The Octomom, Angelina and extreme caricature!

Oops! Not sure we're supposed to call Nadya Suleman, the California mother of octuplets (plus six other children), the "Octomom" anymore. Ms. Suleman has applied for a trademark for her media-ordained moniker. Or perhaps it will be okay, as long as we refer to her as the "Octomom™." That's why I have Angelina Jolie calling Ms. Suleman the "Octolady."

But this blog isn't really about Nadya Suleman -- besides briefly emphasizing, through caricature, the slight resemblance to her favorite actress. And that resemblance pretty much stops at the lips, which some gossip columnists have suggested were "enhanced" out of devotion to Ms. Jolie. Beyond the lips, and maybe hair color, Suleman and Jolie are far from mirror images. Claims to the contrary are rather strained, in my opinion. For starters, Suleman has a long face and dark brown eyes. The differences between them only increase from there.

No, this brief blog is more about Angelina Jolie and what I call "extreme caricature." I don't usually exaggerate facial features to an extreme point, although there are many practitioners of the art form who do. However, the temptation to go to extremes with the actress can be hard to resist. Her silvery blue eyes are huge, her cheekbones robust, and her lips are positively mammoth. Her skin is pulled so taught against her skull, that her head looks as though it belongs on top of a BRATZ doll.

What's more, Ms. Jolie lives what could be called an extreme lifestyle, even by Hollywood standards -- from professing her love for ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton by wearing a vial of his blood around her neck, to her globetrotting adoption quests and humanitarian efforts. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But, clearly, off camera, the actress is no shrinking violet. It all makes Ms. Jolie a great subject for caricature.

And then there is Ms. Jolie's figure, which is becoming more cartoonish as she ages. Leaner yet seemingly more voluptuous. More computerized Lara Croft than a real person. I've caricatured Angelina Jolie four times, three of which are featured here. Her appearance in the Octomom cartoon is rather mild, because I wanted to keep the focus on Ms. Suleman. But you can see how I gravitated toward the extreme between a caricature of Jolie drawn in 2000, and one drawn in 2005. Not sure where I'll take it from here?

Well, that about does it. Perhaps I'll delve into the subject of extreme caricature in a future blog? If you'd like to see additional samples of my work, please click here.