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February 18, 2012
Why are people always spelling it charicatures? Beats me. But I guess I’ll have to roll with it. The tough thing is that, in creating a caricatures from photos business, I’ve opened the door to a world where I’m selling something that most people have trouble pronouncing, let alone spelling! So when someone gets in touch to order charicatures, do I get back to them saying yes, we can do caricatures from photos that you supply, or do I use their spelling to make them feel more comfortable? Hmm… I wouldn’t want to offend them J
Well I guess it’s not actually that important how you say it or how you spell it. At the end of the day, this is a photo to caricatures service that produces brilliant gifts for all sorts of occasions, whether you spell it charicatures or not. A more interesting question might be: How do you get from a photo to caricatures in the first place? Isn’t it difficult to paint a caricatures from photos of a person, without that person actually sitting for you? Now there’s an interesting question!
I guess the answer is that for caricatures from photos to be funny and accurate, you need the photos themselves to be really good. Not only as in high-resolution, clear and free of sunglasses or other obstructive things (you wouldn’t believe how many people ask me to apply their photo to caricatures when the photo shows a person wearing shades – I mean come on J) but true to the person. For caricatures from photos to be true to the subject, those photos need to be true to the subject too. So if they’re always laughing, provide a laughing photo. If they’re always chatting, get one of them mid-sentence. It’s our job to do caricatures from photos that are really spot on. You supply them, we’ll do the rest.
January 31, 2012
How are digital caricatures produced from caricature software different from professional caricatures painted by a human being? Well, in some respect, there’s not that much difference at all! After all when an artist looks at a face, she picks out all the details as a whole, and one by one. A professional caricature is the result of careful analysis and synthesis of details – it depends as much on a quick brushstroke summing up the shape of a head in a an instant, as it does on the fine tuning of minute details.
Similarly, the facial recognition programs that produce custom vector caricatures look at the bigger picture and at the smaller picture. The caricature software will pick out the face’s outline, identify the head type, and assign the appropriate polygons and algorythms which correspond to that type. Then, the caricature software goes in for the detail: defining the outline of the nose, the width of the eyes, the thickness of the lips, the ears, the angle of the mouth… In exactly the same way as a artist does when she paints professional caricatures.
However, as you might expect, there are key differences. One is purely functional: When working on professional caricatures from photos, artists can gather an impression of a multitude of photos in order to distill the perfect caricature “summary” of that person. But hang on, who am I to say that caricature software can’t also do that – after all, it’s not my line of business! But it seems to me me that custom vector caricatures can’t help but be the result of a narrow process. The bigger picture of producing professional caricatures means not just seeing the face outline – it means seeing the full personality, the particular sparkle that a person exudes. That might seem a bit airy-fairy, but it’s true. Custom vector caricatures just can’t quite add that touch of personality – the best they can do is preserve it – whereas professional caricatures should gather all the elements of someone’s personality from a range of photos.
January 27, 2012
So last month, the director of a company with which I used to share an office came up to me and asked if we did custom vector caricatures. What? Us? The hand-made caricature company par excellence? Of course not – we make professional caricatures in the traditional way, I thought. None of this new-fangled stuff. Then I thought again. If sporting art websites create a superhero caricature on demand, then surely I can be just as flexible? “We’ll give it a go!” I said, and so we set about doing our first ever batch of custom vector caricatures.
The aim was to depict a company team as simple vector characters. And the technique: To start with a straight draft, as usual. Then, to simplify the draft and scan it. And finally, we would draw custom vector caricatures on top of the draft scan, on Illustrator. And Bob’s your uncle!
Of course, I’m pretty good on Photoshop but when it comes to Illustrator I know nothing. Thankfully one of our cartoonists, Vincent Bouriot, is King of custom vector caricatures. Vector Vince, as he’s now known in the company. He’s the one guy I know who can produce professional caricatures in a digital format that are ultra simple, but completely uncanny. Like he can distill the likeness of a person into a few vector lines, in the same way that websites create a superhero caricature from nothing but a name, a photo and a chosen colour.
Professional caricatures in a vector format are actually pretty rare. On one hand you have the masters who usually work in a hand-made medium, and on the other you have not people but programs: digital processing systems that turn photos into custom vector caricatures. But these can be a fine art too. Julian Opie, for instance, will distil a look into a couple of black dots, showing that custom vector caricatures are as valid an art form as any other.
January 24, 2012
Most of the time, people want the best possible thing, at the cheapest possible price, and as quick as possible… So when they’re looking for caricatures, custom vector caricatures, according to this principle, would be the best choice. A number of websites create a superhero caricature, or design team caricatures for t-shirts, or deliver whatever cartoon caricature related product you want, digitally, and within very little time. So why bother pushing the boat out and spending more for a hand-made caricature?
