How to Draw Cartoon Characters

Believable and unique characters are the most important part of a good cartoon. The characters are drawn simply with details left out, and some features are exaggerated. Follow the steps below for drawing cartoon characters.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Eraser
• Markers
• Colored Pencils

1. Begin with pencil, and quickly and loosely sketch basic shapes forming the character's figure. Break down all parts of the body into basic ovals, circles, boxes, curves and lines.

2. Think about personality of the character. The characteristics need to definitely fit the personality of the character. The character may be anything, from grumpy to friendly, brave to cowardly, hero or villain.

3. Draw the character standing in the correct posture. A character with a head down and hands in the pocket is probably shy. A character with broad shoulders that stands tall is probably brave or confident.

4. Dress the character carefully. The right clothes are very important. The right clothes for the character might be military uniform, blue jeans with holes in the knees, or a spandex super-hero uniform.

5. Consider the subliminal effects including certain shapes the character may have. Curves and circles usually indicate a friendly or childlike person, while triangles and sharp angles look threatening. Reliable, string and hero-like characters are usually squared and solid in the face and body shape.

6. Make the face very expressive. The eyes alone give away very much of the character's personality. Eyes can look nervous, frightened, thoughtful, confident or suspicious. The shape of face is very important in indicating the age of the character. Youthful faces are round with big, round eyes. Mean faces are often long and skinny with small, beady eyes.

7. Once a satisfying character is drawn, darken the lines with ink or marker. Then the picture is ready to color. Pencils, markers or paint work the best.