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How to Draw Black People

November 30th, 2007 (11:26 am)

Here is a cartoon by nationally syndicated political cartoonist Mike Lester:

Mike Lester Pacman Jones cartoon

Here is what Pacman Jones looks like:

pacman jones 1

pacman jones 2

The real solution to this discrepancy is that Lester needs to learn (or to remember) how to draw people period. Then he needs to remember that caricature exaggerates recognizable features of the subject. For example, Hillary Clinton has apple cheeks and heavy lidded eyes, so most caricatures of her focus on those features. Barak Obama has a long neck and big ears. Pacman Jones has dreds. He does NOT have big lips. Unless the only people Lester knows are tight-lipped WASPs, he should realize the Jones' lips are about average for a human being, regardless of race, ethnicity or sex. They are clearly not his most recognizable feature. At best I would focus more on set of his mouth, a kind of ironic smirk that befits his bad boy image. It would still not take up half his head.

Do political cartoonists have seminars on this stuff?

Comments

Posted by: Dirty Librarian ([info]dirtylibrarian)
Posted at: November 30th, 2007 10:22 pm (UTC)
weird tingle

Or...what about drawing Pac Man with dreads? Thats what I would do if I had any talent for drawning dreads. I think I might be able to handle Pac Man.

Edited at 2007-11-30 10:23 pm (UTC)

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