Well, ideally I’d get one of our happy customers to give you a call and tell you why. After all, I’m obviously going to tell you that what we do is brilliant, but if you got it from the horse’s mouth… then you’d realise why a hand-made cartoon caricature was so much more valuable than a digital product.
Of course, it really depends what you’re after. Sometimes you don’t have the budget to invest, or the cartoon caricature isn’t for a particularly special occasion, in which case it’s far better to go after custom vector caricatures automatically generated from photo material.
But sometimes that’s not the case. If you want to make an impression with a loved one, or if you want an image that represents your company… You’ll be looking for a higher level of creative investment in your cartoon caricature.
Websites create a superhero caricature for a kid if that’s what he’s looking for – similarly, websites that produce artwork for companies who want to represent their staff in the best light, will produce a hand-made cartoon caricature if that’s the desired style. Because even if all that’s required is a digital product, custom vector caricatures somehow don’t fully convey personality. You have to involve the human touch, go back to basics, and then digitalise the cartoon caricature to make it website-friendly.
December 22, 2010
Finding the right gift for friends or family is usually very easy at first. But as time goes on it can be very easy to find yourself running out of ideas, or simply just getting into a rut, buying them similar things year in, year out.
So, if you want to get something a little bit different this year, there are two things to think about: do your research and get personal.
The first, research, which is easy enough. If you know their hobbies or interests, it’s time to start thinking outside the box when it comes to getting a present. Searching the internet for the chosen interest can throw up things that neither you nor they might have even known existed.
One of the other great ways to do something different is to get something that is extremely personal. Something quirky that bears their name or a picture of them is a great way to show that you have gone that extra mile and not just plumped for something generic or ordinary.
One such item that is growing in popularity as a present is cartoon caricatures. Caricatures are a fun way to say something very personal, and whilst they may be associated with holidays and a man with a funny hat sitting by an easel, buying cartoon caricatures that involve their interests or a special occasion will be much more special than those acquired by the beach by a man who has spent two minutes on them.
Whether it is a birthday present or something to commemorate an anniversary, caricatures are not only something extremely unique but by personalising them even more with and using a great artist, you can ensure you get in things that really mean something to the recipient, meaning they are not only fun, but truly special.
December 12, 2010
Caricatures are all too often associated with a man near a beach who will draw you with your hair full of salt and your freshly pinked skin as a focus of the piece. Yet despite the fact people know that they are going to be drawn at a time when they are probably not looking their best does very little to dissuade people from buying them.
The simple reason for their popularity is that they are quirky and fun, and a great way to remember something special such as a great holiday. However, very few people are going to want to frame a picture of themselves dressed in only a bikini with sunglasses, tan lines and hair that is not so much demur as drowned.
So how can one go about getting great personalised caricatures to remind themselves of special occasions that they will want to show off to the world?
Well, caricatures don’t have to be reserved for the moment you have just got off a donkey. There are plenty of online artists who offer personalised caricatures based on your own unique photos that will give you a fun and interesting way to remember any special events from weddings to particular achievements. And rather than a swimming costume and a whole load of fake muscles languishing on a surfboard despite the fact you have never surfed in your life, the end result will not only be much more realistic, but also much more personal to you or the lucky recipient.
Whether you are looking for a unique present that has the most personal of touches possible or whether you simply want something more interesting to adorn your walls, creating your own cartoon of your life or the life of your loved one is a great way to do it.
November 20, 2010
The Danish Foreign Minister has made an attempt to defuse some of the tension that was caused by caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed which offended many Muslims.
After meeting with a top Egyptian cleric, the Foreign Minister said she had found the cartoon caricatures “very regrettable.”
Lene Espersen was speaking after a book was published with caricatures denoting Mohammed under the heading, ‘The Tyranny of Silence.’
These caricature cartoons were published five years ago in the Jyllands-Postens newspaper which led to rioting and massive demonstrations in a number of Muslim countries. It also led to the death of a number of people in Nigeria in 2006.
Although the book has not printed copies of the pictures individually, it does show the front page of the newspaper in which the pictures had appeared.
Speaking at a press conference in Cairo, Ms Expersen stated that she recognised the pain felt by many Muslims when the pictures were published five years ago.
She said: “I would just like to make it clear that this was something we found very regrettable and didn’t wish to see it repeated. The Danish government respects all religious creeds and communities and condemns any attempt to demonise groups of people on the basis of religion or their ethnic background.”
The pictures sparked a lot of controversy and outrage when they were initially published as they depicted the Prophet Mohammed with a lit bomb in his turban.
A violent response ensued and an Iraqi Kurd was arrested in Norway as part of a plan to commit an attack on the Jyllands-Posten newspaper headquarters.
Dia Rashwan, from the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies has claimed that the actions of the Danish Foreign Minister would, “play a large role in calming tensions.”
