Drawing Cartoons and Comics For Dummies

Readers want to know that the characters will always be there for them, acting in a predictable way and providing a sense of security, much like the blanket gives Linus in Peanuts.

But creating something based on what you’re familiar with may prove to be a crucial advantage over the long haul when you’re trying to write the strip,

because you can tap your own experiences for ideas.

The rear view isn’t the only visually interesting variant you can play up in your cartoons.

start with an oval head shape and see how the character changes just by moving the features around.

You can distort your character’s head to convey emotion, expressions, and exaggerated reactions to what’s happening around him.

More important, creating a character with a distinctive face requires that you understand how to take all the individual facial elements and put them together for a cohesive look; you don’t want a character whose mouth says one thing while her eyes say another.

Here’s an opportunity to tie together these two topics while they’re fresh in the minds of readers.

word associations can help you combine two unrelated topics.

word associations can help you combine two unrelated topics.