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LinkedIn Learning

Animation Foundations: Drawing Cartoon Characters

via LinkedIn Learning

Overview

Learn to draw cartoon characters for classical cel animation, digital animation, comic books, or just for fun.

Syllabus

Introduction
  • Welcome
  • Understanding the exercise handout: Print it out!
1. Basics Overview
  • Body types, proportions, and construction
  • Gesture and attitude drawings
  • Thumbnails
  • Composition and camera angles
2. Understanding Drawing for Animation
  • Line of action/reversals
  • Silhouette and negative space
  • Counterpose/torque
  • Exaggeration
  • Squash and stretch: Understanding volume
  • Straight vs. curves and parallels
  • Breaks on curves
  • Vary shapes, asymmetry, and texture
  • Point of origin
  • Open and closed areas
  • Tangents
  • Materials and drag
  • Line weight
3. Drawing Body Parts: Detail
  • Understanding anatomy
  • An introduction to drawing eyes
  • Eyelids, eye blinks, and eyebrows
  • Drawing realistic eyes
  • Drawing cartoony mouths
  • Drawing realistic and stylized mouths
  • Drawing the nose
  • Drawing ears
  • Adding details to build character in a drawing
  • Drawing hands
  • Drawing hands: Details, touching hands, and fine points
  • Drawing hand styles
  • Feet
  • Hair and beards
  • Drawing clothes and flowing materials
  • Drawing animals
  • Drawing creatures
  • Drawing cartoon effects for animation
  • Drawing objects
4. Bringing It All Together
  • Bringing it all together
5. Full Drawing: From Start to Finish
  • Starting with a rough construction
  • Tie down
  • Cleanup
  • Troubleshooting and plussing
  • Model sheet and turnaround
  • Advice on drawing in different styles
  • Adding color to your drawing
Conclusion
  • Next steps

Taught by

Dermot O' Connor

Reviews

4.8 rating at LinkedIn Learning based on 138 ratings

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