A Lesson On How To Draw Cartoon Characters Step By Step

By Shanna McNeil


Drawing cartoons can really be a fun hobby especially if one is a fan of cartoon shows and comics. The problem with most beginner artists these days is that they do not follow the sketching process. So here is a short guide on how to draw cartoon characters step by step.

Before actually creating the character, one must first draw a framework made out of lines. These lines will enable the artist to have an easier time drawing the pose of the character. However, if he is making a fully body drawing of a cartoon that is doing some dramatic pose, he should draw lines to guide him.

The first thing that one would usually sketch would be the head. For that, he must first start of with a circle which will serve as a guide when drawing the face. After that, he should put lines on where he wants to position the eyes, the nose, and the mouth. From this, he can slowly start to create the face and add other details like the ears and the hair.

After the head is done, obviously the upper body would be next. In order to make the upper body, he has to start first with a big oblong and little oblongs attached to the upper corners of the big one for the shoulders. From there, he can slowly trace the body and create the body shape that he wants. From the shoulders he can then start going towards the arms and the hands.

To do the arms and hands, one must first roughly sketch a long shape that looks like a sausage for the arms and a small circle for the hands. From there, he can sketch the arms and decide to make it muscular, thin, or fat. Drawing the hands will be a bit difficult because it is the part that needs the most detail. From the circle, he should slowly put fingers on the corners and work his way from there.

The last part to draw would be the lower body and the legs. Once again, he should start with two long circular sausage shapes for the legs and two small circles for the feet. Now if he is drawing a female character, he must take note that he should make the hips wider because that is the body shape of a woman. From these basic shapes, he can now create the legs and draw the feet.

Now that the drawing of the character is complete, one should add some extra finishing touches to make the character look good. It is in this part that the artist has to take note of the shadows and lighting because he will be shading some parts of his character to give a nice effect. Once he has determined which parts to shade, he should color in those parts in one direction so that there is coherence.

So basically, that is how to draw cartoon characters step by step. As an artist, one should never rush when drawing cartoons because it will ruin the work. Always remember to sketch slowly and surely while paying attention to all the details.




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