Drawing your characters garb
Clothes are all pretty universal to draw on both men and women characters. Both genders wear pants, shoes, and coats. Generally, only women wear skirts, unless you're drawing a kilt, or a dress on that uncle on your mother's side that no one talks about. I briefly discuss drawing pants earlier in the chapter when I talk about drawing legs and adding details like pockets. When drawing shirts, it's important to capture the details like the collar. Determining what this character does for a living...
That comfy ol sofa
If you're drawing a family cartoon, you'll probably be drawing your characters on the couch eventually. Some characters, like Dagwood in Blondie, seem to spend the better part of their day on one. Many cartoon sofas incorporate the following characteristics Their pattern is loud and plaid or crazy and clashing. They have springs coming out of the bottom of the cushions. They're overstuffed and comfortable looking. When drawing a sofa, follow these steps 1. Sketch a long, three-dimensional...
Setting the Scene for What You Have to Say
Editorial cartoons are powerful forms of communication, but they're not without their methods and formulas. You need to familiarize yourself with some common elements of these cartoons in order to get your point across effectively. This section gives you a leg up on the more traditional methods as well as the alternative route. Grasping the art of visual metaphors One of the primary functions of an editorial cartoon is to make a strong point to the reader. One of the best ways to accomplish...
Sitting at your desk
A desk is another common object that you'll probably draw many times in some form or another when creating a story line with characters and their surroundings. Figure 12-9 shows the desk from a two-point perspective. You can see the parallel lines that indicate the two different angles. Figure 12-10 shows the desk from a three-point perspective. This is probably the way you would draw the desk if one of your characters was looking down at it. You can see the parallel lines that indicate the...
Planning your layout
Layout is such an important facet of drawing cartoons. You don't want a flat and boring cartoon, so make sure your cartoon world is as graphically interesting as the real world. Experimenting with different perspectives, angles, and background details can help improve your story line and increase your cartoon's visual impact. The basic layout of the art and the placement of the characters and scenes are dependent on the story line. After you write the script what the characters say in the word...
Going from lines to making shapes
Drawing isn't rocket science. You don't need to have an advanced degree to be able to sketch interesting and compelling characters and drawings. You just need to know how to start with some simple shapes circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles and then build on them. These shapes translate into basic cartoon designs and forms like heads, bodies, and buildings when you put them together. Everything you draw is essentially based on simple shapes. After you master simple shapes and the...
Creating Classic Editorial Cartoon Characters
Editorial cartooning has classic and genre-specific characters that editorial cartoonists regularly use as metaphors and symbols. These classic characters are easily recognizable and have become American icons. They include the symbols for the Republican and Democratic parties, along with Uncle Sam, just to name a few. This section looks at some of these characters in more detail and the step-by-step process to creating them. The elephant was officially adopted as the mascot of the Republican...
The lounge chair
Every household has at least one chair, so look for opportunities to include a lounge chair in your cartoon. If dad's taking up the couch rather than leaning back in the easy chair, mom may be sitting there knitting, or it may be used as a jungle gym by three or four rug rats Incorporate these traits when drawing lounge chairs Their pattern clashes with the other furniture. They recline back for maximum laziness. They're overstuffed and broken in. When drawing a lounge chair, follow these steps...
Trying Different Female Body Types
Most cartoons also have at least one leading female character that readers can relate to. Women are no less varied in body types than men are and can be equally fun to draw. Just like the male body types, the female body types begin with the same basic frame using the same basic circle shapes. If you've never drawn characters before, check out Chapters 6 and 7 first they show you how to sketch the basic face and body. This section shows you how to draw some of my favorite females who frequent...
Focusing on all those teeth
A mouth wouldn't be a mouth without teeth ask any great white shark and he'll tell you the same . A character's teeth can say so much Nice, straight teeth give the impression that your character is an upstanding, honest person, while crooked or missing teeth can give the impression that your character may be a hillbilly or a rough bully type who lost some teeth in a fight. And big teeth can give a cartoon character a goofy or wacky look. To draw teeth, utilize the center guideline so that the...
