How to draw cartoon characters. How to draw cartoon characters in stages with a pencil

Children are the main audience for viewing various kinds of cartoons. A good cartoonist is one who can extract the basic features of an object or person and simplify them to capture the attention of a child. Masters such as Walt Disney, Hanna and Barbera, Chuck Jones, Jim Henson, Walter Lantz and many others, by studying children's opinions and perceptions, have achieved the fascination of the whole world with their magical and eternal characters. In this lesson, we will consider how to draw cartoon characters easily and correctly, from which both children and adults will be delighted.

The final version will look like this:

Lesson details:

• Complexity: Medium
• Estimated completion time: 2 hours

Understanding Human Perception

Man is a creature that has a very interesting feature - we can transform details that form a very complex structure or object into a fairly simple form.

Can you tell that the two images below represent the same object?

It may seem strange that you can look at an image and say it's a car.

What happens to most people, other than artists, who can't get all the details of a car, the sight of a dog, or the features of a child's face out of memory? They begin to associate very simple and primitive forms with the specific features of each object. So, for example, how many children came home from school with a piece of paper like this in their hand and said, "It's mom and dad!"?

You don't want to draw like that, do you? If you don't want to, let's pick up a pencil and start drawing!

1. Creation of the first character

The basic shape of the cartoon shape will be a circle. The circle is all that is needed. From the circle you can determine the basic proportions of the character's head.

Draw vertical and horizontal lines that intersect at the center of the circle, as in the picture below:

Step 1

We draw the eyes of an oval shape with a slight slope on the sides. Necessaryleave a gap between the eyes about the same size as the eye.

Step 2

In the upper part of the ovals of the eyes, we slightly denote the character's eyelashes. Draw above the eyelasheseyebrows that convey a kind of surprise. Draw the shape of the eyebrows that you get, in the future you will adapt to your own style.

Draw the pupils so that they are centered (this is a very effective tactic used by cartoonists to make characters more likable).

Advice: to give more life to the eyes, you can draw a small line under them to simulate wrinkles.This is another very interesting tactic that gives a special flavor to the facial expressions of the character.

Step 3

Now the most interesting part of the lesson. It is at this stage that we will determine what our character will be: thin, fat, young, old. Our character will be young.

Draw the jaw:

Step 4

The nose will be from the front. In order not to use a lot of details, let's draw it in general terms. Quite often, the nose is drawn in detailon one side of the face due to the fact that the light falls on only one side.

Step 5

Our character is a child. We make a mouth - something simple and with an expression of innocence.

Please note that in cartoon style children, regardless of gender, have a fairly simple mouth shape without lips.

Step 6

The shape of the ears is quite simple.

Step 7

Finishing the boy's haircut.

I don't know how to draw hair. Help!

You don't have to be a designer or a stylist to draw the perfect hair. There is no right way to draw hair, so you should try until you get the right one for the occasion. Just remember that the shape of the hair can convey certain personality traits of the character. Oddly enough, hair can express age, rebellion, conservatism. Incredible, right? And what is your hairstyle?

An accurate and fast way to draw cartoon hair is to search for the corresponding photo on the Internet! Once you've found the perfect style, place an example image next to a tablet or piece of paper and start designing a simplified version of it.

First character completed successfully! Congratulations!

Now let's work on another character using the same template as for the boy.

2. Create an older character

Step 1

Let's start with the eyes. This time we will draw faster, adding wrinkles, eyebrows and pupils of the eyes. Please note that we have not changed much, but just slightly expanded the eyebrows. Older people have thicker eyebrows that take up more space on the forehead. We draw eyelashes in the same way as in the previous version.

Step 2

The chin will be slightly larger than the previous character.

Step 3

We create a nose. The form is completely different. Please note that the nostrils are very close to the bottom of the eyes. The idea is to get a good result by exaggerating parts of the body a little.

Step 4

Instead of a mouth, draw a big mustache.

Step 5

Add the same ears as the boy. However, the hair will be of a different shape - add a little on the sides, and leave a bald patch on top.

Our character looks like a mad scientist.

3. Creating a female character

Create a sister for the boy:

How did it happen so fast? Very simple... Women have a thinner facial structure. Consider some features:

• thin eyebrows;
• larger and more expressive eyelashes;
• thinner chin;
• small nose with fewer details;
• long hair.

That's all! Once you start to feel more confident, you can draw some more characters with different details.

