How to draw cartoons....cartoons are the most fun way to draw for many, many people.

First off, you don't need much to draw a cartoon - just a pencil, an eraser, and a pad of paper will get the job done.

However, there ARE other items discussed here that can help you with your cartooning experience, but let's start with the basic tools.

How To Draw Cartoons: Paper and Pencil

Drawing Surfaces - There are all kinds of drawing papers and boards for use today. Consider newsprint, tracing paper, bristol board, bond paper and illustration board (either in hot press, smooth surface for detailed ink drawings or cold press, regular surface for several types of media). There are of course, specialty surfaces available, so you can check with an art supply dealer for these.

Pencils - A pencil is a pencil is a pencil, right? Not so fast. Even though graphite pencils are the most popular, there are several other types of pencils to try including charcoal and carbon. These are great for blending and offer a wide range of values. There are wax pencils, conte pencils....you get the idea. You should try a number of different types to find your preference. You might even use many different types depending on your goals for a particular cartoon drawing. Harder leads pencils (H series) do hold their point better than soft lead pencils (B series) and the leads don't break as easily (they don't smear as easily either). However, harder lead pencils do tend to make lighter lines, are tough to erase, and can sometimes be 'rough' on your paper to say the least. Soft lead by comparison, will make nice, dark lines that are easy to erase if drawn lightly.

Copy or Create?

First off - are you designing your own cartoon character or are you going to be learning how to copy other cartoons - big difference, but we'll cover both here!

Copycat Cartooning

Just about everybody learns to draw by drawing what they see. With that said, there are LOTS of cartoons out there to practice drawing out of the gate.

What are you interested in, the classics? Disney characters are always fun, no doubt. One reason is because we know them by heart, and pulling a copycat on a Disney character is a great way to practice!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with copying for practice, but that is practicing by drawing, not by tracing...big difference.

To perform this copycat method by drawing rather than tracing....some knowledge is going to be necessary...knowledge about how to draw exactly what you see....do the eyes line up with the nose....the nose with the mouth? If you are not sure your drawings will be up to par this way, think about breaking down the cartoon into shapes!