RUNNING PRESS

P H I L A D E L P H I A - L O N D O N
C o p y r i g h t © 1991 b y B r u c e Blitz.
All r i g h t s r e s e r v e d u n d e r t h e P a n - A m e r i c a n a n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o p y r i g h t C o n v e n t i o n s .

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I S B N 1-56138-011-3

P a c k a g e design by Toby Schmidt

P a c k a g e a n d b o o k illustrations b y B r u c e Blitz
P r i n t e d in C h i n a
T h i s b o o k m a y b e o r d e r e d b y mail f r o m t h e publisher.
P l e a s e a d d $2.50 for p o s t a g e a n d h a n d l i n g .
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Running Press Book Publishers

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 T O Tri£ f^NTASTiC, F u M ,
AMD WACKY WORLD OF CARTOONING.
WiTM A LITTLE PRACTICE You W I L L SOON
BE CREATING YouR OWN CARIooN
" CHARACTERS, IN YOUR . O W N
CARTOON WORLD'

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3
Have you ever caught yourself creating works of art in the margins
of your notebook? How about your telephone book or shopping list?
Are they covered with drawings, too? Well, if you're one of those
people who can't stop doodlin' you are not alone.. .and I've got
good news! This book can help you turn those doodles into finished
cartoons.

What is a cartoon, anyway? I think it's safe to say that everyone has
seen one in the newspaper, on TV, in an ad, or somewhere else. It's
simply a drawing that expresses a funny idea. We enjoy them so
much because they can take us away. They illustrate our dreams
and fantasies and poke fun at our everyday problems and situations.

When you draw cartoons, you're the boss and you decide
everything! You design the main character, set up the gag, draw the
supporting cast of characters, select props, and choose the camera
angle that the viewer will see. So relax and let your mind go—
because anything is possible in the world of cartooning!

4
 For cartooning, I prefer
the pencils with softer leads—
like a Β or my favorite, HB. #2 pencils
are also good and easy to get.

I Paper

You are going to use a lot

of paper white learning, so
buy a ream of inexpensive
bond paper or a pad of
newsprint. Later on
you can buy more
expensive drawing
surfaces for your
finished cartoons.
Any eraser will do, although I like
the kneaded rubber kind best. It
doesn't leave any crumbs and it can
be shaped to get into those hard-to-
reach places.
 After your cartoon is penciled in and you have made all the necessary
changes, you may want to go over it with a marker. That way your
cartoon will stand out with one clean black line. By using more or
less hand pressure, you can

ALMOST LookS Uki£ BK<*d 3ifeote$:

Drawing with pen and ink takes
more practice than markers but
is well worth the trouble. Most
professional cartoonists use pen
and ink because it gives a better
finished product and is more
permanent. The selection of pen
points is vast, so check out which
ones you like best. These are
some of the pens most
commonly used by
cartoonists.

10
A cartoonist should also keep an art morgue. This is what we
call a collection of photographs and illustrations of things like tools,
animals, people, furniture, and so on that you can use for
reference. For example, if you were drawing a farm scene and
needed to know how to draw a tractor, you could look it up in your
art morgue files.
-| a Draw a shape, and 2_ Sketch in vertical and
remember—be loose!! horizontal guidelines.

2 e Put in the features. Use 4. Now go back over the

a horizontal line for the drawing, putting in
eyes and a vertical line some details, and make
for the nose. Place the it stand out by drawing
mouth wherever you one definite line.
want. After a l l . . .you're
the boss!!
13
By varying the shape that you start out with, putting the
guidelines higher or lower, and changing the way you draw the
features, you can get the faces to ail look different.
 FACING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS

This time put the vertical guideline a bit off to the left or right. Now
wrap that line around your beginning shape as if it were an egg or
beach ball! Do the same thing with the horizontal guideline. Draw it
in higher or lower. Put the features in as before and B A M . . .that's
how you get cartoon heads to look in different directions!!

LEFT RIGHT LOOKING LOOKING

UP DOWN

15
Try some of these yourself! Practice by drawing from life, and
"humorize" what you see. Keep the features simple, with not too
many details.

EYES
 HAIR

How to use your

®
©ye

1. Select an outline 3. Lay a piece of

from the FACIAL TRACING PAPER
OUTLINE sheet and over it and TRACE
lay it flat on a table. A FACE! Man, is this
2. Choose a pair of great or what!
eyes from the EYES
sheet and place
them on top of the
facial outline. Then
do the same with the
NOSES and
MOUTHS sheets.
Flip the sheets over
to have features face
the other direction!

With all the ways to mix and match these elements, you can
imagine the millions of possible combinations of cartoon faces
you can make. Also, you can vary the distances between these
features by sliding them around inside the facial outline.
Remember that the Insta-Cartooner® is a great learning tool, but
don't let it limit your creativity. Invent your own outlines and
features!

