How to Make Kids Cartoons

Cartoons are a great way to sneak information and lessons into a kid's imaginative brain. Cartoons for children can be informative, as well as funny. This can help the lesson take hold and be remembered. Creating cartoons for children can be done as part of a lesson plan or simply as way to bring humor and joy to kids. Children's cartoons can be drawn with simple shapes and characters but that doesn't mean they have to be boring. Creating interesting and compelling characters is essential to making quality children's cartoons.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Black ink pen
• Eraser
• Ruler
• Art markers

Instructions

Make a Child's Cartoon

1. 

   Plan your cartoon in small thumbnail sketches, three panels wide. Redraw the cartoon several times and select the best to create a final cartoon.

2. 

   Draw three squares with a ruler for your frames. Add the figures using basic shapes like a circle for the head and a long oval for the body.

3. 

   Draw each character's unique features. Create the noses with large or small curved semi circles depending on the character. Add the eyes or glasses with ovals and the mouth with a curved line. Create the hair with a curved line around the head.

4. 

   Draw t-shirts on the characters with a line across their upper arms for the sleeves, a curved line on across the neck for the collar and a line across the waist for the bottom of the shirt. Draw a button-down collar with two triangles on the side of the neck. Add a tie with a square with a long rectangle attached to the bottom of the square.

5. 

   Add speech bubbles with a diagonal "V" shape slightly above and to the side of each character's mouth. Write the dialogue lightly in pencil to ensure proper spacing. Draw a circle around the dialogue and connect this to the "V" shape.

6. 

   Ink all of the lines are the cartoon that you wish to keep. Let the ink dry and carefully erase the pencil lines. Color the cartoon using art markers. Use bright colors to capture kids' imaginations and don't be afraid to use strange colors like blue and green for skin colors.

Tips & Warnings

• You can leave the speech bubbles blank and make photocopies to create multiple cartoons.

• Be sure to let the ink dry completely before erasing the pencil or the cartoon will smudge.

References

• How to Draw and Sell Cartoons, Ross Thomson, 1985
• How to Draw Blitz Cartoons, Bruce Blitz, 1991

Resources

• Create cartoon strips online.