Cartooning for Kids: Three Books That Can Help You Get Started

Most kids I know love to draw at some point. Some of them love it so much, they go on to create video games, comics, cartoons, and graphic novels. If you are looking for some excellent books on cartooning for kids, here are three that can help you get started.

One of the absolute best overall introductions is Big Book of Cartooning by Bruce Blitz. He starred in a public television show for many years, and I was able as a young adult to learn from his techniques.

The book covers everything from basic cartooning skills, like combining different facial shapes, features, and hairstyles, to make various characters. It also shows how to draw human bodies and add motion to them so they are funny and dynamic, and not just standing still.

He does a great job of introducing cartoon effects and accessories. Those are the kinds of things that make cartoons fun and bring them to life, like the wavy lines coming out of a slice of pizza, to show that it smells good. Or the lines on a puddle of water or a mirror, to show they are reflective. And the most fun of all, those little beads of sweat or action lines, like when someone has just thrown a ball.

There is also a lot of mention on how to create comic strips, including how to lay them out, think up jokes, and do your lettering. For kids who want to try their hand at superhero-type comics, he covers different ways to make your man go from dopey to marvelous, from zero to hero. Also included are various poses you might use, like lifting, taking off, flying, and punching.

This all-inclusive work also has a section on cartoon portraiture or caricature. That way you can draw funny pictures of yourself, friends, family, and teachers, and give those away as gifts. You might even end up selling your work!

Another excellent overview is Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Cartooning but Were Afraid to Draw. The author is a Disney-trained artist, so it's a perfect reference if you like that style. But it too covers everything from expressions and drawing action poses, to comic strip layout.

One particular section I like is how to draw your cartoons from different camera angles, like way down low. That way, if you are trying to draw something from the perspective of a very small character, like a mouse looking up at a person, you can get a great funny look to your work.

Art for Kids: Cartooning: The Only Cartooning Book You'll Ever Need to Be the Artist You've Always Wanted to Be encourages kids to experiment with different techniques to get their own styles. The style is loose and open, so it's easy for kids to follow. There is also information on writing jokes and creating panels.

So if you are interested in cartooning for kids, these three books to help you get started are perfect. You will have three completely different styles to study, and you will have lots of ideas on drawing basics, plus details on how to put everything together into your own cartoon creations. Happy cartooning!

Find more great books for kids
Find more kids cartooning books plus books for reluctant readers and recommendations at http://greatbooksforkids.info

Getting Started in Drawing Cartoon Characters

If you're interested in drawing cartoon characters for fun or for profit, there are some important things you need to know before you begin. Just follow these five tips to get yourself started successfully drawing cartoon characters for yourself or others.

1. FUNDAMENTALS

An important factor when you first start drawing cartoon characters is in making sure that you develop some fundamental skills such as: anatomy, which helps tremendously when breaking things down to more simpler cartoon shapes, as well as proportion, and depth. The reason why this is important is because it will give you a solid foundation to build upon when drawing characters. If you don't develop the fundamental skills necessary, then you run the risk of not developing a well thought out and visually solid character that may lack appeal.

2. OBSERVATION

Another important consideration for drawing cartoon characters is observation. It's critical that you observe the world around you and record it on or into something such as a sketchbook because it will help develop your fundamental skills and develop your own personal style of cartoon characters. By looking towards other artists to learn how they do it and observing the culture, people and things around you, you'll develop a great set of skills in creating great cartoon characters.

3. PRACTICE

You don't have to be a Van Gogh or complete several years of school in order to draw either. All you need to do is have passion and make sure that you practice your techniques daily whether in a sketchbook or on a computer.

4. START SMALL

Instead of complicating illustration and design efforts by buying expensive equipment or supplies and software, try it this way: start out with just regular white copy paper and a pencil or pen. I've even used crayons, brown paper bags and cardboard! Your technique will improve, so by the time you are ready to learn about and invest in more expensive equipment, and supplies your skills will already be ahead of the curve. If you are using a computer, you can get a free trial or totally free software to hone your skills. In fact, if you use the advice mentioned above, then you will find that you will be able to become proficient in drawing cartoon characters with little or no money needed.

5. Add Dimension

Have you considered creating your own graphic novel or manga, television or animated series? Or how about commercially licensing a cartoon character you created to others. It's not as difficult as you might think. What you need to do when drawing characters that are appealing and awe-inspiring, is create a back-story or history of your cartoon character. The back-story is the world and environment that your character lives and breathes in. This will enhance your character's image and engage the audience in which it will be presented.

So if you are really interested in creating the next hit television or comic book series or see your character idea on greeting cards or made into children's toys, follow these tips and start enjoying or profiting from drawing your own cartoon characters.

Andre "Dre" Saunders attended Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland as an art major. He started freelancing as a designer and illustrator and has worked on projects for such clients as Dupont and the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children as well as creating several covers for a small book publisher. He is married with four children (two boys and two girls) and is currently working on several projects including a comic book series, a short film, a stage and screen play, a graphic T-shirt line and preparing several characters for licensing and merchandising.

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