4. Mimicry

Let's draw a girl after receiving the news that the school holidays are over.

Now let's go back to the boy and ask his opinion on this matter:

It feels like he's up to something!

Pay attention to the changes in the boy's face:

• one eyebrow below the other;
• eyes half closed;
• smile added (one side higher than the other, in line with the eyebrows);
• the pupils moved under the eyelashes.

And that's it! Everything is easy!

5. Draw in profile

Let's draw two circles.

We will create a boy and a girl in profile:

The ear remained in the center of the circle.

Pay attention to these details when composing male and female characters:

• the boy has thicker eyebrows;
• the girl's chin is slightly pushed forward;
• the girl's nose is thinner and sharper;
• A boy doesn't have eyelashes when a girl has big and thick ones.

6. Play with angles

Eyes, nose, mouth, ears - all these details make the face change its shape when viewed from different angles. This is often seen in cartoon characters.

Notice how real eyes are simplified when converted to cartoon.

The actual shape of the nose is made up of several cartilages. His form is radically simplified in the cartoon.

Understanding how the mouth behaves at different angles is essential. Remove unnecessary details and try to keep only the basic shape of the lips. The ears are also greatly simplified.

Now we will put into practice all that we have learned. Below are circles with arrows that show the direction of view. We can practice our drawing skills in various positions:

Note the eyes for each of the circles:

Now let's add a different jaw shape:

You can complete the drawings yourself, based on the knowledge that was provided to you in this lesson. Remember:

• the face must be simplified and rounded;
• exaggerate some parts of the face and its expression.

Once you have managed to outline the direction of the eyes and choose the appropriate chins, try to use your creativity and finish the drawing. If you draw at least 10 minutes a day according to the rules presented here, you will be able to draw cartoon faces as easy as breathing.

Let's summarize the drawing of characters:

1. Draw a circle for the skull;
2. Set the direction in which the character will look;
3. We make an oval eye contour;
4. Draw the pupils of the eyes that look at the nose if you want to create a cute character. Don't forget the eyelashes;
5. Choosing the right eyebrows depending on age and gender;
6. We create the corresponding jaws;
7. Add simple ears without unnecessary details;
8. We search for the necessary hairstyle on Google and use it in our sketch;
9. Let's celebrate!

Here's what happened:

An example of how to use the same template to create different emotions. Note that only the eyelashes and eyebrows have been changed. Nothing more!

7. Study of nationalities

We are nearing the end of the lesson. I would like to encourage you to continue to experiment with facial expressions and, if possible, explore the face more. Learn how the eyes and mouth behave in different situations. Take a look at different nationalities and learn their key features.

For example, African Americans have a slightly flattened nose and more rounded cheekbones.

Whenever possible, try to draw your characters more realistically. Watch behind the behavior of people in real life.Look at photographs, study the style of your favorite artist, or look online for inspiration. TOWhen we turn to real life, we can extract quality information for our sketches.But remember: observing the real world does not mean copying it!You want your character to be unique and not a copy of the real one, right?

Great job!

Now you know the basic methods that are used by the best multipliers around the world. Good luck!

We hope you enjoyed the lesson.

Explore other techniques for drawing cartoon character heads.

The only limit is the sky!

Translation - Duty.

The most vivid childhood memories are somehow connected with cartoons. We tried to imitate our favorite characters, getting up earlier on the day off to watch the Merry-Go-Round. And when Duck Tales began, there was a holiday in general. Today we will learn how to draw cartoon characters. It will be interesting even for adults.

Let's get a Dalmatian

You can't argue about tastes. Someone likes Soviet cartoons, where the wolf is a dangerous, but very kind hero, and the bunny is a positive and cunning character. And someone just loves the cartoons of Walt Disney, who became famous all over the world. You can list the names of your favorite cartoons indefinitely.

Read also:

Remember this charming cartoon about 101 Dalmatians? Mischievous, funny, funny and funny puppies now and then hooligans or fought evil. Today we will tell you how to draw cartoon characters in stages with a pencil. And let's start with one of the main characters of a fascinating western cartoon - a Dalmatian. You can think of a nickname for him.

Necessary materials:

• simple pencil;
• paper;
• eraser;
• compass.

