Posts Tagged ‘Cartoon’

Caricatures of Politicians

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Caricatures can be insulting or flattering and can serve a political point or be drawn solely for entertainment. Caricatures of politicians are frequently used in editorial cartoons, whilst caricatures of movie stars are often found in entertainment magazines. The term is derived from the Italian caricare- to charge or load. So, the word “caricature” essentially says a “loaded portrait”. Strictly speaking , the term refers just to depictions of real-life people, and not to cartoon fabrications of fictional characters.

However the world-renowned animator Walt Disney claimed that animation work could be compared with caricature, saying the most difficult thing to do was find the caricature of an animal that worked best as a human-like character. One of the earliest instances of a caricature has been uncovered in the ruins of Pompeii where a graffiti caricature of a politician had been carved on a wall. Moving forward nearly 1500 years but remaining in Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was an dynamic exponent of the art.

The point of a caricature was to offer an impression of the original which was more striking than a portrait. Diodemmar Casem, one of the best early exponents, claimed to be able to sum up a person in ” three or four strokes of the pen”. Caricature underwent its first successes in the closed aristocratic circles of France and Italy, where such portraits would be passed about for mutual enjoyment.

How To Draw Cartoon Characters

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

A lot of people want to learn how to draw cartoon characters. It really is not that difficult. In fact, you can learn the basics without ever taking an art class. It helps to have some experience or raw natural talent, but even that is not completely necessary. All you really need to do is practice and be determined to learn. 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.

Simple shapes are the best way to learn here. Squares, circles, and triangles can all be used to draw a cartoon character. Plus, these shapes are easy to change. You can squash them, stretch them, and shrink them, because you already know the shapes. For example, you can make a cartoon head out of any of these shapes. Naturally circles and ovals come to mind. Teardrop shapes and rectangles can also make good shapes for a head, though. In fact, they can give your cartoon a lot of… well, a lot of character!

As a matter of fact, the shape of the head may help you think up the character of your character. It can inspire the character’s personality. A wide, circled forehead with a sharp chin – like an alien head or an anime face – might belong to a mischievous little boy. A round edged rectangle might become a stubborn, older man.This can in turn prepare you for drawing facial features. Do not worry if they do not come to you straight away, however. They will, with practice. If you just can not see them yet, they might come together as you get closer to completing the cartoon.

That brings us to the chest and torso. Do not worry, things do not begin to get complicated here. Believe it or not, you can use the same shapes as you did before. Just think of some of your favorite cartoons to get some inspiration. Start out simple.The legs may be a bit more complicated so, again, turn to your favorite characters. Again, though, you want to go with simple shapes. In the end, legs are nothing more than elongated triangles.

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. Here are some tips outlined above which will help you on how best you can draw cartoon characters effectively. If these tips are followed carefully you will eventually draw perfect cartoon characters.