I'm posting these here today because I'm trying to make sense out of it. To make sense out of Caricature - is it better than dull direct portraiture ~

I thought that if I saw them all together, I could judge it clearly.

First I made a direct simple Caricature of this lady. Easy to do - Nothing too exaggerated.

Then I exaggerated it a little. Something that I could still do in a first pass.

Then I let loose. Really blew out the nose:

Haha - yeah, like very funny. Nonsense. The first one, which would have been preferred by the woman - that one was the best one.

Looking at that 3rd picture - like, why was it so stupid? I realized that it could have been a lot better - if I had the feeling of the movement in it. Just shapes? That's dull. But it's funny to think how she could scrunch up that nose, squinking the eyes. I just want to try it. And Voila! The best picture of them all. Now this 4th picture has feeling, action, energy, Person-Al-ity. Yes, Caricature is better than Portraiture. If you want to look into the mirror, then do that. But if you can enjoy the Artist's interpretation, if you want to have fun.....

Nothing 'Over the Top' at this Party. I really liked these people - they were so Real. Not Affectated. No forced laughter and over-stated joy or underlying animosity. Just family and friends with a reason to get together peacefully and note the date. Enjoying the good things without giving them more importance than they have.

I'm upset by my ramblings of last night. I think that we're affected by the media that we experienced when we were very young. That's why one expression reads 'sxy', another reads 'scared', and another reads 'smug'.

There used to be a beautiful sign in my Pediatrician's office that said:

"Happiness is not always measured in smiles."

It resonated with me because I recognized it's truth.

And No. You cannot read a person's personality based on his/her face. Or else, how would people be fooled by Con-Men?

So what's to draw? What's my job?

I ask this as I prepare for today's Corporate event - where I will be extrapolating expressions from the changing-people who sit in front of me. The same way I usually do. I guess. Hopefully, understanding will come to me as I carry on.

As usual, my pen was moving while I was chatting. Today I was thinking of making 'sxy' girls - sometimes the people I draw ask me for that. A sxy face, um, here's what I came up with today:

These would work. But I look at them, and it makes me wonder. What makes these so called 'sxy' faces? They both have big eyes. One has big hair and the other has big lips. Is big 'sxy'? If so, then the one with the small lips would not be considered 'sxy', but it is.

So is it personality? Attitude? The first one looks smug. And the second one looks scared...

Seems like any features can be 'sxy'. And any attitude can be 'sxy'. So what is it that people are asking for when they ask for 'sxy'?

BTW, what makes the picture look 'scared'? And what makes the picture look 'smug'? But that's another question.