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Drawing Caricatures

with Loopydave
4.9 (281)
Join Loopydave in this fun, entertaining course, as he teaches you how to create awesome caricatures!
English, Spanish, 4 more French, German, Portuguese, Italian English, Spanish, 6 more French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese [Auto], B. Indonesia [Auto]
1+
hours
8
lessons
Intermediate
level
Loopydave

Your Instructor

Loopydave is an Australian-based illustrator and peanut butter addict whose work has appeared on DVD boxsets, comics, festival posters, books and children’s magazines.

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1+
hours
8
lessons
Intermediate
level
English, Spanish , 4 more
Languages
  • French
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Italian
English, Spanish , 6 more
Subtitles
  • French
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Italian
  • Japanese [Auto]
  • B. Indonesia [Auto]

What you’ll learn

  • How to create your own caricatures of loved ones and famous people
  • Learn how to identify & exaggerate prominent facial features and understand how faces differ from one another
  • Understand what to look for in a reference photo and how to mix and match several references
  • Discover two handy methods for finding the weight in a face and how to spot asymmetry
  • Explore ways to divide a face into simple shapes and lines for easy drawing
  • Learn the 'idealized' measurements of a standard face
  • How to draw with a clear intention to help you progress faster
  • Tried and proven methods for successful exaggeration
  • Learn how to create your own caricature
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Description

With Loopydave’s light-hearted and fun style of teaching, you’ll be so entertained that you’ll probably even forget you’re learning!

Caricaturing combines the skills of understanding the uniqueness of a face and exaggerating it in a way that enhances the likeness (rather than detracting from it). But where do you start, which features do you emphasize, how do you exaggerate them … AND (burning question) what are the differences between Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe??

Drawing caricatures is less about a ‘right or wrong’ approach and more about finding a strong solution. In this course, you’ll learn all of Loopydave’s tips and tricks, as well as his techniques & visual guides to help you achieve that ‘strong solution’ for your own caricatures.

He breaks down his process into simple, clear, ‘snack-size’ steps that you can easily follow, from using basic shapes, to deciding which features to emphasize, to identifying facial asymmetry and weight.

Even if the thought of drawing caricatures has never crossed your mind, you’re guaranteed to have a blast discovering the ins and outs of this cool skill, and be itching to give it a try yourself! 😉

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Who is this course for

  • Artists wanting to learn how to draw caricatures and exaggerate facial features
  • Those wanting to understand faces better and create convincing likenesses
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This course includes

  • 1+ Hours of on-demand videos
  • 7 Assignments (PDF)
  • Certificate of Completion
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Used in course

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What you'll need

  • Just a paper/sketchbook and a pencil
  • Some drawing experience recommended
  • A good grasp of sketching
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Lesson Plan

with Loopydave
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00

About the Course

02:35

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G’day from Australia! Find out a bit about your instructor, Loopydave, best known for creating illustrations full of humor and character and also, his love for painting crocs.

He’ll give you a quick overview of what you can expect in this exciting and engaging course. Prepare to be intrigued!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

01

What is a Caricature?

07:22

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Jumping right in, Loopydave shows you (with lots of fun visuals) how our brains can tell thousands of individuals apart from each other. He talks about different ways to exaggerate a face and how to decide what to emphasize.

Additionally, you’ll learn why asking the right questions is key to improving your artwork and which ones are the most helpful to ask!

Plus, you’ll discover random nuggets of interest, like the sharpness of Mads Mikkelson’s cheekbones!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

02

References

10:10

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Welcome to another snack-size session! Here, you’ll learn all about using photo references for your caricatures, why using several photos is helpful, what to look for in a reference and how to mix and match for best results.

See a cool example of the actress, Cameron Diaz!

Loopydave shares his methods for doing so and other interesting insights, such as how to find good references and the fact that thumbs don’t have eyes.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

03

Asking the Right Questions

14:49

Before you start to exaggerate a face, you have to first identify its features.

In this lesson, you’ll discover some good questions to ask yourself that will help you to do just that, along with learning the general ‘idealized’ measurements of a standard face. Knowing this will help you be aware of the differences in shape and features which make a face unique.

Loopydave will then walk you through a cool demonstration and help you create a list of noteworthy features. You’ll find out more about the guidelines he uses, ways to exaggerate them, how to create a list of facial features, and Harrison Ford’s nose!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

04

Where is the Weight?

14:33

The base of a good caricature is the head shape, which dictates weight distribution and how the features are placed. But how does one go about building it? You’ll find out how in this lesson!

Loopydave discusses the shapes he uses for all the faces he draws. He also provides you with useful questions to help guide you and shows you exactly how he uses them to design a face.