DRAW 2%
SHAPES AMP PU1
fAOBS W '£H..
ALL Otffe&NV

19
 This is what breathes life into your cartoons! IT MAKES THEM
APPEAR TO THINK! We begin the same as before, only now we
will change around the features in order to portray the different
emotions.

His eyes are shut tight, mouth

wide open, smiling with teeth
and tongue visible. His
eyebrows are up, but it would
have worked Just as well if
they were down.
20
 FRIGHT SURPRISED

EMBARRASSED

21
SICK SLEEPING
SAD STUNNED

22
23
Cartoon bodies are done in much the same way as we drew cartoon
heads.. .with shapes! These shapes, along with a few lines, will
determine the proportions of your finished cartoon people. Here are
just some of the possibilities!

24
 Step 1 Step 2

Start with an Put in some

oval for the guidelines for
head and the face.
one for
the torso.
Draw in lines
and smaller And one to
shapes show
indicating where
arms, legs, you want
hands, and the waist
feet. to be.

Step 3 Step 4

Draw in facial Go over the

features. drawing with
Build on the your marker
lines to make or pen, fill in
arms and legs large black
and note: areas, and
when drawing erase the
clothing, keep pencil lines.
it simple and
don't add too
many wrinkles!
Different shapes
 Just look at
the different
ways you
can use this
one basic
pose just by
changing the
arms, props,
and facial
expression.
 Drawing
Babies

1.
Notice his
head is as
large as the
rest of him.
2.
Draw a
large
forehead.
Keep the
ears down
low.

3.
Draw in just
a few hairs.
Make sure
he has no
neck and 4.
give him
stubby Add some
fingers. effects and
there he is!
Cute little
guy, isn't
he?
29
 Basic line
of motion /

When drawing a
cartoon figure in
action, the first thing
to do is find what
could be called the
basic line of motion.
The best way to find it is
to sketch from real live people.
Develop the habit of seeing it
when you go to a sporting event
or watch television. Just observe
people wherever you go, because
this can help sharpen your skills.
30
The easiest method I have found to draw comic hands is to just put
fingers on a circle. Then clean it up and add some details! Use
yourself as a model, or have your friends pose for you.
Feet are fun! Just look around at all of the different sizes, shapes,
and kinds of zany footwear. They can add a lot to your cartoons.

Leave some white showing

when filling in shoes with black.
It makes them look SHINY!!
Maybe you've seen these comical drawings being done at vacation spots,
parties, or fairs. They also appear in magazines, on billboards, and on the
editorial pages of newspapers. What are they? You might call them cartoon
portraits. You can create them by stylizing the features of a person's face.
You can "play up" features by exaggerating them, or "play down" features
by making them smaller.

The best way I have found to go about drawing a caricature is to aim for an
actual likeness and then play around with the features to see how far I can go
without losing the likeness. Caricature style varies with each artist and
changes with the conditions of the specific assignment. For example, the
drawings you find on the editorial page of the newspaper might be a bit
harsher than the ones you see being drawn in a hotel lobby.

How to Practice
A great way to practice is to sketch directly from television! The camera moves
on and off the actors' faces so quickly that it forces you to pick out their
important features quickly! Finishing these drawings is not a necessary part of
the exercise.

Drawing from photographs is also good practice. Sketch from the family album,
magazines, or books. Try to work from pictures where the subjects' heads are
not tilted upward or downward in an awkward way; this makes it difficult to
produce a good likeness.

The best way to learn is to have live models pose for you. You can position
them any way you want.

34
 STOP. . .LOOK. . .THINK.. .DRAW!
First ask yourself:
(a) What shape head does the subject have?
• Round · Square * Long
• Oval • Triangle * Whatever!
(b) What are the outstanding features?
• Large forehead · Large or small nose
• Big teeth * Whichever!

Step 1. Step 2.
Roughly sketch in the Draw in some
general shape on shapes for the
which you have eyes, nose, and
decided. Draw in a mouth. These
vertical line (keeping should indicate size
in mind the direction and relationship.
the subject is facing). Experiment during
Next draw in a this stage of your
horizontal line where drawing.
you think the eyes
will be.

A
NOTE-.
Have the
caricature
reflect the
subject's:
Sport
HDOV
• Profession

Step 3.
Now you're ready to go back and
refine your drawing, adding more
detail. When you're satisfied, go
over it with your marker or pen,
making one clean line.
 Side View
When drawing caricatures of live subjects in public, "side views" are fast and f u n ! They
are easier to do than front views because you don't have to deal with matching up features,
or getting the facial outline just right. But since you have fewer features to work with, you
must make them count!

