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How to draw cartoon characters

The drawing of cartoon characters is an art form in itself. The cartoons that anyone can draw are not only dynamic, but they also give the person drawing them great enjoyment. Promised to write about how to draw cartoon characters and I believe this article will be successful in doing so. I want to write an article on how to draw cartoon characters, including what tools are needed; the time it takes; and even different techniques for drawing your favorite character.

Any person who wants to learn how to draw cartoons can do so in a relatively short period of time. It is important however, that the person who is learning understands the importance of working at their own pace. If someone rushes through the instructional material they will not be able to respect it for what it is, that being one of the best ways available for teaching them how to draw cartoons.

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sonic the hedgehog - Sonic the Hedgehog Photo (18610962) - Fanpop

First you need to understand these three different types of cartoon characters when referring to this article on how to draw cartoon characters:

  1. A Cartoon Character Drawn with Perspective ( 3-D)
  2. A Cartoon Character Drawn with No Perspective ( 2-D)
  3. A Cartoon Character Drawn from a Side View

These three types of cartoon characters all have their advantages as well as their disadvantages. In this article I will tell you about the advantages and the disadvantages. The size of your paper is also an important factor when referring to how to draw cartoon characters.

When you are starting out it would be wise to use an 8 1/2 by 11 inch or 11 by 17 inch size paper depending on what you are comfortable with, but if you are using an 8 1/2 by 11 inch size paper just remember that it is very important that your drawings have plenty of room around them so that your details will not get lost in the drawing.

How about if you had like to draw a cartoon character on a Software! Which software could this be?

First you would need to know what type of cartoon character you wanted to draw.

You would then need to know the purpose of your cartoon character. This is a very important step because if you do not know the purpose of your character, it will end up looking like a doodle rather than an actual cartoon character. You will also need to know what kind of cartoon character you want, one that has been created for a comic book or one that is going to be animated.

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If you are going for an animated version it is best that the drawing be done in lineart style. This means no shading and just black outlines around each individual object/character. I will explain why this is important for you to understand in my next paragraph, but if it were just a doodle then have fun with that, the satisfaction from creating a cartoon character is part of the experience.

A quick drawing lesson would be beneficial for you to learn before starting on your cartoon character, this would include things such as Basic Drawing Techniques and how to draw eyes. The important parts of the lesson would be the basic structure of a scene and also correct perspective.

A Cartoon Character Drawn with Perspective ( 3-D)

60 Most Beautiful 3D Cartoon Character Designs | Pouted.com | Cartoon  character design, Character design animation, Cartoon character pictures


If you are only going to draw one type of cartoon character in this article, I believe it would be best for you to draw the cartoon characters with perspective. This is because it will teach you about creating three-dimensional objects. If not, then regardless of what you decide to do, the second best option would be for you to draw your cartoon characters without perspective. The benefit in learning how to draw cartoons in perspective is that the drawing will have depth, which makes your drawing more entertaining and interesting in general.

3D Character Design 6

One of the things that you will want to do is draw a basic structure of a house and place your cartoon character within it. This is not necessary, but will help you to get a better handle on the perspective that you need for drawing your cartoon character.

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It is also important that you understand that when drawing a cartoon character with perspective, there are different perspectives such as:

  1. Bird’s Eye View
  2. Aerial View
  3. Cockpit View
  4. Shoe Box View ( Floor Plan)
  5. Three-Quarter View (Right Side)
  6. Full Frontal View (Front)
  7. Half Top View (Top)
  8. Full Side View (Front and Right)
  9. Rear View

These views can be applied to any drawing created with perspective. Another important thing that you will want to do is create a main body and then create the arms/hands and legs/feet of the character. As you can see, there is a lot to work out when drawing a cartoon character with perspective, so be patient with yourself as this is an art form that takes time to master.

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The time it takes to learn how to draw cartoons with perspective will vary for all people, so allow yourself time in order for your skills to improve over time. It is also important that you remember to put your cartoons in perspective, this is done by looking at how the light is shining on the objects within your drawing. The best way to do this is to look at your drawing from above and then look at it from various angles.

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As I described earlier, if you are only going to draw one type of cartoon character in this article, I believe it would be best for you to draw the cartoon characters with perspective. This is because it will teach you about creating three-dimensional objects. If not, regardless of what you decide to do, the second best option would be for you to draw your cartoon characters without perspective.

A Cartoon Character Drawn with No Perspective ( 2-D)

7 Tips to draw Stunning Cartoon Characters | Pouted.com


The good thing about drawing a cartoon character from no perspective is that it is very simple. Just draw a line from one point on the object to another point. Don’t add any marks for shading or color unless you want to add some color. Next add detail to your drawing using either flat colors or using a soft-pastel . You can also add darker shadows with black ink for that more realistic look.

Animate cute 2d cartoon characters by Anusha_ali97 | Fiverr

A Cartoon Character Drawn from a Side View


If you want to draw a cartoon character from a side view, then all you need to do is draw a line on your paper away from you and then join this line up with another short line on the other side of the paper. This will allow you to create a third line which will be your character.

Premium Vector | Cartoon character with american african business man in a  black suit for animation. front, side, back

You can even do this with both hands and feet, but the trick here is to keep it simple and consistent with all of your other drawing. The reason for this is that if you try to make it too complex, the drawing will end up looking very complicated, which is not something that you want to happen.

How do you draw a cartoon character with no faces?

Cartoon Person Without Face - Person Cartoon, HD Png Download , Transparent  Png Image - PNGitem


If you are struggling with drawing faces on your cartoon characters, then this is the section of the article for you. The first thing that I would recommend doing is by using pictures, both pictures for references for new cartoons and also pictures of cartoon characters that have already been created. The second thing that I would recommend is to be creative with how you draw people’s eyes and noses.

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Once you have accomplished what you need to know for this lesson on how to draw cartoon characters, it is time for preparation. First thing to do would be block out your character in simple lineart style. This is a very important step because this will help you in the shading process. The only problem with lineart style is that your characters can get lost if there is not enough room around them.

In my next paragraph I will explain to you how to draw cartoon characters from a side view. If you do not know how to draw cartoon characters from a side view then you should go back and read my previous paragraph again.

The next thing that needs to be finished is the shading of your character. The most important thing about this part of the steps in drawing cartoon characters would be to use the correct color choice for the shading. The best thing to do for this would be to mix all of the colors of the same color family . Using a standard palette is the best way to use all of your colors.

As I described earlier, it is important for you to learn how to create multiple layers when drawing cartoon characters. This will help you in adding more depth and dimension within the finished drawing.


These are all of the steps that you need to know about how to draw cartoon characters. After completing this lesson on how to draw cartoon characters. First thing that should be done is the background and then begin working with the lighting of your character. The last thing that needs to be done is adding any extra shadows or highlights. After which we have a completed drawing.

Shading Techniques in Drawing a Cartoon Character

  1. Simple Lineart Style
  2. Basic Shading Style: This is where you just focus on shading and do not add any details.
  3. Detailed Shading Style: This is when you add many details to your drawings such as shadows, highlights, facial expressions and so much more. It also includes the coloring process, if coloring is added to your drawing.
  4. Colored Shading: After adding shading and details, this will be the final step in the process of creating a great looking piece of art work that would be able to stand out from the rest.

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