One political figure, Jacob Zuma is gone from the political landscape in South Africa and the country looks forward to better times.
I need another political figure to caricature so I chose Julius Sello Malema, the head of the EFF - the Economic Freedom Fighters, a popular party that have chosen a confrontative political style in parliament resulting in frequent interruptions, walkouts and forced removals from the house. Prior to his rise to the head of EFF, Julius Malema served as the president of the African National Congress Youth League until he was expelled in April 2012. Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, described him as the "future leader of South Africa" but many others regard him as a "reckless populist" that has the potential to destabilise the country and spark racial conflict.
The man worries me somewhat and I have always been told, when you feel intimidated by someone, picture them in a nappy! (diaper) This goes a long way to alleviate the element of stress.
(This is a chunk of the main image. Please scroll down for the full caricature...)
I can do better than "imagine" him in a nappy, as a caricaturist! I can paint it and share the result with my Steemit friends . Here follows the process:
Step One - Finding the right face
I study the various images of a celebrity to find the best, workable face that would bring about the personality and recognizability of the subject. These thumbnail sketches were not working for me. The faces were far too friendly for my liking.
So I tried several others and finally settled for.....
Step 2 - This will work!
This is far more like I see him in parliament - aggressive and confrontational.
So I chose this one and now I deed to add detail.....
Step 3 - Add detail to the thumbnail sketch
I added the elements of the sketch that I needed to portray what was in my head. I struggled with the boots until I found a reference that helped me get them the position I wanted to show. So, to begin to paint, I used the method of first working in monochrome so that I could concentrate on the values....
Step 4 - Monochrome values
Values can be defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. The monochrome gradation of value suggests shape and contour in a painted 2D image. This, in digital painting, can be converted to color and one is then free to focus on getting skin tones correct....
Step 5 - The finished result!
I hope you enjoyed the process and the painting. Please comment below and let me know what you think. I value your input tremendously!