I SAW A MAN

I saw a man, bald, frail and rugged. He looks older than my father, or so I thought. He stood in the middle of the market smoking in the hot sun; and tactically balances his lifting tray with his left index finger to the ground.

DRUNKARD'S SECRET

Drunkards

Wanted

WANTED 

BIG BALL

ABOUT TO DIE

X-MEN EQUATION

X-MEN

INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL CARTOON DRAWING 3

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BEFORE YOU BEGIN !

‘Uncle, draw me something!’ in my few years of interactions with children, I often hear this eager expression from those that I come in contact with. And honestly at times, this can be a cause of dilemma. I mean, how do I know what to draw to would arouse the interest of a particular child? So what I sometimes do is to throw back another question at them by asking: “okay, what you want me to draw?”  Then this question will



then lead to specific answers. A man, an airplane, a car, a soldier, superman, a dog, and the lists are endless.

Although this chapter is not about children’s conversations with adults, talking about them would help in buttressing a vital point for a cartoonist. Unlike other artists, good cartoonists draw from memory and not live models. So it cannot be over emphasized to say that observation and continuous practice are the keys to honing one’s potentials. Having said this, it does not necessarily mean that they shouldn’t be guided by something. Something that would set their brain-cells into motion, it is no other thing other than a story or a script. Cartoonists are guided by this, and they can be very simple, or very complex all depending on the settings of a particular story and the writers.

So in order for me to sometimes minimize starring too long on my drawing papers and thinking of what to draw, I make the kids to do some of my thinking for me by encouraging them to be specific in what they would like me to draw and I kindly obliged because they are my greatest source of installation. The satisfaction on their faces alone brings me joy. And it is that same satisfaction that would be subconsciously transferred to one’s client too when he becomes a professional.

Do you think it is that easy to draw something you are not prepared for under a few minutes? The truth is, NO! Because it can sometimes be very challenging, however it is possible if you have mastered some few basic techniques.  At a point in time a boy asked me to draw a man, and I did. But I observed that he wasn’t very happy as he continuously starred at his drawing book, so I asked him why? He then explained that he would like to see the picture of a running man and not someone just standing. Now the point I want to bring out is that getting the specific information right the first time would save you a lot of unnecessary repetitions and arguments. I have seen very good cartoonists, illustrators and animators engaging in needless arguments with their clients because of this, they felt they had done some incredibly good works, and honestly in some of my assessment they are right, but yet their efforts weren’t appreciated.

According to Samuel Palmer, A picture is said to be something between a thing and a thought. And except you are a psychic, how do you know exactly what is on the writer’s mind while writing the script. So except if it is a self made project, always communicate very well with the writer, team members, directors, and so on. Use story boards and sketches extensively, let your script writers, directors, clients and team members see what you are about to do. If possible let the persons in charge sign or endorse them at each of the stages. As earlier explained, that would save you a lot of unnecessary hassles.

Below, I have illustrated the steps taken to draw the runners for the little boy below. The left side uses the oval style while the right side uses the stick figure style. These are classic styles and I hope you will practice using both styles. Once one is able to get the basic structure of any object then the remaining is simple.

SPECIAL SUNDAYS

PUPPIFICATION

Snooker