How to Lean to Draw Funny People

Avoid "cartoon eye" by understanding human anatomy before drawing funny people.

Teaching yourself how to draw funny people, or caricatures, can be somewhat difficult, especially if you do not have a strong base in life drawing. Life drawing skills may seem unnecessary in order to draw exaggerated cartoons or caricatures. However, it is key to understand the human form before trying to exaggerate it. Caricatures drawn with no knowledge of basic human anatomy often look stiff and without movement. Before embarking on a career in the cartooning business, educate yourself on illustration basics.

Things You'll Need

• Sketchbook
• Pencil, charcoal or other drawing material

Instructions

1. 

   Learn drawing basics.

   Take a basic drawing class at a community college or other educational institution. Check your area for drawing studios or look at basic drawing tutorials online at sites like Drawspace.com or ToadHollowStudio.com. Learning about line quality, shading, types of media and other basics is important when learning to draw.

2. 

   Understanding human anatomy is key when learning to draw caricatures.

   Enroll in a life drawing class. Life drawing classes involve quick sketches, lessons in movement and detailed drawings of human models, who often pose nude to demonstrate the muscles and curves of the human body. Instructors will often have students draw 5- to 10-second movement sketches, giving you an idea of natural movement.

3. 

   Pick out a person's most apparent features to exaggerate.

   Look at photographs of people and pick out their most apparent features to determine which features to exaggerate. For example, if a person has a pronounced nose, pointed-peaked lips or ears that stick out, these will be the best features to exaggerate.

4. 

   Do quick sketches exaggerating different features.

   Draw quick sketches of the person, exaggerating their pronounced features. For example, a big nose should be drawn bigger or close-set eyes should be drawn closer. Make several quick sketches to practice the flow and movement of your stroke, as well as experiment with different features. If a person has very curly hair, a pointed chin and thick eyebrows, alternate between feature exaggerations in the sketches. For instance, make sketches of the person with each feature exaggerated by itself, two features exaggerated at one time and then all three features at once.

5. Utilize your life drawing skills to sketch an exaggerated body type of the person. Take what you know about human anatomy and exaggerate it. For example, draw short and stumpy legs, overly large breasts or a bubbly potbelly. Use the attributes of the person to determine what parts of the body to alter in the same manner as facial features.

6. 

   Finalize the piece.

   Draw the final piece once you have sketched a funny person that you like. Keep the initial drawing somewhat loose, as this will preserve the movement and flow of the piece. Go back in and finalize the piece with sharper lines, color, shading or any other details.

References

• F. Nelson; Drawing Instructor; Chicago, IL

Resources

• Drawspace
• Toad Hollow Studio