The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word CARICATURIST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
A
R
I
C
A
T
U
R
I
S
T
More clues leading to the result CARICATURIST
- Amusingly he exaggerates strange trait associated with a circus
- Shell from Costa Rica, ordinary to ignore in sightseer’s drawer
- Slipping off swing initially, a circus artist unfortunately faces stretcher
- Source of funny picture: nude figure heading off behind vehicle, one beside college
- Bell cracked by a US art critic?
- One distorting features?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One distorting features?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one distorting features? = caricaturist.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.