• Draw a circle at the top of the sheet.
• Move the axis a little to the right side and draw two guide lines. They intersect, but not in the center.
• From these lines in the form of an unfinished oval, draw two eyes.
• In the middle, in the form of an inverted triangle with rounded corners, draw a nose.
• We need to immediately draw the line of the muzzle. Let's start drawing it from the right eye.
• On the inside of the eye, draw a line and draw it out of the circle in a straight line.
• Now let's draw a small arc, a connection and another arc. If you look closely, these are the ovals of the letter "B" upside down.

• From the outer side of the right eye, draw another contour of the muzzle.
• Above the eyes in the form of arcs, draw eyebrows. We thicken them with the help of additional lines.
• From the previously drawn line of the muzzle, draw a smooth curved line - this will be the dog's mouth.
• On the left side, in the form of an irregular rectangle with rounded corners, draw an eye.

• Draw a line down from the left ear - this will be the neck.
• On the right side of the muzzle, draw a raised ear.
• In the form of an oval, draw a tongue and divide it in the middle with a smooth line.

• Draw two circles below the neck. One at the front is larger and the other at the back is slightly smaller. These circles will help us correctly position the puppy's body in space.
• In the form of four curved lines, draw the paws of the Dalmatian.

• In the back, we smoothly connect the neck with the outline of the circle, erase the rest of the lines with an eraser.
• We draw voluminous front paws, making a smooth transition to the body, and then the hind legs.

• Below on the paws we will draw divisions to give volume.
• Draw a collar on the neck, consisting of two parallel lines and an oval pendant.
• We randomly distribute oblong-shaped spots throughout the body.

• The drawing can be colored with paints or a pencil.
• It is necessary to paint over with black part of the ear, the mouth inside and the spots on the body of the Dalmatian.

Bambi the elephant is my favorite character

Many children are interested in learning how to draw Disney cartoon characters. The characters of animated series and feature films by Walt Disney are always distinguished by their colorfulness and bright appearance. They are all cute and lovely. In today's art lesson, we will learn how to draw a funny baby elephant Bambi step by step.

Necessary materials:

• simple pencil;
• eraser;
• colour pencils;
• black marker;
• paper.

Step by step description of the creative process:

• We will start drawing by drawing a large oval diagonally. This will be the body.
• Draw a circle on the right side of the oval. This will be the elephant's head.
• Draw ears on both sides of the head circumference, pay attention to their shape. You can draw rectangles and then extrude and round the corners.

• Let's draw all the details of the head.
• Let's draw an oblong proboscis, eyes and mouth. Let's give our cartoon character a happy expression.

• We erase the auxiliary lines between the body and head with an eraser.

• On the head of the elephant you need to draw a hat.
• First, draw a small oval, and from it up - a rectangle with rounded corners.
• The tip of the hat resembles a triangle and hangs back, so we will bend it to the left side.

• To make the baby elephant beautiful and stylish, draw a scarf around his neck. Let's depict it with several lines, curved in an arc, under the head.

• On the paws of the elephant in the middle we will make small parallel strokes. They will look like folds.
• Let's draw in the form of unfinished ovals the claws on each foot.
• At the back, in the form of an oblong triangle, draw a small tail.

• Once again, circle all the contour lines with a pencil.
• On the muzzle of the elephant, draw the eyes, mouth and tongue.
• We will give the appearance expressiveness and believability.

• Let's look at the sketch. If there are auxiliary lines left, erase them with an eraser.
• Let's color the background first.
• We take a blue pencil and do shading over the entire sheet.
• You can remove the chips from the core of a colored pencil with a blade and shade it with your fingers.
• Color the inside of the ears in beige.
• Color the scarf in bright colors.
• We color the nails with a blue pencil.

• With a black pencil or felt-tip pen, carefully outline the contours.
• Let's make all the lines expressive and clear.
• The torso and head of the baby elephant are painted with a blue pencil.
• Let's color the hat, give expressiveness to the eyes and mouth.

• We just have to do a couple of finishing touches. On the background around the baby elephant, we will hatch with a yellow or bright orange pencil.

This section is dedicated to drawing cartoon characters and only them! Remember how many times your children asked you to teach them how to draw a cartoon? So let's draw!

So, how to draw a cartoon?

