Suggestions for books about learning to draw cartoons

Reverant · 06-18-2011, 10:38 AM

Well, the title says it all. I've been a passionate lover of newspaper comics and then webcomics my entire life, and I've decided that I want to screw around and make my own as a hobby. Unfortunately, I have absolutely zero drawing skills. None. I've never taken an art class in my life, and the best I can manage are stick figures that would embarrass a 10-year-old.

So, I figure I'd pick up one of those "Learn How to Draw Cartoons!" books and see if I can learn by myself. Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations on those? It's a long shot, but maybe someone has tried this before me....

Spectre-7 · 06-18-2011, 10:41 AM

Do a search for books by Andrew Loomis. They're simply wonderful cartooning books, and a lot of them can be found online for free (legally, I believe).

Reverant · 06-18-2011, 11:02 AM

Found a website with a .rar file containing his books in PDF format. Here it is for those interested:

http://www.placidchaos.com/AM/index..../andrew_loomis

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to dive into these and see how it goes.

Spectre-7 · 06-18-2011, 11:06 AM

Best of luck to ya, Reverant.

muddi900 · 06-18-2011, 02:29 PM

Making Comics by Scott McCloud

It is not really for drawing per se, but it gives you a great insight about the tools on offer and how to setup a comic narrative.

Bone · 06-18-2011, 03:06 PM

These books are a great start. I'll just add that even when drawing cartoons, you will be drawing things from life. So draw everything you see, all the time. Draw plants, animals, people, buildings, landscapes, household utensils... you will eventually need to draw most of these things in comics and it helps to have a realistic view of their proportions before you abstract or simplify them.

Scaryfaced · 06-18-2011, 03:17 PM

Also, if you're just starting out, star people are the new stick figures. They're simple, but look far better than a stick figure. I tend to use them for quick drawings and to plan out how I want to position a character. Here's a quicky for an example...

Ink Asylum · 06-18-2011, 06:12 PM

They're targeted at kids, but if you've never drawn in your life you might want to start with an Ed Emberley book. He focuses on breaking objects down into simple shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. Even when you move on to more detailed drawings, seeing the basic shapes inside your subjects helps a lot.

boratika · 06-19-2011, 01:24 AM

Because it never gets old:

06-18-2011, 10:38 AM	#1
Reverant 11%ABV, Nutrient Rich Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,808 Blog Entries: 1	Suggestions for books about learning to draw cartoons Well, the title says it all. I've been a passionate lover of newspaper comics and then webcomics my entire life, and I've decided that I want to screw around and make my own as a hobby. Unfortunately, I have absolutely zero drawing skills. None. I've never taken an art class in my life, and the best I can manage are stick figures that would embarrass a 10-year-old. So, I figure I'd pick up one of those "Learn How to Draw Cartoons!" books and see if I can learn by myself. Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations on those? It's a long shot, but maybe someone has tried this before me.... __________________ XBL: The Reverant Steam: johneldridge

06-18-2011, 10:41 AM	#2
Spectre-7 Atomic Danger! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Elsewhere, CA Posts: 5,788 Blog Entries: 5	Do a search for books by Andrew Loomis. They're simply wonderful cartooning books, and a lot of them can be found online for free (legally, I believe). __________________ "If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer."

06-18-2011, 11:02 AM	#3
Reverant 11%ABV, Nutrient Rich Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,808 Blog Entries: 1	Found a website with a .rar file containing his books in PDF format. Here it is for those interested: http://www.placidchaos.com/AM/index..../andrew_loomis Thanks for the tip. I'm going to dive into these and see how it goes. __________________ XBL: The Reverant Steam: johneldridge

06-18-2011, 11:06 AM	#4
Spectre-7 Atomic Danger! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Elsewhere, CA Posts: 5,788 Blog Entries: 5	Best of luck to ya, Reverant. __________________ "If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer."

06-18-2011, 03:06 PM	#6
Bone Extraordinary Prick Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 8,287 Blog Entries: 8	These books are a great start. I'll just add that even when drawing cartoons, you will be drawing things from life. So draw everything you see, all the time. Draw plants, animals, people, buildings, landscapes, household utensils... you will eventually need to draw most of these things in comics and it helps to have a realistic view of their proportions before you abstract or simplify them. __________________ I think I want to be you when I grow up, but I'm far more likely to be Bone. - Superman's Dead XBL: xx 8one xx 3DS: 0516-7281-0600 Steam: -Bone-

06-18-2011, 03:17 PM	#7
Scaryfaced Silent, but Deadly Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 3,440	Also, if you're just starting out, star people are the new stick figures. They're simple, but look far better than a stick figure. I tend to use them for quick drawings and to plan out how I want to position a character. Here's a quicky for an example...

06-18-2011, 06:12 PM	#8
Ink Asylum I'll handle this. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: NYC Posts: 21,957	They're targeted at kids, but if you've never drawn in your life you might want to start with an Ed Emberley book. He focuses on breaking objects down into simple shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. Even when you move on to more detailed drawings, seeing the basic shapes inside your subjects helps a lot. __________________ blog ~ twitter ~ flickr ~ daily sketch

06-19-2011, 01:24 AM	#9
boratika Spacefaring Bii Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Québec, Québec Posts: 4,126 Blog Entries: 2	Because it never gets old: __________________ "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said, "We have a protractor."

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