Creating Your Own Cartoon Character

 

                    Cartoons can be a bit difficult to create. It takes a lot of time and a wide imagination. We all see different kinds of characters that we find either funny or ridiculous. It will all depend on how creative the cartoonist is. Take the following steps for creating your cartoon: First thing is to decide what your character is going to be. You should know what kind of figure it is going to be. This has to be really given enough time for thinking. You cannot just imitate other characters from other comics. You have to make your own unique type of cartoon. That is the only way you are going to make an effective one that is far from the ones already existing. You need lots of imagination for this. Next step is to give them their own unique personality. Is the character shy, evil, or nice? Whatever the personality is, it should only have one. Do not create a multiple-personality character. You can create another character for another personality. Third step is to create the weak point and the strong point in the character's personality. We notice in every cartoon or comic character that they have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, one is strong on land, but is weak on water. It doesn't matter if it is a hero or a villain, no one can be perfect all the time. This is just like characters in real life, only that they are animated, and are not real. Once you have completed deciding for the above features, it is now time to create the physical features of the cartoon. Is it a girl or a boy? Is he old, or young? You are free to exaggerate here, because they are cartoons. They can be as impossible but as you keep it interesting, it will always be accepted. Make sure you get all the details. Cartoons are just graphics, but they need to have all the necessary details to give a more clear vision of what the characters look like. Have fun with the process. Being a cartoonist should never be stressful. Just be yourself, and create the cartoon that you like. Also, always remember to not create such a perfect one. They need their weaknesses. It will be very boring if a cartoon is all perfect.

Enjoy the Funny and Cute Animated Famous Cartoon Characters

 

                 We all must have fought to watch our favorite cartoon shows and enjoy the funny and cute animated cartoon characters. Today when Hollywood and superstars stature is phenomenal, fictional carton characters too have achieved name, fame and popularity. Various TV channels, programs and films are made on Cartoon characters. They have the long list of kids fan following. Some of the most widely popular characters, loved by everyone are- Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mouse is an iconic Academy Award-winning comic animal cartoon character. He was created in on November 18, 1928 by the Walt Disney. Mickey is the most famous character. And he has appeared in animated cartoons, comic strips, films, toys, clothes and games along with his love interest Minnie. Donald Duck: Donald Duck is an animated comic-book character from Walt Disney Productions. Donald appearance is a white duck with yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He often wear sailor shirt, cap, and a red or black bowtie. The main reason behind the Donald's rise to stardom is attributed to his most identifiable voices in all of animation. Tom and Jerry: We have all grown up watching the cat-mouse fight between Tom and Jerry. They are an Academy Award-winning animated cat (Tom) and mouse (Jerry). Tom and Jerry is the collaboration that is created, written and directed by animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Hundreds of animations series of Tom and Jerry cartoons were produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in Hollywood that were likes and praised by everyone. Tweety: Tweety Bird is popularly known also known as Tweety Pie or simply Tweety. It is an Academy Award-winning fictional character in the Warner Bros. Tweety's popularity rose high like that of The Tasmanian Devil, following the dissolution of the Looney Tunes cartoons. Today, Tweety is counted, along with Taz and Bugs Bunny, among the most popular of the Looney Tunes characters. Tweety is a yellow colored small bird and instead widespread speculation that Tweety was female; it is always a male character. He is by everyone for his cute appearance. Garfield: Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis featuring Garfield the cat. The popularity of the strip led to an animated television series and films On Garfield including a large amount of merchandise. Superman: Superman is a superhuman fictional character. He is regarded as the most influential and popular superhero of DC Comics. Superman was created by the Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster and American writer Jerry Siegel in 1932 and was sold to the Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938. The Superman first appeared in the Action Comics. Later it appeared in various radio serials, television programs, newspaper strips, and video games. A series of big budgeted Superman movies have been made by the Hollywood giants.