November 10, 2010
Cartoon caricatures of the most powerful world leaders are set to go on display at the G20 Summit in Seoul next month.
Drawn by caricatures enthusiast and artist, Cho Won-haeng, the cartoon caricatures will express the leaders’ facial characteristics and personalities.
The artist and professor at Mokwon University spent over three months studying his subjects’ interests, quirks and facial characteristics before completing the original cartoon caricatures.
The G20 Summit itself is due to take place over a period of dates in Seoul. The first leg will run between 23 October and 2 November, while the second chapter will take place between 3 and 4 November. The final leg of the Summit will take place between 5 and 12 November.
Now, the organisers of the exhibition to show the cartoons are hoping to display them at the very same location as the Summit, the COEX hall in Samseong-dong.
Among those immortalised in cartoon form are David Cameron riding on a horse and Barrack Obama indulging in a bit of golf.
Organised by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON) in collaboration with the Ministry for Culture, Sports and Tourism, it is hoped that the drawings will appeal to a large audience on a global scale.
Speaking to newspaper Chosun, a spokesperson for KOMACON claims that the chief aim of presenting the exhibition is to lighten the mood of the G20 Summit by, “bringing out the humorous and likeable sides of the leaders. “
The G20 was established in 1999 and brings together the world’s leading finance ministers and central bank governors from nineteen countries including the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. The Summit meeting is generally intended to discuss key issues affecting the world’s economy.
The G20 Summit also aims to encourage constructive discussion on an economic scale between the world’s leading economies and the new, emerging market countries
October 27, 2010
With a history as long as that of caricature, it’s perhaps surprising that the art form has digressed very little from its most amiably satirical standpoint. Caricatures have long been an acceptable, cheeky form of something like an insult, only softer around the edges.
Personalised caricatures have served their respective sides well in terms of politics since First World War. Artists were afforded the scope to display unspeakable acts and heinous personality traits in a tolerable visual form. Similarly to mainstream children’s cartoons of today, where human blood and slaughter are forbidden and thusly substituted with armies of savaged monsters or massacred robots, the versatile art of caricatures granted wonderfully sneaky artistic licence to publically mock political or prominent figures, showing a level of brutality and scorn that would perhaps, in any other medium, have been unacceptable. Modern caricature continues to grace the pages of every newspaper and magazine, humorously demonstrating the failings and follies of our peers in its uniquely palatable form.
Contemporary personalised caricature has become somewhat of a tourist attraction in locales like Covent Garden in London, and on the mainland European streets in the likes of Paris, Barcelona and Rome. In these terms, caricature is no more or less than a gentle bespoke spoof. The place of caricature in contemporary street art and performance is undisputed and remains largely unchanged. Of course being able to see the funny side of a particularly biting personalised caricature is certainly necessary before engaging the services of many street caricature artists.
In a world filled with impersonal luxury and uniformity, personalised gifts mark a gesture of authenticity so often lacking in gift giving. It’s perhaps this hunt for “the personal touch” that’s currently boosting the trade of caricature artists. Unique and witty, in all likelihood the art of caricature will continue its life narrations for many satirically endowed years to come.
October 6, 2010
Graffiti, street artist caricatures, impromptu performances – public attitude concerning these formerly frowned-upon arts has certainly shifted in the last decade. Art in the public eye has always been, and will always be, a fantastically changeable monster. Impossible to control or accurately predict, the authentic, organic evolution of street art has produced some of contemporary art’s finest moments.
Graffiti
It’s not all about Banksy anymore, but love him or hate him, his work opened the eyes and minds of the mainstream public as to how fantastic and creative graffiti can be.
Artists like Banksy have upped the ante, encouraging fresh talents and a higher level of skill that often borders closer to illusionist than artist.
Occasionally in danger of becoming a caricature of itself, contemporary graffiti has taken its first tentative steps into the world of mainstream advertising. Generally termed “Guerrilla Advertising”, the premise can range from simple legal painting sponsored by a big brand, to mysterious movements created for the sole purpose of encouraging word of mouth advertising. This is perhaps the most difficult to nail since the most common purpose of graffiti is to question the mainstream.
Interactive Art
Generally existing to encourage the public to be more than a viewer – a participant who questions, who is involved in the world.
Interactive street art-like caricatures are nothing new, but with a surge of brilliant new artists on the scene capturing the everyday public in their caricature portraits as they wander the streets, the scene is certainly bright.
Performance
Performance art has been making an interesting leap of late back to its satirical roots. Short, impromptu plays questioning everything from social ethics to politics have become the voice of a generation. Educational groups and facilities are finding such platforms fantastic in terms of nurturing creativity and social pride in students.
In the end – in terms of art – everything everywhere is a canvas eventually.
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