INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL CARTOON DRAWING

INTRODUCTION

Cartoon drawing is one of the youngest and in fact one of the most rewarding forms of arts. It has one of the greatest opportunity outlets such as: Comics, Magazines, TV, Electronics Games, Greeting cards, Posters, Animations, Advertisements, Illustrations, Newspapers, Newspapers syndicates, Books, E- Books, Websites, Department stores and many others.  This is just an in introduction to how an aspiring cartoonists or wannabe that wonders where to start can begin.

From time to time we will continue to give you some tips on what to and how to do it. These tips would be based works of professionals in the industry home and abroad and some of our past experiences. So if you are a cartoon aficionado, then this is the right place to begin. We will take you through the rudiments of drawing and with time expect you to evolve with your own styles. 

BY Dermot O’Connor

As it has often been said, picture speaks a thousand words, that is, what we see with our eyes we easily understand. And just like English language or any other language, drawings too can be used for communication. Small wonder, the educational institutions agree that we learn many times faster from pictures than from printed words. Can we imagine a Geometry class without drawings? Although this is not a mathematics lecture and as I am aware most artists hated the subject, but I want you to believe that most modern day computer graphics (CG) has a lot to do with Mathematics, especially vector graphics. The truth is, not all artists need to explore this field, but I tell you if you do you it shall be a rewarding experience. Now let’s start with the classical materials for drawing cartoons. Sorry I am not talking about computers and tablets now because the mastery of the basics is paramount before exploration of CGs.

BASIC DRAWING MATERIALS

1.       A Drawing Board/Table

2.       A Sketch pad/ paper

3.       Pencils  - I recommend soft pencils for easy cleaning ability

4.       Pens – 2 fountain pens or a good ball point can be improvised

5.       Inks – Black color

6.       Brushes – 2 Soft ones

7.       An Eraser – A round eraser is okay

8.       A Ruler – to be seldom used for starters

9.    Colour – crayons, pastel or any water base colour will do.

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As I have earlier stated, these are lists of classical materials that are still relevant today. So I will give you time to get the materials ready, and then the next time we meet again we will talk about basic lines and shapes. And experiment with them too to loosen up a bit.

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