how do you draw real people in cartoon form?

Answer 1

It is one of my favorite forms of art. Doing this, at parties, art festivals and such events has helped me earn some money.

It is, as most art forms, something that can be learned and gets better with practice. The key is to simplify, simplify and SIMPLIFY! Reduce the person to it's simplest, barest components. Save the details for only the most important features, perhaps a nose, the eyes, or, for some people, the clothing or hair. Even these need not be that detailed, or even accurate. For many, exaggeration is the key.

Think of a cartoon character like Homer Simpson. No one's body is quite THAT round. No real person only has THREE hairs on the top of his head. No one has a perpetual five o'clock shadow, or eyes THAT round. Yet, he is clearly recognized as a human character, unlike Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, or the Tazmanian Devil. Homer's character can be drawn with a minimum number of shapes and lines: Two circles for his belly and chest, two more for his head and mouth, two for his eyes, four to six cylinders for his arms and legs, and a minimum number of strokes for ears, lips and nose. With these, and some creative use of expressions, he can be made to "act" in any given situation.

"Simpsonizing" is only one direction. Cartoon people can be made ENTIRELY of circles, or even as simple as stick figures. Again, the trick is to reduce the human figure to its minimal components, THEN add essential features.

For some examples, check out:

http://members.aol.com/VSM66

Click into the "Murphy's Laws" and "Cartoons pages to see cartoon people.

By the way, I "starred" this question for a very important reason. This asker did not ask where a site can be found that makes a real photo into a cartoon, "for free." The question was in the form of "How can I do this?" In this category of Yahoo Answers, I would much rather offer help on THIS kind of question, than for one who only seeks the easy answer.