Starting with circles
If you're an avid reader or fan of comics, you know that most cartoon figures are short and small with a slightly large head. You see this in many classic comic strip characters, like Charlie Brown and Snoopy from Peanuts and Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. Most of the modern cartoon characters on TV also have this type of body design. Drawing a classic cartoon body begins with sketching a basic shape, either a circle or an oval, and building on it. Classic cartoon characters are often kids, and...
Talking babies
The following are a few traits or patterns that the baby possesses A very large head in proportion to body size. Very large eyes and a small nose He sometimes has no nose at all A body that's less defined than the head and face. When drawing the talking baby character, keep the preceding traits in mind and follow these steps 1. Sketch a large circle for the head and another medium circle below it for the body. Babies' heads are disproportionate to their bodies, so the head circle should be...
Keeping your characters consistent
Some cartoonists age their characters over the years, but most of the time, characters don't age. The Simpsons has been on TV for more than 20 years, and Bart Simpson is still a 10-year-old kid. Charlie Brown should be retiring to Scottsdale by now but doesn't look a day over 9, and SpongeBob hasn't aged a day No matter what core group of characters you decide on, you want to ensure that you draw the characters consistently. Doing so is important for two reasons Practicality Having your...
Spacing the legs and hips
How you space your character's legs and hips depends on the character's body type and stance. Most of the characters I discuss have small legs in relation to their body and generally don't have any discernible hips. Of course, when designing and drawing your character, hips may be important, especially if you're drawing a sexy-type character. 1. On each side of the character's lower torso, just below the waist, draw curved lines that look like parentheses . 2. After you have both sides drawn...
Drawing a chair
A chair is a common object that you'll probably put in your cartoons in some form or another when creating a story line with characters and their surroundings. Chapter 9 shows you how to draw a chair. To draw a chair from two-point perspective, which is probably the way you'll most frequently draw it, just line up each angle to the respective vanishing points on the horizon line. In two point perspective, vanishing points need to exist on the same horizon line. Figure 12-7 shows a chair from...
A Leg to Stand on Drawing Legs and Feet
Legs carry your character, literally and figuratively. Their positioning conveys movement and attitude and helps support the character's unique shape. Many of the characters in this book have a large torso and upper body and smaller legs. However, you can create your character with any legs you want. Figure 7-21 shows a couple of characters with fat and skinny legs legs should be appropriate to a character's body type and help exaggerate his characteristics. In this section I give you the...
The family car
Every family piles into the family cruiser eventually, and in some cartoons, the cars are the stars. A car can add dimension and reality to your cartoon, either as part of the background or as a character see The talking car section later in the chapter . Keep the following in mind when cartooning family cruisers They often have squatty, exaggerated, funny-looking shapes. They're often some kind of SUV or station wagon. They're more accurately rendered if you study current car models to pick up...
Moving into color Comparing RGB and CMYK
Before you can begin to color your artwork, you must convert it from bitmap to grayscale and then to a color mode. You may wonder why you can't save it directly into a color mode. In order to ensure that your line art is crisp and true black, you must scan it in first as a bitmap. If you scanned it in directly as a color file, the line art would appear dark gray and the file would probably be too big to work on without using up too much of your computer's memory. Also, Photoshop doesn't allow...
A room with a view setting the scene indoors
Creating a room for your characters is like being a set designer. You have to know all the elements that go into the setting, what looks good, and what works best for the story line. To get a good feel for what goes into designing the indoor sets for your cartoon, take some time and walk around your own house and take some notes. How does your kitchen look and how is it laid out What about the bathrooms and bedrooms And the den Making sure you include the right furniture, wall hangings,...
Experimenting with your handwriting
When you write your lettering by hand, you can also experiment with different scripts, varying them with different cartoons or to change the mood or feel of a cartoon. Your options are endless, so take a notepad and try different ones. However, when you decide to go down this road, you need to make sure your lettering is consistent from cartoon to cartoon so that readers can easily identify your work. For example, you may create a standard-looking cartoon lettering in capital letters, like in...