The first thing to leave behind the drawing is your problems and bad mood. Toons they literally breathe positive and drawing them is insanely pleasant and exciting. With each stroke of a pencil on paper, a cute cartoon is becoming more and more distinct! It will focus on the small character of the author. The cartoon character, like no other, will point you to the mood of his author. Let's learn how to draw cartoons together with a pencil. A cartoon character can be absolutely anyone ... Sad, cheerful, tired, thoughtful ... And do not worry if a dreary hero comes out from under the author's pen, because the drawing itself will drive away all the author's melancholy. This section contains such beloved cartoons as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob, Family Guy and, of course, Tom and Jerry.

All lessons are adapted for beginners and children, they contain detailed illustrations and necessary tips. We hope that with the help of our lessons, you and your child will be able to breathe life into a cartoon character with just a pencil.

Well? Let's get started and draw our favorite character, shall we? Good luck!

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I will teach you to draw only the head of a cartoon character. Pay attention to the shape of the head, the opening of the mouth and the tongue sticking out of it. And also an important element are the ears of the dog. But, the eyes and everything else also need to be correctly depicted in order to get a beautiful drawing.

We will start as usual with auxiliary lines and not only. We divide the main first step into three stages. The first is the circumference, the topmost part of the head. The second part looks like a figure eight, it will have a large oval nose in the future. And the third is a vertical semi-oval that connects to the second part. All of them intersect or connect with each other. This step will not be difficult, I hope.

Next, draw in the upper part of the head, in a circle, the part where the eyes will be located. We completely redraw the hero from his original in the cartoon. In the central part, depict an oval nose located horizontally and an arc above the nose. And also, small lines on the sides that will form ears in the future.

We finish the upper part of the head, where the crown and eyes are. And also we will improve the place where the ears will stick out. this step is considered the easiest.

Immediately double the line in the mouth area, this is the lowest block. And you also need to draw the eyes. Two small semi-ovals standing side by side. As in the cartoon, we make them small relative to the entire area for the eyes.

The last step is relatively difficult. From the very beginning, we erase the lines that are no longer needed, on top of the head, above the nose and for the tongue. Let's depict a protruding long tongue. And the main element of this step is the ears. The character should have them in different directions, the right one may be slightly larger than the left one.

This is how we learned to draw a cartoon character with a pencil in stages, I hope everything will work out for you and there will be no problems.

The pleasure of creating a cartoon character is immeasurable. The creation and development of a character is not only about drawing his figure: each character has its own shape, personal traits and characteristics. Great if you are already familiar with the basic proportions of the head and the depiction of emotions. But this knowledge is useless if you don't know how to draw a character's torso. The artist must take into account all these details in order to create a character that is believable to the audience.

In animation, there are several different styles for characters, such as "doodle" and "hooligan". Do you want to know more about them? This is what I will teach you in this lesson.

1. How to get started

By the way, the steps that we will take today are very simple. First, draw the basic shape of the figure and then add features and other parts of the body. This is a procedure to follow whether you are drawing a person or an animal, or even an object that you decide to bring to life (for example, make a smiling cup).

Each drawing you make will depend on your work in the sketch phase. At this stage, you should improve your sketch until you are satisfied with the final result.

Once you have decided on the proportions, the next step is to develop expression in body movements, arms and legs. Only one hand position can tell the whole story.

Hands are a vast and complex subject (even in animation) that deserve a separate lesson.

In short, there are no secrets in the character creation process. 95% of artists create characters and they do it by going through certain steps because it makes the process so much easier!

2. Proportions

Proportions are one of the most important factors to consider when creating characters. The artist must remember the relative proportions of the body parts, because based on this we determine the structural features of our characters. For example, a bully has a warlike character, so he will have a small head, but his chest will be very impressive! His arms and legs are strong and well defined, as are his large cheekbones. In contrast, the modest character is based on the proportions of a child, with a larger head than the body. And all this in round shapes! Other parts such as the forehead and large eyes are responsible for determining the fragility of the individual. And so on...

Animation studios, for the most part, use rounded shapes to gauge a character's height. For example: The head of a child, usually larger than the other parts. But an adult character has different proportions, which depend on the gender and physical form of the hero.

Psychedelic cartoon? It looks like it.

When designing (or animating) a character's body, it's a good idea to sketch on separate sheets of paper. This makes it possible to have before your eyes a sample of its proportions when sketching other poses and actions.

Rotation example

It is very important to draw the character in different poses, situations and clothes until you find the perfect proportions for him.

Examples of puppy drawings.

3. The body is a pear!

A common practice among designers is to use a pear shape - or similar objects - to build the shape of the body, due to common associations. In fact, this is a common technique in animation studios, as several different artists can work on the same character and still need to maintain the correct proportions.

