Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 19
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 19

Tutorial on the Serious Side of Funny Caricatures

They easily make us laugh, but caricature design is a tough form to master. Here, one has to feel the expression and manifest it through the use of colours and exaggerations. Keya Mahata dwells on these to bring characters to life. Below, she takes us through a demonstration for caricature design of Steven Tyler.
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 01
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 01

Step 1 

At first, various high resolution reference images of the subject are selected which are then arranged on a layer in Photoshop. A jpeg file of the reference is created as well.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 02
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 02

Step 2 

This is followed by using a white page Photoshop as a canvas. Then, using a 19 pt brush, started drawing. While drawing a caricature, it's important to retain the basic form and character of the Steven Tyler and simultaneously exaggerating what is necessary.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 03
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 03

Step 3 

This way, full drawing of the subject is completed. While doing so, focus on the expression and never deviate from it.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 04
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 04

Step 4 

The layer is then copied and coloured in. A de-saturated colour is used to make it soft.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 05
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 05

Step 5 

Once coloured in, the opacity of the brush is reduced and the colours are merged. The teeth are made yellow with some bits of grayish colour to resemble the real person.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 06
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 06

Step 6 

Once the facial colours are set, detailing of the face is carried out. This includes wrinkles of the eye to making his singing posture. One thing to take note of is the filling in of a darker shade in one side of the character's face in order to give it 3D feel.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 08
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 08

Step 7 

In this step, some off white colour on nose, tongue and check is also used to give a highlight.

Step 8 

Once, the colouring in of the face is completed, the body is started off with.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 09
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 09

Step 9 

For the body, once again a desaturated colour tone is used. It's important to maintain wrinkles to maintain his aged body.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 10
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 10

Step 10 

Once the body is finished, the focus is on the hair. Gentle brushes are used to soften this area. Various shades of browns and blondes are used to define volume and depth.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 11
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 11
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 11
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 11

Step 11

Dark brown and shade of gray is used for the dark part of the hair.

Step 12

This particular shade makes the hair appear soft and effortless.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 13
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 13
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 13
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 13
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 19
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 19

Step 13

After careful finish of the hair, additional detailing is carried out using a brush on shape dynamic mode. A brush on colour dodge mode is also used to add highlight.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 14
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 14
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 14
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 14

Step 14

Once hair is completed, a little bit of highlight is added on the whole figure.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 15
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 15

Step 15

After fully finishing hair and body, the background is coloured in with semi-violet. Some yellow is also added to establish lighting, giving the overall design a bright look. A large brush is used for this step.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 16
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 16

Step 16 

The lemon yellow colour is softened and then blended with the violet background.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 17
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 17

Step 17

A spotlight is then created using off white colour and a round brush.

Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 18
Serious Fun - Keya Mahata - Step 18

Step 18

Once the whole body, hair and background is finished, selected areas are infused with shadows using brushes on multiply mode.

Step 19 

Finally, the caricature design is finished with the addition of slight brushing and leveling.

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