How To Create A Cartoon Character

Just a little bit of imagination, a creative mind, basic drawing skills, and the love for cartoons, can help you come up with different cartoon characters of your own. Most cartoonists draw cartoon characters from their experiences and people they know. There are no basic rules for creating a cartoon character and so you can let your imaginations take you over while making your own cartoon character. To start with, ask yourself the most basic question, how do you want your cartoon character to be? Do you want a human character or a talking sarcastic animal character? Is it going to be a superhero or the girl next door? Once you decide on that, the next logical step is to determine your audience and your goal. If you wish to make cartoon characters and are looking for information on how to create one, then here are some quick tips for you to help you get started.

Creating A Cartoon Character  

• Pencil
• Bristol board
• Drawing area
• Drawing pens
• Eraser
• Sketchbook
• Colors

• Once you have imagined a character, start drawing the outline sketches. Start with different proportions of the body size, face structure, hairstyles, clothing, expression, etc. Doodle around until you are satisfied with your character. Avoid adding details at this point in time.
• Next, think of some unique features about your cartoon. Cartoon characters usually have superpowers or interesting features. Think of a funny name for you cartoon character.
• Exaggeration is one of the prime features in cartoons. Exaggerate your character with bulging eyes, a huge tummy, or a draw a beak like nose to make it look funny.
• After you have a fair idea about your character, start drawing the front profile of the character. Concentrate on its front posture, the facial expression, and the kind of smile it will wear.
• Once you are settled with the basic characters, start fine tuning it. Do you have a logical super hero or a crazy scientist? Is it funny or serious? Answer these questions to add expressions to the character.
• Draw different views of the character. How will they look sideways and in the rear? To give it more life, try to draw it in motion. Experiment a little with different kinds of expression. How will it look when it is happy or sad? Imagine how it will look while standing or sitting idle etc.
• Add props to your characters. You can add any kind of props to make your character to make it look realistic.
• Create surrounding characters and let your character interact with them. You will naturally develop a storyline for it.
• Once you have drawn your character, add color to it. Use bright colors to make it more attractive. If you are using a computer, you can use some basic animations like ‘flash’ or ‘photoshop’ to color them.
• Develop a story and make short cartoon films using flash or other animating tools and software.