The example above shows the effectiveness of this technique. Using one template, you can draw several different characters! The reason why pattern-based drawing is used is that the person has an instant association. Especially in the case of children, when everything should be simplified for ease of understanding. Drawing a body in the shape of a pear allows you to maintain a dynamic look and makes our hero more interesting!

4. Adding a Skeleton

Now that we know how to define the shape, we must define the structure of the skeleton. If you are drawing any character in a cartoon style, you need to understand the basic differences in muscle and skeletal structure for different categories such as cats, birds, and people. This knowledge is important and leading to determining the position of the hero's joints, such as elbows and knees.

Pay attention to the main elements: rounded shapes - pear-shaped body - the position of the joints.

When it comes to animation, it's important to remember that we have to tell a story in every scene we create. It does not matter so much if we are talking about photographs or a realistic image. Because people are amazingly able to hide their real motives.

In animation, it's different. The physical state and posture of your character should "read" well without any dialogue or environment. It is for this reason that it is such a captivating and charming art style!

Learn to tell a story in your sketches and you will be a successful cartoonist.

Summing up:

• Estimate the proportion of your character using round shapes;
• Generalize the body using the famous pear rule;
• Track the guide lines that show the main position of the creatures;
• Finish building your character by adding the final elements to the main structure you have built.

5. Pear twist

Does the "pear rule" work for all the characters that we will create? Not always. If we flip this shape, we will give a sense of strength and power to our hero! Look at the examples below:

Fragile little man: the body is a pear. Strong man: the body is an inverted pear. Easy, right?

Can you spot the differences in the "pears" in this picture?

Another interesting analogy that characters can be based on is objects that resemble certain physical forms, as in the example below:

In principle, we also use the pear rule. We just use different forms based on the same technique. You, as the artist, can use whichever method works best for you!

6. Character Blockhead

A "dummy character" is one that walks on two legs (even animals) and looks stupid, clumsy, and generally lazy.

This character is often portrayed as a coward. They usually try to stay out of trouble than everyone else. He can also be presented as a nerd or upset guy.

There is a template that can be followed when creating a character of this type, but it is not a defining rule, and may vary depending on the nature of the character.

• The heads are thinner;
• Large noses (or muzzles if an animal);
• Big teeth;
• Narrow shoulders;
• Virtually no chin;
• The pear rule (never upside down, always up!).

In principle, these are the main elements that are needed to create a blockhead. Play with it until you've perfected the technique enough to apply it to any character.

What? A lion on two legs? Wait... is that a booby lion?

Not all animals that walk like humans are "boobs". Many of them have a sarcastic or ironic tone. Examples of such characters include Woody Woodpecker and Bugs Bunny.

7. Apply Our Knowledge: Creating a Heroic Character

Now we will draw a character together based on what we have learned. Let's get started!

Step 1

I will start drawing as a very rough sketch. Don't be afraid to sketch until you find the perfect proportions. It's like a game!

We started by drawing the head and body using round shapes:

Notice that we have determined the proportions of our character without much effort.

Note that we have used the inverted pear rule here, as our hero is strong!

Step 2

Now let's add lines showing the position of the joints of the skeleton. Notice that we are giving our hero a common pose where the weight of the body is on one leg.

It is very important to mark the pelvic area in the shape of a bowl, because this will make it easier to see the movement. This movement in the hips will add momentum to the pose.

Step 3

Great! Now let's add facial features and muscles for our hero.

Salivating ... And this is just a sketch!

To build muscle, you need to have a basic knowledge of anatomy. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to correctly add volume in those places where it is necessary.

Step 4

Once the overall structure is defined, we can add the clothes.

Great! Our hero is finished! By adding a suit, some great accessories, we have achieved a great result. Can you tell a story with this picture?

Great job, you did it!

Well, that's all! We have covered the process of drawing a character's body in a cartoon style. Moreover, we learned how to use round and oval shapes to form the character's body. We also learned the differences that make the heroic/strong/hooligan versus the helpless/fragile type, and how to apply the pear technique to achieve these results. And finally, we have discovered how to apply the "doodle" technique to people and animals. And finally, we created a heroic character from scratch!

Have you already made sure that you can draw a cartoon character from head to toe? I look forward to meeting him! Share your drawings below, and if you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comments.