Wednesday, October 19, 2011

DRAWING CARTOON ANIMALS

 

           Welcome to the Weekly Blog of Christopher Hart



Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction


If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure, then you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every week, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

Ever wanted to draw cartoon animals, but didn't know exactly how to approach it? Many cartoonists use real animals as a reference for their animal cartoons. And usually, the result is an old fashioned looking cartoon. The reason? The styles of popular cartoons have zoomed way past the representational look of characters base upon their real counterparts. Instead, it's more effective to think of your subject as a cartoon first, and an animal second.

After all, how many actual physical traits do you need to make your character recognizable as the species you're attempting to draw? A cartoon elephant will look like an elephant if it is fat and has a trunk. That's the foundation. The rest is all about  manipulating and exaggerating shapes to make it funny, witty and edgy.


If you would like to see hints, techniques and animal characters - in other words, if you'd like to give it a try, or improve your current efforts, I'd like to recommend my book, "The Cartoonist's Big Book of Drawing Animals" published by Watson-Guptill. 


And let me know how you're doing with it!
*Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing*

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You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.
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