9 January 2024 – Nicola Jennings

Caricatures

The serious business of satire

Nicola will talk about what drew her to caricature at a young age and why she remains intrigued by its practice to this day. She will attempt to describe how she analyses a face and the proportions of a face and which choices she makes, while drawing, to arrive at an accurate description of personality. With a nod to some eminent caricaturists of the past and present she will talk about the role of caricature as a satirical tool and its ability – particularly in a political context – to undermine, expose and challenge the 'great and the good'.

Nicola points out that as well as the funny side to caricature, it's a serious business with consequences for the national perception and mood.

Nicola Jennings

Nicola originally trained as a theatre designer and began her professional life working backstage and designing for opera. Her caricature work began on the diary of The London Daily News in 1987 and she has since worked for The Mirror, and The Observer. Since 1990 she has worked for The Guardian, where she regularly draws the editorial cartoon.

Nicola's television work includes stills and title sequences for political documentaries, animated cartoons for Channel 4's A Week in Politics, and drawing live on BBC2's Midnight Hour. She has illustrated a number of books including Quentin Letts' 50 People who Buggered up Britain.

In 2022, Nicola became chairperson of The British Cartoonists Association and a trustee of The Cartoon Museum.

Nicola lives between London and West Sussex, is a keen cyclist, and likes keeping chickens.