How to Make a Cartoon Man
Memorable cartoons are those that succeed in conveying a character with a distinctive personality. The expression, clothing, posture and speech of the image should work together to tell a visual story. Avoid using professional drawing materials when you first begin drawing, as they are expensive and irrelevant to the character development process. There is no single drawing style or medium that will automatically result in a hit character.
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Instructions
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Draw a circle one quarter from the top of the page; this is the head.
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Draw a straight line from the circle to represent the length of the torso. Determine if the character is sitting, standing, lying down or in motion and angle the torso accordingly, e.g., a comic runner with torso thrust forward, a tired father with bent torso, a serious businessman standing tall.
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Draw a horizontal line at the base of the torso; this is the width of the man at the hips.
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4
Sketch two lines, legs, from either end of the hip. Divide the line by a central joint, the knee.
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Add two short lines at the end of either leg; these are the feet. Draw a faint horizontal line to serve as the ground slightly above the base of the man's ankles. Make sure both feet meet the ground at a believable angle; don't place one foot on the horizontal line and the other at the base of the page, unless this is the intended effect.
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Build up the limbs with mass. For legs draw parallel lines on either side of the guidelines forming a rectangle, then taper the lines from the knee downward. Add curves for muscle.
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Dress the character. Give your cartoon character a shirt, pants and accessories that define his position, job or personality, e.g., a politician in a suit, a baker in flour-covered clothes, a musician carrying a guitar, a starving artist covered in paint but nude.
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Add a face. Draw eyes, a nose, mouth and ears that convey an expression. Examine your own face in the mirror to determine the facial features that define a given emotion. For example, anger is conveyed by small eyes, furrowed brow, thin lips and flared nostrils.
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Review the character and exaggerate features that define your character. A weary traveler may have worn-out shoes, a suitcase covered in stickers, empty pockets and fistfuls of useless souvenirs.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Patrick Ryan/Lifesize/Getty Images
