Drawing Cartoons

By David Jefferson

These drawings show the five main emotions reduced to a simple form. One of the best ways of learning to draw expressions is to look at your own face in a mirror. Try acting out the various emotions for yourself.

The whole body plays a part in showing how a person feels. For example a person might jump back when they are surprised. The animator needs to become a closet actor to give the cartoon characters a lifelike quality.

Originally printed in Animator’s newsletter Issue 6 (Autumn 1983)