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- BB King had a marvelously expressive face, making him an ideal subject for a Photoshop caricature.
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- Mick Jagger has a famously large mouth, which Pike has exaggerated and used as the focal point of this funny Photoshop caricature.
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- Rodney Pike has exaggerated the pale strangeness of indie rock star Thom Yorke of Radiohead to create this funny Photoshop caricature.
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- Jeremey Clarkson, celebrated presenter of the car show “Top Gear” is big headed both on TV and in his Photoshop caricature portrait.
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- Hugh Laurie’s character, Gregory House, from the hit TV medical drama “House” is a perfect pick for a parody portrait. House’s character scowl stands in contrast to the smiley face balloon that he is holding.
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- This funny Photoshop portrait shows Eric Pouhier, a friend of Pike’s. In true Pike fashion, the artist has included personal elements and symbols. Pouhier enjoys Mathematics, so Pike has given him a text book titled “Math Doesn’t Suck”. To honor Pouhier’s French background, Pike has added a number of French symbols.
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- One of Pike’s favorite characters to use in caricatures is Mr Bean, a personality created by actor Rowan Atkinson. This Photoshop art work is a hybrid of Rembrandt’s “Soldier” painting and a photographic portrait of Rowan Atkinson.
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- Jerry Seinfeld receives an hourglass shaped head, courtesy of Rodney Pike’s skills in Photoshop.
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- A funny Photoshop caricature portrait of Rodney Pike’s friend, Jesse Smith. Pike has honored his friend’s artistic skill as a tattoo artist by including several of Smith’s cartoon tattoo designs in the picture.
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- Rodney Pike met Cliff Roth, a fellow digital artist, at a HIRL (Hangout In Real Life) meeting in New York. To celebrate their meeting, Pike has used New York’s Brooklyn Bridge as a background for the caricature painting.
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- Bill Murray becomes Big Ears in this funny character painting by Rodney Pike.
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- Pike has exaggerated Tim Burton’s wacky hair and given him a pair of tinted sunglasses, making this eccentric character seem even more off-the-wall. The true humor of Pike’s Photoshop caricatures lie in the fact that the portraits are photo realistic, but can’t possibly be real photographs.
Rodney Pike, Photoshop Caricature Artist
Rodney Pike is a digital artist who produces satirical fan art of actors, athletes, politicians and other celebrities. He also creates digital caricatures of his friends. These personal caricatures are generally more inspired and creative than Pike’s funny portraits of famous people. It is through these personal pieces that viewers can catch a glimpse of the artist’s character, humor and love for his friends.
Pike’s caricature making process begins with finding an image that inspires him. The photograph needs to have caricature potential – the more expressive the person’s facial expression, the more raw material there is for a caricature artist to work with. One of Pike’s favorite celebrities to work with is Rowan Atkinson, famed for his character Mr Bean. Rowan Atkinson has a funny face and is a master of creating humorous expressions. Mr Bean has appeared in several of Pike’s parody paintings, inspiring a giggle with each parody portrait.
Rodney Pike uses Photoshop to enlarge or shrink areas of the image to give a person big ears or tiny eyes. Exaggeration, whether it is making a feature larger or smaller, is at the the heart of making funny caricature art. Pike appears to have a knack for knowing which parts of a person’s face to tweak in order to bring out the humor of the portrait. Photoshop offers artists dozens of different tools, and Pike utilizes a variety of different editing tools in each art work. His methods appear to differ with each piece, making his art process a journey of experimentation and technical discovery.
Rodney Pike has struggled with anxiety and depression for over 20 years. His digital art has helped him to find new meaning and joy in life. According to the artist, art saved his life. For two decades, Pike didn’t create any art works. It was only when he began to use his artistic talents again that he was able to manage his depression and anxiety. Pike is an artist that is both inspired and inspiring. For more info on Rodney Pike, visit his blog. To see more funny Photoshop caricatures, visit rodneypike.com
