Expand Your Horizons

Expanding Your Caricature Horizons

Author	Robert Lafontaine
Translator	Ferg Gadzala
Genre	Article, Improvement
Published	EF Issue 2019.3
Publication date	Summer 2019
Media type	Digital
Pages	22-24
Website	caricature.org

This article appeared in Exaggerated Features issue 2019.3 on pages 22-24.

Article Transcript

As a caricature artist it’s fun to innovate and get out of our comfort zone, exploring various alternatives to expand our profession. Personally, when I draw live caricatures, I have a hard time changing my formula and even if I come up with new tools to use, new ways to draw and trying different types of materials and paper, I generally return to my standard, tried-and-true method that works well and has proven itself.

This is the main reason why I love to do other artistic exercises such as the ones cited in the list below. Since I don’t do these activities on a regular basis, they oblige me to put the creative part of my brain into action instead of being on cruise control. Fortunately, my main income comes from caricature gigs and leaves me time to explore other fields.

These other creative outlets don’t put as much bread on my table as my main income, which comes from caricature gigs but, on the other hand, it’s stimulating.

What follows are the various art activities I do to achieve this.

Watercolor

Painting in watercolor really needs all my concentration because this technique requires that the artist knows where he is going. In this era of computer coloring I consider it an advantage using the good old technique of brush and pigments.

• 

Folding papers to create masks

Origami, a science in itself, is often studied by students in mathematics. I stick to the basic principles as I enjoy folding curves and creating forms.

• 

Pop-ups and mechanical cards

Just love to do them. Some pop-up books use mechanisms requiring ingenious solutions and craftsmanship to build. It takes art out of the static realm of one of motion.

Cartoons

Drawing a full page of a comic strip is a long process. I have self-published a few books and even if they barely cover the cost of printing once all of them are sold, they remain one of my favorite activities. I view them as a worthy business card when I meet editors and other artists and, most of all, I can attend comic festivals with my books instead of simply being an anonymous visitor.

• 

Writing

I just love to write. For me this means sharing knowledge and meeting and interviewing artists for art magazines, so that I consider writing as part of my career (link)

• 

Workshops and team building

Giving workshops for children and adults is a part of my life, too. Team building activities, having many individuals create a large painting as a group, are very popular in Canada. Since this is done for big corporations, one can derive a good income doing so and grow the client base for caricatures.

• 

Carving

Once in a while I also accept commissions to carve signs, as long as they are reminiscent of a cartoon style.

• 

Face painting

When you’re an illustrator you can really have fun doing face painting because you understand light, shapes and form, and can easily break out of the traditional butterfly-type symmetry commonly done on faces.

• 

Festival organizer

A few friends and I created a well-known yearly event called Le Festival 1001 Visages. This has allowed me to make contact with people other than artists and meeting with sponsors, politicians, and business people is a plus in an artistic career because they have skills and contacts that we don’t.

• 

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say that being versatile has helped me to expand and enjoy the profession I’ve chosen.

Festival 1001 Visages de la caricature

The Festival 1001 Visages de la caricature will be held from the 3rd to the 6th of October 2019 in Val-David, Québec, Canada. Our guest of honor will be Yves Demers, an ISCA member that keeps on innovating in the field of caricature.

This year, Yves has drawn many Val-David commercial buildings in a caricature style. We hope this will make small businesses and local merchants eager to know more about us and want to become partners of our festival.

• 

Navigation Box

This Navigation box may not show up on mobile browsers. Please see Exaggerated Features Issue 2019.3 for the full contents of this issue if the navigation box does not display.