebook.
Jean-Marc’s books:
L’équipe de rêve –rugby » (ed. Drugstore, 2011)
L’équipe de rêve – football » (ed. Vents d’Ouest, 2012) (soccer…)
“Légendes du cyclisme” (ed. Vents d’Ouest, 2012)
Wanted ! » (editons Valentine , 2012)
Légendes du tennis » (ed. Vents d’Ouest, 2013)
Légendes du sport auto

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