Character Sketches

Who says we only get to be talented at one thing?  Certainly not creative people!

Think of Tony Bennett, who both sings and paints, or Michelangelo Buonarroti, who sculpted marble, painted (including the Sistine Chapel), and also was a noted lyric poet of his time.

Profile image for Les Lethal's Larryville Blue on Facebook.

We lesser mortals who are creative also can be good at more than one thing.  I'm a  decent artist, I tried to be a good teacher (performance art), and I am working on becoming a published fiction writer.

In the course of doing research for my novel-in-progress, I have come across yet another multi-talented creative person, whom I'd like to introduce here.

Les Lethal is his cartoonist name, but in his "other life" he's a Denver police officer. I hope his policing is as clear-eyed as his cartooning, because if so he's an outstanding cop, too.

What I appreciate most are the telling details. The sound authenticity of the caricatures comes through for me in the comments from Les's audience, 7,287 of whom have "Liked" his Facebook page.

One of Les's recurring themes is his collections of character-caricatures, offering comical views of various categories of law enforcement officers. The first one I encountered was his Officers Career Progression.

The book I Love a Cop, written as a resource for law enforcement families, outlines a very similar progression of phases in a typical career, only they tell it "straight." Humorous it may be, but this cartoon also seems to be dead-on accurate.

Knowledgeable comment-writers have remarked on the progression in Career Progression from the belt full of gadgets on the Rookie to the less-cluttered duty belts of the older officers (who have figured out what tools to keep, and which get in their way); the thigh-holster and protein shake carried by the "Rooster," and many other touches.
Whether your medium is words or pictures, the details are crucial, for a good portrait!

Les also has done a series of The Characters of Law Enforcement. Once again, based on comments, the more you know about these specialties and the individuals who work in them, the more amusing these caricatures seem to be.

Here, with his permission, are The Characters of Law Enforcement, Parts One, Two, and Three:

Here is Part One. No one and nothing is sacred in Larryville, it seems.

Part Two adds to the collection.  Several seem to be responses to comments made on the first image. (For those who need a clue, a "BwaB" is "a Bitch with a Badge.")

Part Three probably isn't the end of the series, but it's the latest one so far. Again, some of these appear to be inspired or informed by comments on earlier images.

Les does not shrink from spoofing anyone, and that includes himself.  He recently produced this little gem for Halloween. Note that it is based rather closely on Part One, shown above.

Recognize anyone?

You don't have to be on Facebook to see Les's artwork. Check out his website, Les Lethal Cartoons, especially both his Gallery and Products pages.

IMAGE CREDITS: All images in this post are copyright 2013 by Les Lethal, and may be used ONLY with his express permission (Thanks, Les!)  Please do not re-post or publish any of them without contacting Les and obtaining his permission first!