Cartoon Character Costumes - Because You Are Never Too Old to Be a Dancing Doggie

 

                  The Queen of Halloween is always full of confessions and here is another one: playing inside of her little blonde head is a cartoon, at least most of the time. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, pay attention to this: the Queen is a nearly a genius (five points from being one, thank you very much) and works very hard at what she does. But, she is also just this side of a giggling fit- because of the cartoon that is playing in her head. The brain needs a break every now and then. Since that is the case, it would stand to reason that the Queen loves cartoon character costumes. Here are some of the best: The Classics Fancy Dress Costume Ideas Think of cartoons and who do you come up? If you grew up in the same era as the Queen, you instantly think of Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes Characters. Oh what fun you can have with any of these classic cartoon character costumes, especially if you know the catch phrases and mannerisms of the character. Here are some of the favorites: Bugs Bunny- Okay, you could technically wear any bunny costume (however, Bugs would fall over if he showed up pink.) Make sure that you never miss a chance to add in a wisecrack or to ogle a gal. Bugs' major line of course "Eh, what's up, Doc?" Chomp on a carrot for realistic touch to this cartoon character costume. Daffy Duck: The little black duck is a craven coward, a money grubber and has a major speech impediment. One of the most fun cartoon character costumes to wear- you only have to make sure that you have the line ready at will. "You're Despicable." Yosemite Sam: Red hair, red beard and mustache, cowboy outfit and you have the right look for this cartoon character costume. Pack toy guns and know these lines: "I'm the rootinest, tootinest, shootinest varmint west of the Pecos." and of course, "I hates that rabbit." Elmer Fudd: This classic cartoon character costume starts with a hunting outfit, complete with the big hat. Elmer has a major speech impediment too, and his classic line: "Ssh, be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits." The New Cartoon Characters Of course, the youngsters of today have their own favorite character that they will want to dress as and many of them are finding fans among the adults as well. SpongeBob Squarepants: The yellow sponge character is square (hence the name) and wears a white button down shirt and brown trousers. If you can get that giggle down pat, you will amuse people for the first five minutes. Do it more than that as an adult you might get clonked on the noggin. Patrick the Starfish: Patrick is SpongeBob's best friend. He is a pink starfish and only wears a pair of swimming trunks. Patrick is the not the brightest character under the sea but is a pretty loveable character. There are so many cartoon character costumes that you might have a very hard time choosing which one that you would like to wear. You may even have to flip a coin- best of luck on that one!

How to Draw Cartoon Characters - The Easy Way

                  Learning how to draw a cartoon character is like making a picture with your mind. That's it. In the cartoon universe, there are no boundaries, except those imposed by the borders of your mind. Therefore it is extremely easy to draw a cartoon character. It would be best, if you leave all your real world biasness before starting to draw. Just let your imagination flow. In this guide, we will be exploring how easy drawing a cartoon person can be, be it a male or female, young boy or an old man. Usually drawing a cartoon person begins with either "ovals' or "sticks". In ovals, the cartoon's main body are made up of different oval sizes. There will be an oval for the head, body, torso, hands and feet. There make up the outline of the character and all you have to do in finishing the cartoon is to just add in the distinguishing elements such as hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, and finally ending with the clothing on the character. Once that is done, all you have to do is color it. In sticks, used by beginners, the main body structure of the cartoon character is made up of different length sticks. Generally seen mainly in comics, these "stick men" make the easiest cartoon character you can possibly draw. Just draw an oval for the head and fill in the body, hand and legs with sticks at the right places, and you'll have a cartoon character in no time. The stick method has the added advantage of being close to the actual human body structure and allow for a better representation of poses, when put into the actual storyboard. These two techniques are used almost by all budding illustrators to begin their adventure into cartoon drawing. Some beginners also use a combination of these two techniques to get the idea that they want in representing the cartoon character. What's most important is adopting whatever technique you are comfortable with. These techniques, provide the methodology an easy way for your to begin drawing your cartoon characters.

