I was recently commissioned to create a range of drawings in the same vein as one I had completed years ago for Dr. Peter Moyes. Peter was my Honours and Doctoral associate supervisor and film theory teacher from way back in undergrad. You can see the drawing here- http://www.petermoyes.com/

I decided to try out Photoshop’s relatively new Liquify Face Aware tool. This would help create a base of caricature to start from. The Liquify tool uses face recognition software to map to any given face. From there you can play with size and proportions of the face, head, and features. Here’s a quick tutorial on the Face Aware tool.

So here’s the first round of experiments, playing with the Liquify/Face Aware tool to establish my base, and then using a mix of blending modes, filters and lifework to produce my first batch for submission.

These came back with requested changes, some for bordering on the Uncanny Valley (a little too close to real). Also, some people weren’t happy with their caricature. So I went through again, this time aiming for something a little closer to the drawing of Peter that sparked this commission. I kept it straight line work. I gave everyone little button eyes. These iterations were much faster to produce. It’s important to remember when working with a client to stick to the brief, even if it means controlling creative impulses.

Thanks to Griffith for the fun project and to Donna and Peter for organising.