Experimenting with Male Body Types
Most cartoons have a leading male character that readers can relate to. Your core characters can be as eclectic as you want them to be, but most cartoons are home to certain easily recognized stereotypes. Remember that when I talk about stereotypes, I'm talking about personalities and traits that are universal and familial to the specific character and not about negative images or ideas. For example, the father character always yelling at the teenager to mow the lawn can be true and funny. This...
Looking for honest feedback
If your mom was like most, you probably grew up hearing how wonderful you are. Mom was probably your biggest cheerleader, telling everyone who would listen that her kid was going to be the next Charles Schulz. From a Parenting 101 standpoint, encouraging your kids in their artistic pursuits is one of the best things a parent can do. However, the downside of buying into mom's beliefs is that you may have never done an honest evaluation of your work. Friends' opinions don't count, either. Because...
Adding Humor to Your Story Lines Good Writing Trumps Bad Art
One of the most fundamental principles in the comics industry is that good writing always trumps bad art. Basically, you can spend all the time in the world drawing your comics and sketching your characters in all sorts of elaborate and wonderful ways, but unless you can come up with innovative and fresh ideas, write well, have good comic timing, and have something funny to say, you're bound for the trash heap of history. The history of cartoons is filled with the carcasses of dead comic strips...
Drawing the actual ear
When drawing the ear, don't overlook the inside of the ear. Capturing the inside of the ear accurately makes your character's ears look believable. From the outside, the ear is made up of a couple of parts Pinnas It forms the outer ear shape with the earlobe at the bottom. Meatus The inner part of the ear and the ear canal where your eardrum is located. Figure 6-18 shows an example of a completed left ear with a close-up of the inner part of the ear. You draw the right ear the same way, only...
Pets Are People Too Drawing Classic Cartoon Animals
Like their real-life counterparts, many cartoon families have at least one pet. The pet is often a dog, but it can just as easily be a cat, fish, or gerbil. You're limited only by your imagination when it comes to introducing animals into your cartoon families. If you prefer, you can make animals the only characters in your cartoon, like the comic strip Pogo does. In such cartoons, your animals can conform to stereotypes the mean rat, the kingly lion, the sneaky snake, and so forth or you can...
Utilizing word balloons
Word balloons are unique to cartoons. The word balloon is that round bubble with a squiggly tail that floats around inside most cartoons and contains dialogue or a character's thoughts. When you draw word balloons, you have a couple of basic options Round and symmetric, as in Figure 13-6a Unstructured or organic and blended into the surrounding art, as in Figure 13-6b Deciding what kind of word balloons to use really depends on the overall style and feel of your line art. If your style is loose...
The little kid
Little kids are always fun characters to draw because they're so easy to caricature, and like babies, they're appealing and cute. Many of the longest-running comic strips have kids at their center. The following are a few traits or patterns that the little kid possesses Large head Typically topped with hair that looks like a bird's nest. Oversized sneakers, with all sorts of colors and fun designs on them. Always wears shorts Because he's always on the move. When drawing the little kid...
They Came from Outer Space
One of the great things about being a cartoonist is the ability to take liberties with reality and create your own interpretation of the world around you. This is especially true when creating unique and out-of-this-world characters literally and figuratively so you may want to include aliens, robots, and other creatures in your cartoons. Because nobody has ever seen an alien unless you believe the UFO conspiracists , your aliens can have any look you want them to have one eye and antennae...
Getting Your Workspace Ready to Go
Setting up your drawing area Choosing a worktable Purchasing the necessary supplies Deciding on a computer and other equipment Getting the right software m n order to be able to draw cartoons on a regular basis, you need a little area devoted to your craft. Although drawing cartoons at the kitchen table is perfectly okay, having a dedicated area set up for drawing is not only more efficient it's also more fun The right lighting, a well-appointed drawing table, a comfortable chair, and the...
Creating drama with action words
You can add as much show and fervor to your comics as you like, and doing so with a handwritten font is easy. Everybody is familiar with the classic comic book action-style words like BOOM , POW , and WHAM These words and the way they're drawn create a sense of action and add drama to the visual story line. They can also serve as an important artistic element to the overall cartoon. You can see how this type of bold lettering can convey action and is dynamic in its visual impact and expression,...
