Redman starts his students with a blind contour scribble. He tells you to put your pen on the paper and draw the person without looking at the paper.
Week 1: Only gesture drawings (30 seconds each). Fill 10 pages. Week 2: Add block-in shapes. Still no features. Week 3: Draw 50 mouths – but only the expression line (no lips). Week 4: Combine: gesture + attitude exaggeration. Ignore likeness. Chase feeling.
Redman’s test of success: If someone who knows the person says “That’s them!” even without perfect facial features – you’ve got it.
Lenn Redman's How to Draw Caricatures (originally published in 1984) is a seminal work in the field of humorous illustration, celebrated for its unique "Inbetweener" method and comprehensive approach to facial exaggeration. Redman, a veteran animator for Disney and Hanna-Barbera, distilled decades of experience into a guide that moves beyond simple exaggeration to focus on the relationships between facial features. The "Inbetweener" Method
The cornerstone of Redman’s philosophy is the concept of the Inbetweener
—a reference point representing the "average" or "classic" face. Observation via Contrast how to draw caricatures lenn redman pdf work
: Instead of looking for what is "there," Redman teaches artists to identify how a subject’s face deviates from this average baseline. Feature Relationships
: He emphasizes that a caricature is not just about making a nose bigger; it is about changing the distance, size, and angle of features relative to one another. The Five Essential Shapes
: Redman simplifies the face into five basic components—the head (circle), face (oval), two eyes (smaller circles), and the mouth (curved line). By manipulating these fundamental shapes, an artist can capture a recognizable likeness before adding any detail. Structure and Content
Redman's work is distinct for its instructional breadth, covering both the face and the often-overlooked full body. How To Draw Caricatures by Lenn Redman - Book Review
Redman emphasizes that one cannot distort anatomy without understanding it first. He provides rigorous diagrams of the skull, the placement of the ears relative to the brow and nose line, and the proportions of the face. He advocates for constructing the head as a 3D solid (typically an oval or egg shape) rather than a flat contour. Redman starts his students with a blind contour scribble
Yes, with caveats.
| Strengths | Weaknesses | |-----------|-------------| | Excellent for absolute beginners | Minimal coverage of digital tools (e.g., Procreate, Photoshop) | | Focus on quick, live drawing – ideal for events | Some celebrity examples are dated (1980s politicians, TV stars) | | The “blob” method is unique and effective | Lacks diversity in facial types (mostly Caucasian examples) | | Teaches expression and personality over realism | No section on color or rendering (black and white line art only) |
Modern caricaturists (e.g., Tom Richmond, Court Jones) cite Redman as an influence but note that his style is softer and more cartoonish than today’s “likeness-first” school. Still, his structural approach remains a classic starting point.
Subject: Analysis of the methodologies and instructional content in Lenn Redman’s How to Draw Caricatures. Author of Work: Lenn Redman (1912–1987) Genre: Art Instruction / Illustration
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Searching for a free PDF of copyrighted work is legally murky and often ethically frustrating for the estates of artists. However, because Redman’s book is a collector’s item (often selling for $50–$200 used), many students turn to PDFs. Users search for “lenn redman pdf work” for
Here is how to make that PDF "work" without being a pirate stealing value:
Users search for “lenn redman pdf work” for three main reasons:
Before we talk about the PDF, you need to understand the man. Lenn Redman wasn't just a caricature artist working at amusement parks; he was a student of human nature. Redman came from the "Golden Age" of illustration. His thesis was radical for its time: Caricature is not cruelty. Caricature is love.
Most beginners think caricature means "drawing big noses and small chins." Redman hated that. He called it "grocery list drawing"—ticking off features without understanding the soul behind them.
Redman’s method relies on three pillars:
If you find a PDF of How to Draw Caricatures, you are looking for these specific chapters. Do not skim the philosophy to get to the "nose shapes." The philosophy is the technique.