How to Draw Cartoon Characters

 

                  Drawing a cartoon character may seem like a difficult task for beginners. Learning how to draw cartoon characters can be both tricky and simple at the same time. In order for you to draw cartoon characters effectively there are procedures you would have to follow and understand. Eventually if these procedures are followed carefully you will succeed. For beginners, there are various methods and strategies you would have to adopt. Here are some tips outlined below which will help you on how best you can draw cartoon characters effectively. Geometric Shapes: Start of by drawing your cartoon characters by making use of the basic geometrical shapes which are circles, squares, ovals, etc so as to come up with the face of your character. You do not have to be good at drawing because all you have to do is to sketch the shapes. First of all try to think of how the characters will look like so as to select the perfect face for it. Free Sketch: All you have to do is get a blank page and start sketching characters by making use of the geometrical basic shapes. Sketching a character is the fundamental way to start drawing a cartoon character. This is the moment you picture the idea from your imagination to reality. Body Drawing: After you have sketched the face you now have to proceed with the rest. You also have to make use of the basic geometrical shapes to draw the body. In order to come up with a great body for your cartoon creations you should think of other cartoon characters such as Tarzan, the Simpsons, etc so as to be familiar with their type of body shapes. Simplicity: You should try to make the cartoon character as simple as possible. If you think of drawing a sophisticated or complex cartoon character then this will certainly be tough for you. The moment you start of making a simple character you will be able to modify it so as to perfect it.

Products and Services That Can Benefit Through Cartoon Character Licensing

 

                  There are many products and services that can benefit through cartoon character licensing. In this article I would like to discuss some examples and hopefully give entrepreneurs a spark of inspiration. NurseriesIf you run a nursery or a childcare centre, you might want to consider licensing the rights to use an endearing cartoon character to be your brand mascot. Having an identifiable brand with a cute cartoon character for a mascot will really make kids fall in love with your establishment. And if you run your business right, you can later leverage on the brand recognition the cartoon character has created for you to develop a franchise. Credit Cards Corporate looking credit cards are boring. They might be suitable for corporate folks, but how about the younger population? University and even college students are finding the ability to earn decent money even before graduation these days and many of them can afford to own a credit card. At this age, it is safe to say that they would prefer a cool or 'kewl'looking card as opposed to the corporate-looking one. The clever usage of a suitable cartoon character on a credit card can do wonders for its application rate as proven by Asian countries like Hongkong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. The same principle can be applied too to membership cards for stores selling merchandise catering to such a demography. Books Whether you are writing a storybook for kids, a puzzle game book, a music training book, a book on parental guidance, or even a self-help guide for adults, consider licensing a cartoon character. Cartoon characters don't always have to look childish or cute. They can also look quirky and different (think the Simpsons). Use the right character for the right product, and for the right demography. You can't go wrong with that. The thing is, books that have a strong identity sell better, and what better way to do that than using a suitable character to help you establish that identity? As an author, you can look forward to establishing a book series using the character as a series mascot if you plan ahead and your first book sells well enough. Greeting Cards Cartoon characters work very well on products that carry a message and greeting cards is one such product. Pretty pictures of sceneries are just so passé. Since greeting cards are meant to convey a message and warm the heart, why not have a character with the right appeal and attitude do the job? Clothing and Apparels If you are launching a new clothing or apparels line for kids or young adults, you might want to consider using cartoon characters to improve the aesthetic quality and brand appeal of your merchandise. A suitable character with the right look for your product can really sky-rocket its sales. Toys, Novelties and Stationery There is an increasing number of toys, novelties and stationery designed for tweens and young adults flooding the market. Innovation and aesthetic cuteness are the key factors driving sales for these merchandise. For the cute factor, nothing beats a cartoon character. In all the examples above I would like to stress that I support the licensing of lesser-known characters as opposed to the more famous characters. I share my views regarding this in another article. If you visit my website or search on the internet for 'Character Licensing for Your Product? Forget Mickey and Bob!' you would be able to find the article.

How to Draw a Cartoon Character

 

