Nick Fury Caricature by Dominque Chavira
Samuel L. Jackson! Who else do you enjoy watching while they shout at somebody? Dominque has made a fantastic caricature where the focus is really on Nick Fury’s giant, megamind-style head, and his awful, that’s-okay-we-don’t-need-a-closer-look eye scar. By the way, anybody remember when Nick Fury was Sgt. Fury, leader of the Howling Commandos, fightin’ Nazis during world war 2? And he looked like this?
Jack Nicholson Caricature by Jessica Thompson
Jack Nicholson has one of those faces that caricature artists love. There are a lot of hooks… that big smile, the widow’s peak, the high arched eyebrows, the small eyes. Here we have a focus I haven’t seen before: Jack Nicholson’s teeth, looking as orderly as the teeth on a comb, but far more frightening. Sometimes teeth are hard to get right, but Jessica pulls a neat trick here, clearly defining the tops and bottoms of each tooth, but leaving the middles blank to create a unified shape. The dark outline of the mouth further pulls in focus. In Jack Nicholson’s long career, he’s had his pick of fun, interesting roles, and he’s played them to the hilt. Terrifying as bad guys, loveable as bad guys turned good, and funny as grumpy men, he’s often the most interesting thing on the screen. Seems like Jessica loves him best as the…
Black Widow by Dominique Chavira
The Black Widow! Powers: none. Yet, there she is, fighting gods, monsters, and robots by doing backflips and being sexy. I like that in this caricature by Dominique she’s just waving.
Loki by Jessica Thompson
Tom Hiddleston brings his acting chops and his forehead (in a separate suitcase? How does he fit that thing through the doorway?) to his role as Loki in The Avengers and Thor movies. Loki is an odd villian. I’ve never been sure what his powers are, exactly. He can shapeshift, right? Shouldn’t he be doing that, like, all the time? And then, what, make zombies with a staff he stole? And just be generally clever and devious? I don’t know, even Dwight Yoakum in Sling Blade just seems like a scarier character than this guy, and his only superpower is alcoholism and anger.
Tony Stark by Celeste Cordova
That face! Those eyelashes! There’s this ongoing tension at the caricature stand. Should we display samples that perfectly represent what we can do in a few minutes, which is how much time we have to draw guests? Or should we display samples that show what we can really do when we take our time? This caricature is a great example of something that takes a lot of time… but it’s so pretty we just want to display it anyway. Robert Downey Jr… we know he can play many different roles, but after being Tony Stark in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, The Avengers, and The Avengers 2, it might be hard for me to accept him as something new. For a good time, watch Tropic Thunder with someone who does not know that Robert Downey Jr. is in the movie. See how long it takes for them…
Captain America by Mike Warden
At our Stratosphere stand, we made the entire wall of samples Avengers themed for about a month. Thanks, Jessica, for making that happen. Mike contributed this swell Captain America, and I swear I looked at this thing for weeks before I ever noticed the fully amazing gag. It’s just so subtle. When you finally notice what he’s throwing his shield at, you get it. Chris Evans did a fantastic job being Captain America,after being the Human Torch in the unremarkable Fantastic Four movies. I didn’t recognize him from one franchise to the next. He also had prominent roles in The Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. Comic book movie makers love this guy! A little Wikipediaing turned up this gem: There’s Chris Evans being a dreamboat in Hasbro’s Mystery Date game. You’re welcome, ladies who were 13 in 1999.
Aziz Ansari Caricature by Jessica Thompson
One thing that’s easy to love about Aziz Ansari is those big brown eyes. Here’s a caricature by Jessica where she takes those eyes and turns him into an alien. He’s just a funny guy. I’m always happy when an actor is willing to create a character who’s primary trait is selfishness. Parks and Recreation would have been a much weaker show without Aziz’s Tom Haverford trying to manipulate every situation to serve himself.
Kal Penn Caricature by Dominique Chavira
Here’s a Kal Penn caricature by Dominique that really gets a couple of things right. It’s hard to be aware of a subject’s eye spacing. Most of the caricature artists I’ve seen (including myself) start with the eyes, which kind of locks them in early. If you haven’t observed immediately that the subject’s eyes are close together, you’re likely to finish the drawing without including that detail. It’s an important one. Eyes that are close together or far apart are integral to a likeness. So the close-set eyes here really help to convey Kal Penn’s unique expression. The other great thing here is the lower lip. That’s a more obvious element to exaggerate, but it’s still cool.
Penn and Teller by Mike Warden
Here’s a Penn and Teller by Mike Warden. They’re notable members of the skeptic community, and enjoy disproving beliefs they think are untrue. Because of this, their show seems to be of the love-it-or hate it variety, which is working well for them. they’re the most popular comedy-and-illusion act on the Strip. While this caricature isn’t as chock-full of gags as his regular work, it’s spot-on for expressions. A lot of advertisements for Penn and Teller feature them maiming, dismembering, or casually killing each other for our entertainment, so this disembodied-head-as-balloon trick isn’t too far off base. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do this in their actual act.
Neil Patrick Harris Caricature by Celeste Cordova
Neil Patrick Harris has been popular for as long as I’ve been alive. When he starts to look like a grandpa, that’s when I’ll know I’m officially really, really old. He’s been a great Doogie Howser, a super popular character on How I Met Your Mother, and a guest star in just about every show. My personal favorite is probably Dr. Horrible from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. This caricature by Celeste makes great use of his big ol’ forehead. It’s also worth noticing how his eyebrows don’t follow his brow ridge. The ridge gives him an angry expression, and the brows offset that with innocence.