This article will give you some fundamental principles to follow to improve your cartoons. Simplicity is the best way to keep your cartoons looking good and professional. The viewers eyes should be able to flow naturally through the comic from the picture to the caption or words. Too much happening in your cartoon will confuse your readers. The main idea of a comic strip is to create a drawing with a few words to help others have a laugh. So keeping it simple is key.
Drawing cartoon hands and feet is no big deal. They can be drawn with three or four fingers and toes. There's no need to get bogged down in details. Just remember to keep the basic hand and foot shapes and you'll be fine. You can always tuck them in a pocket or make your characters wear shoes.
Backgrounds should be done carefully and with thought. No need to go into a lot of detail, just keep the main focus on your characters and maintain a simple and neat image to convey the context of your joke. Too much background takes away from your main characters and the meaning of your cartoon. Tell your joke and simplify your background.
Composition can not be overlooked. Cartoonists need to practice good composition. Their comics must have balance and harmony within the whole area of the comic. Learn to balance your drawings through use of white space or black space, or adding and removing objects. This takes some practice and should be studied. With lots of practice it will come more naturally.
Before beginning a cartoon it is necessary to think about your characters and what they will be like. Develop each character fully. You can practice on scratch paper or just dive right in after mentally thinking about your character. It is important to portray what your character's personality is like through your drawing. Facial expressions and body language tell a lot about a character.
Think of the punch line as the fruition of your entire cartoon. If they don't get it, forget it. A good punch line seems natural and inevitable. Study your favorite comic strips and see how it is done. Test different punch lines on your friends and family. Watching your favorite comedians can help you learn as well.
Perspective is the next thing you'll need to add to your cartoonist's toolkit. Perspective should be considered in every cartoon. Objects that appear to be closer to you are larger. Objects in the background are smaller and smaller as they get farther away. Perspective keeps your cartoons looking believable and a sense of order.
Try to work in good light and be kind to yourself and draft all your cartoons in pencil first. When you feel comfortable, use ink and wash techniques to finish out your cartoon. Most professional cartoonists work in pen and ink, but some of the newer high-quality markers are very nice to use, too. Use what you are comfortable with. This process takes a lot of practice but it is worth it. Your comics will have a professional look and will be ready to send them out to get published. Launching a web site full of your comics is a great way to get your art noticed. Keep your chin up, you will receive some rejection letters, but, once you fill up the wall with them you will possibly receive your first acceptance letter.
Drawing cartoon hands and feet is no big deal. They can be drawn with three or four fingers and toes. There's no need to get bogged down in details. Just remember to keep the basic hand and foot shapes and you'll be fine. You can always tuck them in a pocket or make your characters wear shoes.
Backgrounds should be done carefully and with thought. No need to go into a lot of detail, just keep the main focus on your characters and maintain a simple and neat image to convey the context of your joke. Too much background takes away from your main characters and the meaning of your cartoon. Tell your joke and simplify your background.
Composition can not be overlooked. Cartoonists need to practice good composition. Their comics must have balance and harmony within the whole area of the comic. Learn to balance your drawings through use of white space or black space, or adding and removing objects. This takes some practice and should be studied. With lots of practice it will come more naturally.
Before beginning a cartoon it is necessary to think about your characters and what they will be like. Develop each character fully. You can practice on scratch paper or just dive right in after mentally thinking about your character. It is important to portray what your character's personality is like through your drawing. Facial expressions and body language tell a lot about a character.
Think of the punch line as the fruition of your entire cartoon. If they don't get it, forget it. A good punch line seems natural and inevitable. Study your favorite comic strips and see how it is done. Test different punch lines on your friends and family. Watching your favorite comedians can help you learn as well.
Perspective is the next thing you'll need to add to your cartoonist's toolkit. Perspective should be considered in every cartoon. Objects that appear to be closer to you are larger. Objects in the background are smaller and smaller as they get farther away. Perspective keeps your cartoons looking believable and a sense of order.
Try to work in good light and be kind to yourself and draft all your cartoons in pencil first. When you feel comfortable, use ink and wash techniques to finish out your cartoon. Most professional cartoonists work in pen and ink, but some of the newer high-quality markers are very nice to use, too. Use what you are comfortable with. This process takes a lot of practice but it is worth it. Your comics will have a professional look and will be ready to send them out to get published. Launching a web site full of your comics is a great way to get your art noticed. Keep your chin up, you will receive some rejection letters, but, once you fill up the wall with them you will possibly receive your first acceptance letter.
About the Author:
Pam Neely can show you how to learn to draw. Check out her site to find hundreds of free drawing tutorials, including how to draw cartoons.
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