For as long as man has been able to paint and draw, funny pictures and cartoons have been depicted on caves walls, canvas, paper, floors, ceilings and even skin!

Many award-winning artists have drawn and painted comical and funny pictures not to mention such legendary historical figures as Raphael and Leonardo De Vinci whose comical works are highly regarded.

In the 15th-century the printing press was popularised by Johann Gutenberg and later this invention gave rise to the ability to replicate satirical images for widespread distribution to the masses. In the 16th-century humorous cartoon strips gave politicians the ability to reach illiterate people to further their cause and win precious votes. They were also a powerful tool of propaganda and party policy.

Contrary to the famous Queen Victoria saying, “We are not amused” the Victorians were actually very easily titillated and throughout the 19th century funny pictures were depicted on Victorian postcards in various formats from slapstick scenes to the more innuendo orientated themes

In the 1890′s the invention of Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope heralded the age of animation screening rudimentary projection technology. Many people of the time saw the enormous potential this novel invention would provide.

The name Disney is synonymous with animation and in 1928 we saw the birth of Mickey Mouse who is still today one of the most iconic and recognised symbols in the world. In the 1950′s the United States also saw another company emerge, Hanna-Barbera Productions which went on to produce many classic cartoons, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones and The Yogi Bear show to name just a few.

Technology has come a long way and from early cartoons in comics and funny pictures on postcards and newspapers we are now treated to high spec digital animation with films like Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

Many people who feel that they just cannot be creative are often discouraged with their drawing arts although they might have tried this or that in the art world, even they intend to quit it. Fortunately, if you are among them, you can gain some advance in the field by starting with cartoons.

The reason that this is a good starting point is that everyone can relate to cartoons. Whether it was Mickey Mouse or it was the Powerpuff Girls, we can all relate to cartoons. The reason that cartoons are such a great place to start drawing, is that they allow you to be as ridiculous as you care to be. Cartoons by nature are exaggerated, and therefore you can get away with breaking a few of the usual drawing no nos.

A thing that you need to consider before delving into cartoon drawing is what type of cartoon you actually care to draw. Much like any other faction of artistry, there are subcategories to allow you to excel in certain types of toon creation.

You might not know someone who has excelled at drawing cartoons. Therefore, having a person to gather knowledge from might not work. Another option is to consider the many resources at your disposal online. There are different levels of these resources, and many of them are free to view and utilize. You can even find step-by-step video instructions on sites like Youtube.

There are a lot of folks that swear that through tracing some of your favorite cartoon characters, you can have a better grasp on how cartoons in general are drawn. However, a more effective plan than this is to print out some sample cartoons on grid paper. Then, using a blank sheet of grid paper, you can use the corresponding squares to show you piece by piece how to draw your favorites.

There are today many resources available which you can learn to draw cartoons from. Learning to draw cartoons may be interest and it is not too difficult to learn. The most important thing deciding your success in drawing art is just your interest.