Caricature Masterclass: On the Chin

Getting Jawlines Right

A big chin is just a big chin, right?

Wrong.

If your caricature subject is generously mandibled, the temptation is to render the chin with a broad, vaguely circular sweep of the pen, giving a general sense of bulbousness. But there’s as much variety and subtlety in chins as there is in noses, eyes, or lips. Being mindful of this can pay dividends when you’re trying to nail a likeness, and the personality behind it.

Take, for instance, the differences between Kirk Douglas (above), and Stephen Fry (below)…