Striving for Perfection in Caricatures!
Caricature artist, Kapil Gaikwad, takes us into his world of caricatures inspired by cinema and tells us how to master it.
Please tell us about your journey as a caricature artist – how it all started and progressed to where you are now.
Face observation and portraits have always fascinated me and have been a key aspect of my art. I feel I am still learning and see caricatures as an extension of portraits. The process of perfecting my skills is an ongoing process that I thoroughly enjoy and love.
What's your style? How did you choose it and why?
I mostly go with a semi-realistic style along with rendering that defines shade/light and planes. That's how I see my work and my approach, in terms of my own unique style. This is what works for me best and I feel comfortable with it as well.
Which artists have inspired you most through your caricature journey?
I have always been open to good work and I always keep exploring national and international artists. I keep learning and observing it. One person who has always inspired me as an artist is my late elder brother, Rahul Gaikwad. His work, too, got published in the Creative GAGA magazine in 2012.
Which skills or techniques are the most important to master for caricature according to you?
I guess, all it needs is a good observation and a good face or head study. Once you have these skills, I feel, one can become a quality artist. The observation comes from paying attention to things and attending to every minute detail one can possibly recognise around oneself.
What's your forte in terms of the kind of projects you like to take up?
I usually prefer anything which involves storytelling, such as comics and caricature posters. Those are the projects I like to take up the most, even while I try my best to be open to whatever kinds of work come my way.
How do you choose your clients? Please tell us about some of your noteworthy clients.
Considering that I work as a full-time illustrator in an E-learning firm, I don't work for clients.
How do you manage your time and effort between different projects and personal projects?
I mostly work for the office during my day time. At night or at weekends, I work on my projects. This allows me the scope to showcase my work across both avenues and I am very glad for the opportunity.
How does your love for cinema reflect in your caricatures?
Being a cinema fanatic, I always give tribute to cinema or film characters as a token of my love for them. It also gives me a sense of contributing something to the cinema. Cinema is a medium that is truly loved by most of the masses. So it is for me and, thus, it is natural for my work to be inspired by it to a very large extent.
What's your advice to young artists starting out?
Keep caricaturing, keep observing and don't rush for perfection. It's all a step-by-step process that requires one to dedicate focused time and a steady approach. Hastening things might lead to not reaching your true potential and instead compromising on your skills and achievements.
