Bored Panda reached out to George to ask him some questions about his work. We wanted to know how the artist became interested in caricature first. Williams told us: “I’ve been drawing caricatures all my life, though did not know how to spell it until my university years.”
Asked when he decided to do it professionally, the artist answered: “I studied editorial caricature as part of my uni degree and hoped to be published, but the offer of cash for quick caricatures came first in 1991.”
Next, we wondered who was the subject of George’s first caricature portraits. The artist shared with us: “I drew teachers at school for cash and I guess they were acceptable.”
Williams also told us that he prefers working on his caricatures in real time, in the presence of the person he's portraying: “The interaction is great and having a three-dimensional model is essential. Photos give you a small two-dimensional pose of someone who usually wants to hide their personality, no truth to be found. That said, with famous figures, there is little choice, but a wide selection of photos to study from.”
We were also curious if the artist ever experienced any critique from a person who wasn't particularly happy with how their caricature turned out. George said: “When it comes to live drawings? ‘If you don’t like meat, don’t go to a butcher’ is my motto, so only ask an artist to draw you if you want to see through their eyes. Flattery is for selfies. The drawing is a reflection of you outside – your reaction is a reflection of you inside.”
Finally, the caricaturist shared with us the time it took to hone the skills he possesses now: “4 years at uni (foundation, then degree) studying illustration, then 32 years of developing.”