               Learning how to draw a cartoon character is both, a very simple as well as a tricky job. You need to observe the faces of people around you and use your creativity to give the desired personality to your cartoon character. How to Draw a Cartoon Character - Method 1. This is a fundamental way of drawing a cartoon character, especially suitable for the beginners. o Geometrical Shapes. Start drawing a cartoon character with the basic geometrical shapes such as squares, circles, and ovals for the head of your caricature. You need not be great at drawing for sketching these shapes. Think how each shape could represent the different personalities of people. Square-headed character looks stubborn and old, while a round head looks happy and smiling. Similarly, a lens shaped face can represent a feminine character. o Free Sketch. Take a blank page. Draw one of the basic geometrical shapes and try to imagine a face inside it. Keep your hand as much free as possible while drawing. Of course, continue infusing your imagination all the while, you are raiding the paper. o Body Drawing. Now let us go ahead with the rest of the body of the cartoon character you are drawing. Again, you begin with the basic geometrical shapes for this. Think about the cartoon characters that you are familiar with such as Simpson, Poppeye, and Tarzan. Observe their body shapes. If you still find it complicated, try to imagine simpler shapes that make up the body of the cartoon character. o Simplicity. The secret behind learning how to draw cartoon characters is not that you have to be a fantastic artist. The secret lies in being able to separate complex arrangements and designs into simple shapes that anyone can draw. The magic of caricature drawing is to use your brain to imagine each part of the cartoon and then rearrange all to give your cartoon a meaningful personality. How to Draw a Cartoon Character - Method 2. This is a professional approach to draw a cartoon character. The method emphasizes on drawing a basic pencil outline of human characters by Sticks Method. This method helps in drawing a cartoon character in particular poses. The use of sticks to represent bones makes a cartoon more natural and expressive. We break the cartoon character down to show various joints of its body. With the help of this, any kind of pose can be reflected. o Imagine a character, all made up of sticks. o Draw a symbol of cross (+) to impart a symmetry to the caricature's body you are drawing. Draw eyes on the horizontal line of this cross. o Now draw a horizontal line below the eyes, representing shoulders. o Draw a circle around the eye line, representing head. o Draw sticks for hands and legs along with the major joints, in order to capture some pose. o After the stick figure is complete, give the shape of respective body part around the stick. o Finally draw eyes, nose, lips, and hair to complete the cartoon character.

Classic Cartoon Characters, Such As Woody Woodpecker, and Cartoons Themselves Have Changed

 

                  A friend and I were discussing classic cartoon characters, such as Tom and Jerry and Woody Woodpecker, around the water cooler. We discussed why many cartoons from the golden age of animation were more adult than childish. We also discussed why characters like Woody Woodpecker changed from crazy to responsible adult throughout the years. There are many reasons why the pre-World War II characters and cartoons changed over the years. Most people are aware that cartoons in the 1930s, 40s, and even 50s were more adult in nature. Characters drank, smoked, and worried about taxes. For example, I remember a Woody Woodpecker cartoon in which Buzz Buzzard was determined to sign Woody up for a life insurance policy. But, Buzz was going to make himself the beneficiary, knock Woody off and keep the insurance money. Pretty heavy stuff. Let's dive into why cartoons were more adult like in this example. First off, cartoons were more adult back in the golden age of animation because cartoons used to be shown before theatrical movies. Many of us Generation Xers and those who have come after us are used to seeing cartoons on television. (Who doesn't remember the classic Looney Tunes opening used in the 1980s in which all the famous Looney Tunes characters paraded across the stage?) But, before cartoons were on television, they were in the movie theaters. For example, Tom and Jerry cartoons were shown before MGM movies. Woody Woodpecker and friends were shown before Universal movies. Of course, Looney Tunes cartoons preceded Warner Bros. movies. Now, as for why the pre-World War II characters like Woody Woodpecker acted in insane ways is because the animators and creators were young men feeling their oats. It makes perfect sense that early Woody Woodpecker, for example, was wild and crazy. Later on, as the creators began settling down and raising families, characters like Woody became more domesticated. Woody started caring for his nephew and niece, Knothead and Splinter. Meanwhile, over at Looney Tunes, Sylvester the Cat began raising his son. Even Foghorn Leghorn became a father figure to Miss Prissy's son, Egghead, Jr. Yes, the post-World War II cartoon characters were different from how they were before the war and for good reason. Part of the reason is because of the fact cartoons were shown in theaters before adult audiences. Also, animators' real-life personalities seeped into the characters and the characters changed as the creators' lives changed. And, of course, the fact cartoons started being shown on television meant characters needed to be tamed down a little. But, we'll get into cartoons being edited for television in another article.

