Ever wonder how artists create those outrageous cartoon caricatures?
The Art of Caricaturing by Mitchell Smith, published in 1941, is available in the Public Domain in the U.S. and all countries following the rule of the shorter term because the copyright holder (FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO.) failed to renew the copyright protection for the book in the 28th year after publication.
It’s a wonderful book chock full of fun illustrations and examples of the types of caricatures we all know and love.
It’s a short book (around 82 pages), making it perfect for republishing as a short report or a quick how-to class. Or the book could be broken up into twelve lessons and used as the basis of a handy online class or workshop.
Chapters include:
- Pen Lines and Material
- The Face and the Head
- Expression
- Exaggeration
- Comic Figures
- Action
- Shading and Shadows
- Technique
- Animals
- Lettering
- This and That
- Assignments and Suggestions
Another fantastic way to repurpose this fun and informative book is to create a workbook out of it. For example Chapter 9 on animals could be followed up with an activity or assignment about drawing a specific animal.
If you’re an artist or an art teacher you could incorporate this text into your coaching and lessons and ask your readers to turn in homework for feedback and critique.
Like many Public Domain books, The Art of Caricaturing (which is available for download at the Internet Archive) would work quite well as simple articles and blog posts too. The content could be used as is or updated with your own examples and language. Some sections are probably too long for a standard blog post, which is usually around 500 words; however the content is easily summarized.
One uniquely fun aspect of this book is the 41 illustrations which could be used independently of the book to create posters for art lovers and people who appreciate a good caricature. They’re particularly interesting because they’re caricatures of historical figures like Charles Darwin, Clemenceau, Taft, Hitler, and many, many more.
Lastly, you could combine this book on caricaturing with other Public Domain books on drawing and sketching to create a comprehensive book or course.
Samples from the book:
There will always be people who aspire to draw and express themselves through art including caricatures. The good news is that drawing technique and theories do not really change, whether you’re using a computer or a pencil and a sketchpad.
This makes using The Art of Caricaturing and other Public Domain texts on art and art technique great sources of evergreen information for all your product and marketing needs.
About The Author:
 Debra Conrad is an online entrepreneur, information publisher, and author that has been using Public Domain material to create profitable products and businesses since 2007. She is also co-author of "The Public Domain Treasure Hunter's Survival Kit" available here. For more info Debra, click here. |
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