This is how this custom caricature of a DJ was made

For those who are interested in knowing how a personalized cartoon develops, here you can see the process of creating a cartoon of a DJ.

The idea was not simply to place the character behind a mixing table. A scene had to be built with movement, music and recognizable elements of his profession.

The mixer, the speakers, the headphones and, above all, the attitude of the character had to be part of the same story.

And that's where the work of a personalized caricature really begins.

A caricature that had to convey movement

The first idea was to place the protagonist behind his mixing table, as if he were in the middle of a session.

But I didn't want to just place a person in front of a table.

The scene needed movement.

It was necessary to find a posture that conveyed that he was playing music, that he was enjoying the moment and that, at the same time, allowed to recognize his physical characteristics.

For this I start from the reference photographs and begin to build a scene around the person.

In this first phase I am not yet looking for a beautiful drawing.

The important thing is to find the composition: where the character will be, where the objects will be, and how the whole scene will work visually.

From the first sketch to a composition that works

Once the main elements are placed, one of the most interesting parts of the work begins: correct what on paper does not work as it seemed in the head.

Many competing elements can appear in a cartoon.

The person has to remain the center of attention, but the mixer, speakers and all the other elements have to help tell the story.

That is why the sketch gradually changes until a balanced composition is found.

Speakers: how to represent sound without drawing sound

Here appeared one of the small problems of this caricature.

The speakers had to look powerful, but I didn't want to resort to the typical lines around them or fill the onomatopoeia scene.

I wanted to find a solution that belonged to the drawing itself.

The answer ended up being on the speakers themselves. That is why the sketch gradually changes until a balanced composition is found.

Speakers: how to represent sound without drawing sound

Here appeared one of the small problems of this caricature.

The speakers had to look powerful, but I didn't want to resort to the typical lines around them or fill the onomatopoeia scene.

I wanted to find a solution that belonged to the drawing itself.

The answer ended up being on the speakers themselves. That is why the sketch gradually changes until a balanced composition is found.

Speakers: how to represent sound without drawing sound

Here appeared one of the small problems of this caricature.

The speakers had to look powerful, but I didn't want to resort to the typical lines around them or fill the onomatopoeia scene.

I wanted to find a solution that belonged to the drawing itself.

The answer ended up being on the speakers themselves.

The idea was to exaggerate the effect of music in a much more graphic way: Make even the elements of the speaker boxes seem to be suffering from the power of sound.

It is a small detail, but these types of decisions are what help a caricature have its own personality.

The mixing table is also part of the caricature

Another important element was the mixing table.

The current tables can be full of buttons, controls and small elements that, seen in a photograph, work perfectly, but that can be completely lost when moved to a caricature.

That is why it is not a question of copying the device exactly.

You have to interpret and exaggerate it, just like we do with the person.

The table had to look like a DJ table, but it also had to fit into the graphic language of the cartoon.

Building the character

Once the main elements of the scene have been solved, it is time to work on the character himself.

Custom caricatures are made from reference photographs, but a photograph does not always provide the posture the illustration needs.

That is why you have to build the body, adapt the posture and find a position that is natural within the scene.

In this case I wanted the posture to convey movement.

An elevated leg, arms working on the table, and displaced headphones help create that feeling that the character is actually inside a music session.

Each of these changes seems small, but together they make the caricature stop looking like a person placed in front of objects and start functioning as a scene.

When the sketch begins to come to life

Once the composition has been resolved, it is time to move from the sketch to the final drawing.

Here begins the inking.

In this phase the construction lines gradually disappear and the outlines, details and different elements of the illustration begin to be defined.

The goal is not simply to clean up the sketch.

It's also time to decide which details should stand out and which can be simplified for the image to maintain clarity.

The color

With the drawing defined begins the color phase.

First, a chromatic basis is established to decide how the set will work.

Then come the shadows and finally the lights and the little details.

It is one of the phases in which the cartoon changes most quickly.

What until then was mainly a structure of lines begins to acquire volume, depth and personality.

And finally we come to the result.

A custom caricature can tell much more than a portrait

This work is a good example of what we look for when we make a personalized caricature.

It's not just about getting a person to be recognizable.

This is about convert her characteristics, her profession, her hobbies or what identifies her into a scene created specifically for her.

That's why a cartoon can also be a very personal gift.

A musician may appear surrounded by his instruments, an athlete practicing his discipline, a professional within his work environment or anyone represented in a situation that has a special meaning for him.

Each commission is based on photographs and an idea, but the final result is built specifically for that person.

Do you want a cartoon created especially for you?

If you have an idea to represent a person in a different way, we can turn it into a personalized caricature.

We work from photographs and develop the composition, posture, elements and environment to create a unique illustration.

If you have an idea in mind, you can tell us how you would like to represent it. A custom caricature can tell much more than a portrait

This work is a good example of what we look for when we make a personalized caricature.

It's not just about getting a person to be recognizable.

This is about convert her characteristics, her profession, her hobbies or what identifies her into a scene created specifically for her.

That's why a cartoon can also be a very personal gift.

A musician may appear surrounded by his instruments, an athlete practicing his discipline, a professional within his work environment or anyone represented in a situation that has a special meaning for him.

Each commission is based on photographs and an idea, but the final result is built specifically for that person.

Do you want a cartoon created especially for you?

If you have an idea to represent a person in a different way, we can turn it into a personalized caricature.

We work from photographs and develop the composition, posture, elements and environment to create a unique illustration.

If you have an idea in mind, you can tell us how you would like to represent it.

All our caricatures are made by hand, combining traditional drawing and digital tools. We do not use artificial intelligence to generate the images or reuse drawings from other commissions.