Getting Started in Drawing Cartoon Characters

 

                   If you're interested in drawing cartoon characters for fun or for profit, there are some important things you need to know before you begin. Just follow these five tips to get yourself started successfully drawing cartoon characters for yourself or others. 1. FUNDAMENTALS An important factor when you first start drawing cartoon characters is in making sure that you develop some fundamental skills such as: anatomy, which helps tremendously when breaking things down to more simpler cartoon shapes, as well as proportion, and depth. The reason why this is important is because it will give you a solid foundation to build upon when drawing characters. If you don't develop the fundamental skills necessary, then you run the risk of not developing a well thought out and visually solid character that may lack appeal. 2. OBSERVATION Another important consideration for drawing cartoon characters is observation. It's critical that you observe the world around you and record it on or into something such as a sketchbook because it will help develop your fundamental skills and develop your own personal style of cartoon characters. By looking towards other artists to learn how they do it and observing the culture, people and things around you, you'll develop a great set of skills in creating great cartoon characters. 3. PRACTICE You don't have to be a Van Gogh or complete several years of school in order to draw either. All you need to do is have passion and make sure that you practice your techniques daily whether in a sketchbook or on a computer. 4. START SMALL Instead of complicating illustration and design efforts by buying expensive equipment or supplies and software, try it this way: start out with just regular white copy paper and a pencil or pen. I've even used crayons, brown paper bags and cardboard! Your technique will improve, so by the time you are ready to learn about and invest in more expensive equipment, and supplies your skills will already be ahead of the curve. If you are using a computer, you can get a free trial or totally free software to hone your skills. In fact, if you use the advice mentioned above, then you will find that you will be able to become proficient in drawing cartoon characters with little or no money needed. 5. Add Dimension Have you considered creating your own graphic novel or manga, television or animated series? Or how about commercially licensing a cartoon character you created to others. It's not as difficult as you might think. What you need to do when drawing characters that are appealing and awe-inspiring, is create a back-story or history of your cartoon character. The back-story is the world and environment that your character lives and breathes in. This will enhance your character's image and engage the audience in which it will be presented. So if you are really interested in creating the next hit television or comic book series or see your character idea on greeting cards or made into children's toys, follow these tips and start enjoying or profiting from drawing your own cartoon characters.

Drawing Cartoon Characters For Profit?

 

                  If you enjoy drawing or the idea of learning how to draw cartoons, how great will it be to know that you can turn that ability into a dream job or income? By learning how to draw cartoon art you can gain the ability to translate your own or others ideas into something valuable and entertaining. In many forms, from television shows and film to childrens and comic books, cartoon characters have entertained, educated and engaged us all, as kids as well as adults, throughout the years. Being able to create characters opens you up to a vast amount of opportunities for income, either for cartooning jobs or self-producing products and services. It is too numerous to total all the products, businesses and services that can benefit from well-drawn cartoon characters, but here are a few examples: 1. T-shirts Drawing cartoon characters to put on a line of shirts to sell could be a great way to earn income. If your character is visually unique and engaging to the right market, you could have a winner. Sites such as Café Press or Zazzle makes this very easy to do. 2. Books If you have a great idea for a story, or know someone who does, your drawing skills will come in handy for developing cartoon characters for such things as children's books. And if you know how to draw comics, graphic novels could be the way to go. Services for self-publishing have never been easier with sites such as Lulu or Ka-blam your books can be on shelves in no time. 3. Greeting cards and stationery Have you ever gone into a bookstore or large retail chain and seen their vast stock of greeting cards and stationary? There are hundreds of cartoon character themes to choose from. Why not one that you created? 4. Toys and games What's great about learning to draw cartoon characters is that you could create your own toys or partner with an inventor who comes up with the idea and you add your character to it, either as the main product or to enhance it. 5. Animation, television and film Drawing animation characters for a studio or pitching the idea for a possible production deal, is an option for really good designs with great stories. 6. Caricatures If you learn how to draw caricatures, you will be able to make extra income at a majority of amusement parks or you could do it yourself at a local park. 7. Mascots Help schools develop a mascot for team spirit or businesses sell products or services through a well developed character. Drawing cartoon characters is a great way to find extra income as well as job opportunities and careers. So, can you really profit from drawing cartoon characters? Yes you definitely can, and you are only limited by your creativity and imagination.