Utilizing twopoint perspective
With two-point perspective, your drawing has lines parallel to two different angles. You can have any number of vanishing points in a drawing, one for each separate set of parallel lines that are at an angle relative to the plane of the drawing. If you have more than one vanishing point in two-point perspective, all the vanishing points have to exist on the same horizon line in other words, at the same eye level perspective. You can use two-point perspective to draw the same objects that you...
The joys of white correction fluid
Of all the correction methods I use, the one I use most often is white correction fluid. Correction fluids are opaque fluids originally created to be applied to paper to mask errors in text, specifically those made by a typewriter. However, they're also excellent for covering up mistakes made in black ink. The correction fluid generally has great coverage so you can correct the mistake in one smooth layer. Correction fluid is typically packaged in small bottles. The lid has a small, attached,...
Adding facial hair
Facial hair is an element that can be character-specific and help define a character in a certain stereotype. Facial hair can come in many styles and shapes, ranging from full beards to goatees to sideburns. A mustache is another element that can change the entire look of a character. To draw a mustache or other dominating facial hair, determine how it will affect the character's look. To draw a mustache, begin at the corners of the outer nose, about level with each left and right nostril. Draw...
Telling the story in shadow
A four-panel comic layout can be boring and repetitive if each panel looks the same. One way to add a little variety is to have the images or characters in one of the panels appear in shadow or silhouette. Using shadows and silhouettes in the course of comic storytelling can be a powerful way to communicate mood or tone. For example, if the first two panels of your cartoon are action-oriented and then you pull back to show the characters in shadow or silhouette in panel three, the art and punch...
The girl next door
Everyone loves the girl next door, and you can always tell who she is she's pretty but not seductive, her makeup is understated, and she's kind to small children and animals, not to mention her parents. She's the all-American cheerleader type with a bubbly personality. The following are a few traits or patterns that the girl next door possesses The looks of an active cheerleader type She's thin but looks athletic. Very little makeup She doesn't need it When drawing the girl next door, keep the...
Looking at ear shapes and sizes
You can create all kinds of shapes and sizes for ears. When drawing your character's ears, their look and shape can say a lot about the character. Big ears make your character look goofy, while pointed ears can make your character look sinister or even otherworldly, like a vampire or a Vulcan Ears are a very noticeable feature if you draw them too big or oddly, they may be the dominating feature that readers see. Figure 6-20 shows an assortment of ear shapes and sizes for you to consider when...
Focusing on the fridge
The refrigerator's nice rectangular shape is similar to the boxy or square shape of many other household items, such as TVs, beds, radios, microwave ovens, toasters, and so on. Chapter 9 shows you how to draw different household appliances. To draw your fridge in two-point perspective, you need to line up two different angles so that they meet two different vanishing points on the same horizon line, if you were to draw a ruler out as far as the line goes. However, most of the time, the...
Drawing onepoint perspective
A one-point perspective drawing is a drawing with a single vanishing point on the horizon line. This is the standard receding railroad tracks phenomenon demonstrated in Figure 12-2. You typically use one-point perspective for objects that have lines either directly parallel with the viewer's line of sight or directly perpendicular such as railroad slats . So you can use one-point perspective for roads, railroad tracks, or buildings with the front directly facing the viewer. Figure 12-3 shows an...
Considering Various sizes and shapes
Like most things in the world of cartooning, you won't find fast or firm rules when it comes to creating a nose. Choosing a shape and size is up to you, but the nose should be appropriate to the character and his personality and should be in keeping with your own cartooning style. As in the real world, nose shapes and sizes are often specific to men and women, the young and the old, and the fat and the thin. Males tend to have large noses the older a man gets, the bigger his nose can become, in...
Starting on the right foot
To draw legs, start by deciding if your character is going to have small legs or bulky ones. Remember, classic cartoon characters tend to have simplistic body types and body parts. The legs are often very simple in structure, so the key is not to overdo it. To draw this type of legs and feet, refer to Figure 7-22 and follow these steps Start your legs with two straight lines and then fill in the details. Start your legs with two straight lines and then fill in the details. 1. From the bottom of...