You’ll learn two fun ways to figure out the weight of a face: the two-way and three-way split, and see LOTS of amusing examples of each. You’ll also discover other interesting tidbits like why Hugh Jackman is a triple threat.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

05

Shapes and Points

15:35

Have fun with sticking points on some faces today! … Sounds painful!

Breaking down a face into shapes makes it easier to construct and play around with. This lesson gets more practical, dealing with different approaches to doing just that, including using single or separate shapes, beats, tangents and … dramatic music while painting retro monsters!

Follow along with Loopydave as he demonstrates all these methods by creating lots of fun caricatures. You’ll also discover handy tips to make the process easier, such as drawing the center and eye line.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

06

Features

16:54

In this lesson, Loopydave will teach you his methods for carciaturing the main facial features: eyes, noses and mouths. You’ll get a peek into the mind of a caricature artist, learning not just his process, but understanding WHY he makes certain design choices and what to consider when drawing facial features.

He carefully explains what to look for, the shapes that make up each feature, how to exaggerate them effectively and how they change with age. You’ll discover the differences in eyes, noses and mouths between people. With this essential knowledge, you can now replicate these steps in your own portrait drawing.

Loopydave also shares some nifty tricks and useful advice, like how to avoid the various ‘bad tangents’ and the differences in lip shape between Jack Black and Robin Williams.

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

07

Putting it Together

16:22

Congratulations on getting to the final lesson in this course!

So far you’ve learned lots of cool stuff and new skills (plus bonus trivia, like how Abe Lincoln likes massive chairs).

Now the fun part: You’ll get to put all that knowledge into practice and create a caricature of your own—from start to finish!

Draw alongside Loopydave and discover his exact thought process for designing a caricature. His subject of choice is Jason Momoa, of Game of Thrones fame, but you can choose whomever you wish. Have fun!

INCLUDED:

   1 Assignment

Student Feedback

281 customer reviews & ratings

4.9

Course rating

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5 star
94 %
4 star
7 %
3 star
1 %
2 star
0 %
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Best Suited for
Intermediate
The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

(Based on 281 reviews)

Most Liked
Clarity of Instruction 235
Engaging Teacher 229
Helpful Examples 228
Showing 10 reviews of
281
reviews & ratings
Paul S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Dave has outdone himself again! His process, methods and artwork will captivate and inspire. Throw in Dave's twisted sense of humour and learning becomes a lot of fun. Thank you! I totally enjoyed this course, highly recommended!
I recommend it for Intermediate
5 people found this helpful
M
Maryanna

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Actually it was not just amazing for caricature learning but also for drawing portrait he brick it down to the easiest way possible. thank you
I recommend it for All levels
3 people found this helpful
RP
Ron P.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Well organized lessons and the instructor keeps you wanting more. I think because the teacher is an experienced professional he knows his craft well and doesn't stumble when trying to explain things like some other teachers.
I recommend it for Intermediate
2 people found this helpful
TW
Tony W.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Excellent starter to caricature. Loopy Dave has a great sense of humour and makes learning easy
I recommend it for Intermediate
1 person found this helpful
VS
Vanessa S.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This was fun and informative. While Loopy Dave is lighthearted in his approach, his information and examples are wonderfully engaging and easy to remember. Definitely 5 stars!
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
JD
John D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Love Dave’s engaging method of presentation and even more so his ability to explain his hard-earned abilities in a way that clearly present a roadmap to success in an art form I have long admired and never dared - until now - to try for myself. Thank you Dave - you’re a star!
I recommend it for Intermediate
1 person found this helpful
QMx 2.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Very well structured and instructional. A must see for everyone.
I recommend it for All levels
1 person found this helpful
SL
Shruthi L.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Great lessons. Thank you!
I recommend it for Intermediate
1 person found this helpful
RD
Rick D.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
Dave took a topic that is not typically 'in my wheelhouse' and made it so approachable that it will change forever how I draw my characters and hopefully I'll even do more caricatures. Great course segments and his style is BOTH humorous and highly instructional. His deconstruction of good caricatur
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e components is an exceptional aspect of this particular course.
I recommend it for Intermediate
1 person found this helpful
VT
Vladimir T.

2 years ago

Verified Purchase
This course is fantastic! In fact it is so good that I purchased it twice….just kidding! On a serious note: the best online course for a character design period! I love everything about this course, the way Dave presents it, clarity, material and value for the money, here, I said it again. I followe
+ Show more
d it and you want to see some examples, please check my Instagram: vocally_rn
I recommend it for Intermediate
2 people found this helpful
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About the Instructor

Loopydave
Freelance Illustrator 2 courses

Loopydave is an Australian-based illustrator whose work has appeared on DVD boxsets, advertising, comics, character design, festival posters, books, children’s magazines, but most important as he says: “When I was much younger, on my mother’s fridge door.”


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