The hand drawing of cartoons is almost nonexistent, but you can still learn to draw a draw cartoon, or you can learn how to make cartoons digitally easily. Of course, a bit of hand eye coordination and talent is going to be needed for hand-drawn cartoons. But with the advent of digital imaging, as well as computer graphics, almost anyone can draw cartoons and create characters. Here’s how to learn to draw cartoons:

1. Choose your medium

Are you going for single cartoons, cartoons strips like the Peanuts or are you getting ambitious and want to produce a full scale movie? Each of these will affect how you start out. And if you are just starting out, I’d suggest that you leave the movie until later!

2. Decide on your main character

Are they human or animal? Think of the features they will have. Quite often, cartoons exaggerate certain features and almost ignore other ones. They aren’t photographs, so they have much more freedom to do this.

3. Start with a sketch

If you’ve ever seen a storyboard for a movie, you’ll know that it just shows a rough outline of what is going to happen rather than full blown detail. If you’re aiming to draw a cartoon strip, it’s good to plan out what will happen in each of the three or four frames that will likely make up your final cartoon.

4. Work on your main character

Don’t worry about getting things perfect. It’s far better to draw something than to agonize over the exact positioning of every line. Check out an early Mickey Mouse cartoon or even an early episode of the Simpsons and compare them with more modern versions. You’ll see the characters have developed over the years and, in the case of that famous mouse, are almost unrecognizable when you look at the early and newer versions side by side.

5. Add expression

A cheeky grin or some raised eyebrows go a long way to giving your new creation some character. Unless your main character is supposed to be completely expressionless and unmoving, it pays to give them emotions. If they’re angry or scared, you can emphasize that in the next step.

6. Add color

Assuming you are going to display your cartoon on your website or print it off on your color printer, add some color to your drawing. This gives variety for people to look at and helps to bring the cartoon to life. Again, we’re not talking reality here. So that purple dinosaur like the one in the Flintstones is fine!

7. Add shade

A few lines of shading go a long way in cartoons. Our minds will fill in the blanks, so there’s no need to draw every hair on a hairy leg, just enough to give us some hints and let our imagination join the dots. This is surprisingly effective and will allow you to help your readers imaginations.

8. Add background

Like the shade, this doesn’t need to be too detailed. An outline of a pyramid shape if your cartoon is visiting Egypt will do fine. There’s no need to draw the complete Sphinx unless your storyline calls for it.

9. Add your caption

Cartoon characters can speak – even animals normally. Will your caption be in the form of a speech bubble or a line below the cartoon?

These days, caricature artists are popular at lots of events. Event organizers are trading in the usual photographers for these artists for virtually any occasion, may they be grand openings, birthdays, company picnics, awarding ceremonies or weddings. The charm of caricature artists is almost as old as the art itself.

Did you know that not all caricature artists draw alike? And that there are many styles in caricature art. The stylized drawings of Al Hirschfeld, for example, are far different than Mad Magazine notable Mort Drucker’s dead-on likenesses. Unlike Al Hirschfeld and Mort Drucker who completed their work in a studio setting, caricature artists that work at parties must be able to deliver a completed sketch on the spot in a few short minutes with an audience looking over their shoulder. It is not work for the faint-hearted.

Most caricature artists produce portraits pretty quickly. They can do about 12 to 20 portraits in an hour. Just tell them who your important guests are, and they will take care of capturing their personalities in just a few strokes. You can either give the portraits to the subjects as they leave, or keep them for yourself as remembrances. You can even ask the artist to inscribe special messages.

Nonetheless, caricature artists who work in a fast-paced party setting evolve their own distinctive styles that work for them. This is important to know, because one of the most common mistakes people make when hiring a caricaturist for their party is not matching their preferences with the artist’s drawing style.

Party artist styles tend to fall into one of three categories.

The first is gross exaggeration. These artists focus their attention on any facial characteristic that deviates from the norm and really exaggerating and even distorting it. Artists with this way of working will make your big nose look REALLY big and that pointy head look like Mount Everest. Your guests will either love it or hate it, but they will definitely have an opinion.

The next is cartooning. Party caricature drawings created by an artist with a cartooning style will generally be the big head/little body type. If time permits, there may be a cartoony background. Popularized at theme parks, this style is seen at many children’s parties where the child is drawn engaging in a favorite activity, such as Johnny kicking a soccer ball.

The last is quick sketch caricature. These artists, many with classical art training, can create a dead-on likeness in just minutes. With these drawings you will definitely recognize the subject of the drawing, ie., “that looks just like Uncle Joe”… This milder approach is particularly well-liked by guests who are self-conscious about their appearance such as teens and people of “a certain age.”

Know your preferences and know your guests. Then look at your artist’s party samples to decide if his style is for you.