Drawing threepoint perspective
Another option you have for adding perspective to your cartoons is to use the three-point perspective. You can use three-point perspective for things like buildings seen from above. In addition to the two vanishing points from the two-point perspective one for each wall a three-point perspective drawing has another vanishing point where those walls recede into the ground the third vanishing point is actually below the ground . Another common use of three-point perspective is a drawing that...
Happy or laughing face
A happy, smiling, or laughing face is a pleasant face and one your readers will enjoy. A smile can be a simple line you draw all the way across your character's face or a short line right under his nose. A smile can be as big and wide as you want to make it. However, always make sure it turns up at the ends otherwise it may be a frown Happy, smiling, and laughing faces are contagious facial expressions. If you want to show your character with a happy or smiling face, as in Figure 6-28, remember...
Drawing the head from all angles
Drawing a head from different angles is an important element of layout and also impacts the way characters visually communicate with one another. For example, having a character in the foreground talk with a character drawn in the background requires that the character in the foreground turn around and face the background character. Visually, you draw the back of the head of the characters in the foreground. Figure 6-9 demonstrates an example. In this cartoon the character is looking out a...
Mad or angry face
Your characters are bound to get mad or angry sometimes. In fact, one of the most common stereotypes in the cartoon world is the wife who's mad usually with good reason at her husband. Where the writers come up with that, no one will ever know . . . right, guys If you want to show your character being mad or angry check out Figure 6-26 , incorporate these important facial traits Eyebrows are turned sharply down. Mouth is open and teeth are exposed like a growling dog. Cheeks are tight and...
The modern mom
Many family cartoons have the modern mom at the center of the action. Today's modern mom is really the boss of the family. You only have to glance at every classic cartoon mom to know who wears the pants in the family The key to capturing the modern mom in your cartoons is to capture her unique body type. The following are a few traits or patterns that the all-American mom possesses Appealing but not sexy She has definite mom hips. Perky and happy-looking Unless she's yelling at someone Stylish...
Juggling multiple elements in perspective
Most of the time, you won't be drawing cartoons with just a single element chances are you'll be drawing objects in relation to other objects around them. Consequently, it's important to demonstrate how multiple objects work in connection to one another in two- and three-point perspectives. For example, if you draw a chair, you'll probably draw the objects that sit near the chair, such as a table and a lamp. To make sure these items are in two-point perspective, the lines of all the objects...
Putting a Face on an Inanimate Object
The great thing about the world of cartooning is that you can give personality to anything. The key is to add human characteristics to objects, including the way the object moves and how you make the object express itself. You can humanize any object by giving it eyes, ears, and a big mouth. By humanizing inanimate objects, you can create offbeat and unique cartoon characters to give your comic a life of its own. The next sections look at a few examples of how to draw and humanize inanimate...
Buggin out eyes
Saturday morning cartoons we watched as kids wouldn't be the same without someone's eyes bugging out This is a trait usually reserved for characters who see something they can't believe they're seeing, like a ghost or monster, or a picture of a really pretty girl. You can see this technique in Bugs Bunny cartoons from the 1940s as well as the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoons of today. It's a classic technique and one that's just plain fun to watch. To draw this effect, you need to exaggerate your...
The matronly grandmother
Grandma is unlikely to be the star of the strip, but she often shows up in family cartoons. You'll know grandma's here because she's no fly on the wall. Remember that grandma's other job title is mother-in-law, and they're always fun The following are a few traits or patterns that grandma possesses A squatty, round body that's fun to hug. A short, tight hairstyle that's usually tinted blue. Multilayered clothing like sweaters and long dresses. When drawing grandma, keep the preceding traits in...
Funny Animated Giraffe Pictures
The cartoon animal world extends far beyond dogs, cats, and goldfish. Family pets aren't the only animals in comic strips any animal, insect, or creature from your imagination can be the star of the show. If drawing common household pets isn't your thing, branch out into other animal cartoon characters. Certain well-known stereotypes can be a big part of your cartoon humor, such as the elephant that never forgets anything. You can also play against that stereotype, though, with an elephant that...
