Project: John Lennon

OK. John Lennon is not seen in caricature quite as frequently (and never as unkindly) as Dubya so the hooks will be less familiar. I don't know if you've noticed but caricatures of politicians tend to be a little shaky when they first come to public attention. Gradually, different artists discover different hooks which are quickly taken up by other artists so that the standard of capturing the likeness improves but they all end up looking as if they were drawn by the same person. You can't copyright or patent a hook; consequently, caricaturists steal from each other shamelessly. This is OK. I'm inviting you to steal from me and, if you get good and get published, I shall certainly steal from you.

Usually, the most prominent hooks are the mouth and the nose. The eyes are also very important in setting the likeness but mouths and noses tend to vary in appearance much more so let's take an analytical look at these features. I've drawn a rather formal caricature of Lennon which is less of a cartoon than the one of Bush (arguably, the same could be said for the subjects).

Perhaps Lennon's most distinctive feature is his nose so we'll analyse the anatomy of this. In the first drawing (Fig. 1), I've highlighted the nostrils which are pinched rather in the same way that Bush's are. Usually, when drawn full face, the line of the nostrils curve in a little towards the centre of the nose at the top. With Lennon as with Bush, this line continues on down as if to meet at the tip of the nose in a 'V' but stopping just short.

Where Lennon's nose differs from Bush's is the slight broadening of the nose directly above the nostrils, giving the effect of a slight sneer as if wrinkled in disgust (see Fig. 2). This feature fits well with his reputation as a master of sarcasm and a fierce critic of the establishment. Remember too, that the nose is very narrow compared to other noses. There is always the tendency in drawing in general to draw what we know rather than what we see. In this case, that would mean that we draw a nose as we understand noses to look like rather than drawing the nose we are looking at. If you're familiar with drawing anyway, you will be used to dealing with this inclination. In caricature, however, you need to emphasise the difference so pinch that nose right in.

OK? Happy with what you've drawn so far? Now let's get on to his mouth. Lennon's mouth is as distinctive as his nose but the distinction is far more subtle. Lennon has fairly thin lips and the upper lip is very slightly fuller than the lower lip. Also, the upper front teeth project forward slightly; not enough to protrude as such but I think enough for Lennon to feel conscious of this. Consequently, he always chewed gum when singing (in fact, I think he always chewed gum period) so that his mouth was always busy, ensuring that he didn't inadvertently break into a goofy smile (although there are rare photos of relaxed moments when this is quite evident). He was also quite careful in the way he opened his mouth so that the centre of the lips parted while endeavoring to keep the corners closed. This resulted in the upper lip curling up slightly. He would open his mouth by raising the upper lip a little more than lowering the lower lip. This creates an aquiline swoop to the line of the upper lip (see Fig. 3).

Because Lennon always tried to keep the corners of his closed (possibly for fear of losing his chewing gum), this intensifies the creases at the corners of the mouth which, with Lennon, extends downwards. This is less apparent with his moustache which is why I chose the clean shaven look for this exercise (Fig. 4)

Initially, I found John Lennon quite difficult to draw largely because of the subtleties of his mouth. There was something going on with that mouth that I couldn't quite put my finger on. This is where I find analysing both the structure and the way he used his mouth helpful. When you do encounter a feature that you just can't get to look right, it's usually because you're looking too superficially. Study as many photos as you can get hold of (thank God for Google Images!) and, if possible, study video footage so that you become familiar with the problem feature in action. The more you understand, the better you can draw it. Remember what I said about the tendency to draw what we know rather than what we're looking at. The more you know, the better you are able to draw it.

When drawing the head, note that Lennon has a strong jawline, high cheek bones and a fairly pronounced chin. Note too, the musculature of the jawline. In later years, the hollow below the cheekbones became quite pronounced.

The only real distinctive thing about Lennon's eyes is that they were quite small and he tended to squint until he began to wear his glasses openly.

Lennon changed his appearance frequently throughout his life and you need to be aware of the subtle differences that age or the fact that he initially didn't wear his glasses had on the overall look. In the early "Mop-Top" years, his eyes appeared even smaller due to his squint. His face was fuller so the musculature of the jawline was less pronounced.