Step 1.
Begin as always
with a rough shape,
and add a line
where you think the
eyes will be.

Step 2.
You can pencil the
features in as with
the front view, or
go directly to your
marker or pen.
(Use the marker to
mate large lines.) I
start at the top of
the nose and work
down. Draw what
you see and
stylize.

Step 3.
Go back and add
a little detail, such
as a line or two to
bring out the
cheekbone, laugh
lines, and so on.
When drawing the
hair, use BOLD
STROKES, bearing
down on your marker,
pen, or brush and
easing up at the end
to create a tapered line. Also leave some
white showing to indicate highlights.
J
A special thanks to the talented (and brave) actors who graciously
consented to let me use their photographs in these last few pages.

A. Garth Persichetti C. Richard Joyce

B. JohnBuzby D. Georgeann Catanella
E. Ron Gallop
FOR MORS WSAS, LOOK, m come ZOOM, we
NEWSPAPER, AND HAQA2tN6S FOR TH6 WORK
OF CARTOONISTS SOU AVHtRB. S66 WHAT THBS
HAW COMB UP WITH, THBhi VOUR 0WN1
It's funny to see animals in human situations thinking and speaking!
To draw cartoon animals, look in books, magazines, or even go to
the zoo and study their features. Then simplify and humorize!

Realistic
41
 TO
DRAW
APES

...JUST
START
WITH
SOME
SHAPES!

IF
IT'S
NOT
TOO
SCARY.

MAKE
HIM
HAIRY!

42
Some Quickies!
These are the things that help you get your story told. When you
are setting up a situation or gag, you decide everything! You select
the proper location, props, and view, but don't overdo it because
you want the main character to stand out.

44
Reduce objects
down to their basic
shapes. Then add
as much or as little
detail as you like.
It all depends on
your style of
cartooning.

Lamp
47
The lightbox allows you to see through two or three sheets of
paper at a time. You can use it to trace your rough sketches and
turn them into neat, finished drawings.

48
 Build Your Own Lightbox

1 Go to a hardware store or plastics

company and buy a piece of white
translucent plastic approximately
10" x 15" and 1/8" thick. They sometimes
have scraps and odd sizes that are left
over from large jobs, and these may be
a bit cheaper than a custom cut.

Next, tape the bottom down to the table like a

2. hinge. If you have a swivel type lamp simply angle
it down behind, grab hold of the plastic and you're
ready to go! If you don't have a swivel lamp, you
can even use a flashlight!

MASKING OR
FLASHLIGHT DUCT TAPE
3 If you would like something a little more steady, make a
• stand! You'll need an adult to help. Cut 2 pieces of 1/2"
or 3/4" thick wood like this.
51
Cartooning can be a terrific source of fun and profit for a person
with a sharp sense of humor and a sharp pencil. I have found that
a good cartoonist is always in demand. Your work might be in great
demand, and you don't even know it! So check for prospective
jobs, and put together a portfolio of your sketches.

Here are some suggestions for where you can go for cartooning
opportunities. Your school may have a newspaper or newsletter, and
might need cartoons for it. Local businesses could use your skills to
liven up their posters or advertising flyers. And ask everyone that
you know if they need a cartoonist, or know someone else who
does.

Just look around at all the places that you see cartoons every day.
Here are just a few:

• signs and billboards

• newspapers
• book illustrations
• television
• brochures
• advertising logos
• parties
• greeting cards

Cartoons
Command
Attention!

52
Advertising Cartoons
/ \
Putting cartoon faces on inanimate
objects makes them come to life!
That's about it for the basics of drawing cartoons—I hope you have
enjoyed it. We've covered a lot of ground; now the rest is up to you.
Remember, practice makes perfect! And when you practice, make
sure to work on everything and not just what comes easiest to you.
For example, if you have difficulty drawing cartoon hands or action
poses, focus in and work on that.

It's also a good idea to study other cartoonists' work. Exploring all
of the different styles and techniques is a great way to learn.. .but
don't copy! Be yourself, be original! You will find that the more
you practice, the more you will develop your own method and style
of drawing.

56
t f you're one of those people who can't
stop doodlin', here's good news!
ι Cartoonist Bruce Blitz has written this
book to help turn your doodles into
finished cartoons!

Bruce is the host of the national public TV

series "Blitz on Cartooning," and owns an
advertising company specializing in cartoon
illustration. He has operated animation
studios in Philadelphia and Las Vegas, where
he produced cartoon commercials for TV. He's
also a first-rate caricaturist.

Bruce does all this because he, too, can't

stop doodlin'!

RUNNING PRESS
P H I L A D E L P H I A - L O N D O N
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 Mouths

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