I collected some caricatures to try to understand how the artists work and what caricatures have in common.
In all the cases above, the people are instantly recognisable even though their faces are distorted.
We all have some features that are more prominent and caricatures consist in capturing these features and exaggerating them. Sometimes we are not even aware of certain aspects when we look at someone, and yet, when we see the caricature, we instantly recognise what the illustrator did. It can be exaggerating the size of the ears, nose or eyebrows for instance. In the examples above, the ears are often accentuated (e.g. Tony Blair, King Charles or Jeremy Hunt). The structure of the face is also exaggerated: it can be longer, wider with bigger cheekbones (e.g. Joe Biden).
The change of proportions between different parts of the face create a comic effect. In the caricature of Joe Biden, the upper part of the face is tiny compared with the lower part. I found the caricature of Salvador Dali interesting as the part between the nose and the mouth takes about half of the height of the face.
We can see that these caricatures also emphasise the silhouettes whether the characters are tall, slim, overweight, have muscles or are older.
Accessories are also a good way to make sure that we recognise someone. Serena Williams holds a racket and Daniel Craig a gun as a reference to James Bond.
These accessories can be used to express an opinion about the person or their actions. The red suitcase held by Jeremy Hunt has been turned into an axe to illustrate the budget cuts.
Anything that is specific to a person is very valuable for a caricaturist. Boris Johnson’s hair is a good example.
Some of these caricatures are meant to express the opinion of the artist. The first three are just emphasising the features of Daniel Craig, Serena Williams and Salvador Dali for comic effect but they do not imply a criticism of the people or their look.
On the other hand, others are more political. This is particularly true of the caricature of Tony Blair and George Bush. Tony Blair’s entire pose (hands, tongue) indicates that he is subservient to George Bush. Matt Hancock is represented with his feet on the desk to denote a certain arrogance and this is confirmed by the dialogue.
Although the caricature of Joe Biden is not so critical, his smile could be a reference to the fact that, as a politician, he is trying to seduce his audience.
All these caricatures are particularly successful both because we recognise the people immediately but also because they are not just portraits. They have emphasised the particularities of the characters they chose to illustrate.
Other Sources:
http://www.topteny.com/top-10-best-caricaturists-world/
https://webneel.com/32-best-and-funny-celebrity-caricatures-your-inspiration
Catherine Roux Degree in Illustration 