7 Caricature Drawing Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

Kevin Nealon, famed for his comedic chops on Saturday Night Live, brings a unique twist to caricature drawing by blending personal memoir with visual art. You’ll find full-color caricatures of well-known celebrities alongside witty essays that reveal the stories behind those sketches, such as moments with Garry Shandling or impressions of Jim Carrey. This mix allows you to appreciate how observational humor and artistic skill intersect, offering insights not just into drawing techniques but also the personalities behind the faces. If you enjoy drawing that captures character with a humorous edge or want to see how storytelling enhances caricature artistry, this book fits perfectly.

Barry Blitt, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist known for his incisive political caricatures, offers an immersive look at American culture through his art in this collection. You get to explore his creative process with hand-scrawled notes and unseen drafts, revealing how he crafts iconic images like the Obama fist bump and satirical depictions of Donald Trump. This book is less about how to draw caricatures and more a masterclass in using satire and illustration to comment on politics and society. If you’re interested in political art or want to understand the storytelling behind editorial cartoons, this offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective.

This personalized book on caricature drawing explores the art of exaggeration and expression, tailored to your unique goals and background. It covers essential techniques for capturing personality, mastering facial anatomy, and developing your distinct style. By focusing on your interests, this tailored guide reveals how to balance humor and artistic skill to create compelling caricatures that resonate. Drawing from a rich synthesis of expert knowledge, it examines the nuances of caricature from foundational principles to advanced practice. This approach ensures you navigate complex concepts in a way that matches your learning pace and ambitions, making the journey both engaging and effective.

Drawing from over three decades as a professional caricaturist, Tom Richmond distills his extensive experience into this guide that explores what truly makes a caricature resonate. You learn to identify distinctive facial features and exaggerate them effectively, whether sketching live at a theme park or creating illustrations for publication. Richmond shares insights into techniques used in his work for MAD Magazine and other major clients, providing detailed instruction alongside over 500 illustrations. This book suits anyone eager to sharpen their caricature skills, from beginners to seasoned artists looking to deepen their understanding of the craft's nuances.

Harry Hamernik's extensive experience teaching caricature drawing at venues like Sea World and Disneyland led him to craft this approachable guide for anyone eager to capture faces with humor and flair. You’ll learn specific techniques for drawing facial features from multiple angles, adding color by hand or digitally, and tailoring portraits to emphasize personality traits—whether making a face look younger, older, or goofier. The book’s 40 step-by-step demonstrations break down the process into manageable parts, helping you develop a lively, improvisational style that feels spontaneous yet controlled. If you want to improve your ability to draw expressive caricatures quickly and with confidence, this book offers clear methods without unnecessary complexity.

Greg Houston, an award-winning illustrator with over three decades of professional experience and a BFA from Pratt Institute, offers in this book a hands-on exploration of caricature as a powerful artistic tool. You learn to identify and exaggerate defining facial features—eyes, nose, mouth, hairline—with precision, while keeping the subject unmistakably recognizable. Chapters walk you through capturing personality and humor with examples including Jake Gyllenhaal and Dwayne Johnson, and extend to different media and styles, reflecting Houston’s vast artistic range. This book suits artists who want to sharpen their caricature skills with practical demonstrations and historical context, though it may be less appealing if you’re seeking purely digital techniques or abstract approaches.

This tailored caricature drawing book offers a personalized pathway to rapidly enhance your artistic skills through focused daily practice. It explores step-by-step drawing actions designed to match your current experience, interests, and goals, enabling you to build caricature techniques progressively. The content reveals how regular, targeted exercises can sharpen your observational skills, exaggeration methods, and creative expression, all tailored specifically for you. By concentrating on your unique background and preferred sub-topics, this book makes complex caricature principles accessible and engaging, fostering accelerated improvement. Through a blend of foundational concepts and practical drawing tasks, it supports your journey toward confident, expressive caricature artistry.

After decades spent animating and drawing caricatures, Jim van der Keyl developed this handbook to demystify the art of exaggeration and likeness capture. You’ll learn how to analyze facial proportions, shapes, and anatomy with an almost engineering precision that breaks down what makes a caricature recognizable and humorous. The book walks you through visual techniques and the creative mindset needed to approach subjects confidently, making it useful whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist wanting to refine your caricature skills. Specific chapters focus on proportion distortion and anatomy, giving concrete tools that go beyond guesswork. If you’re serious about caricature, this book offers a methodical way to master the craft rather than relying on trial and error.

Alex Hughes brings years of caricature drawing expertise to this book, where he guides you through each stage of creating cartoons with personality. He breaks down complex techniques into manageable steps, starting with simple line drawings before advancing to capturing expressions and unique features. The book's exercises and illustrations are designed to sharpen your observational skills, especially when working from live models or photos. Whether you want to develop your hand at exaggeration or simply enhance your drawing confidence, Hughes offers a clear, approachable method that serves both beginners and those looking to refine their style.