My name is Melissa Lee, and I'm a professional illustrator and online art teacher from Northern California. Over the years, I've had the privilege of teaching tens of thousands of students across various art subjects, with caricature and character design particularly close to my heart.

You may be wondering about my credentials for teaching caricature. And the truth is, I don't claim to be a world-renowned expert—just someone with an immense passion for this art form and a drive to share what I've learned. My journey has involved studying and learning from the greats, developing my own approaches through careful observation and trial and error, and most importantly? Lots of practice!

In this book, we’ll…

• Master the foundations: facial proportions, defining features, and exaggeration techniques

• Learn how to draw facial features

• Explore two caricature approaches: simplified "cute-icature" and traditional, highly-rendered caricature

• Discover historical and contemporary caricature artists for inspiration

• Learn how caricature and cartooning go hand-in-hand

• Add personality and life to your character drawings

• Turn live-action fictional characters into cartoons

Whether you're interested in designing original characters, creating fan art, or capturing the essence of friends and family in a funny and playful way, this book provides the step-by-step guidance you need and a solid foundation to build upon.