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Cartoons, Funny Cartoons, Time Cartoons, Time Machine
23rd Oct 2008

 

 

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Cartooning Techniques;

The Simplified Skeleton

So, you've thought about what kind of Cartoon Character you want to draw, the expression and gesture you want him to convey, and you've started with an expressive action line to help convey this, what's next?

The Simplified skeleton.

There really is no right or wrong way to draw the simplified skeleton, and most artists will have different variations on it, but there are a few basic rules.
Remember this will be the foundation of the final drawing, so;

  • it's a good idea to use a light pencil, you don't want these lines showing in the final image.
  • Include Hips and shoulders. This is the big fdifference between the "simplified skeleton" and Stick figures. you need to make sure that both the shoulders and hips are correctly spaced. The easiset way to do this is to use an oval to represent both the rib cage and another flatter oval for the pelvis.
  • make sure everthing is in proportion, (do the arms match for instance? and is the elbow in the right place?)
  • Curves are your friend. Very few bones in the body are straight. the leg bones in particular are curved (It's kind of an s shape). The spine is also curved if your character is turned to one side (again, it's an 'S' curve)

But the biggest single tip I can give you here is Make it Dynamic.
And the way I do that is to act out the poses.
Yes, that's right, get up and act out the pose. Sure, it might feel silly, but the idea is to capture the dynamic gesture, so make sure you ham it up a little. Cartoon characters especially put their whole body into any given action, from walking to smiling, and capturing that expressive body language is what this step is all about.

So, pratice a few "simplified skeletons" what pose would you draw for someone who is laughing? Crying? Running? Flying? Sitting?

Cheers,
-K

(next post, fleshing out your character)



 

 

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