Cartoon comes from the Italian word ‘cartone’. Cartone was a drawing for a first step to a tapestry. Usually these were not funny at all. Cartoon may seem quite recent but they actually are very ancient. Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to tell stories. They even used speech bubbles. Cartoons are normally used for telling humorous stories. But they are sometimes used for telling serious stories. They can also be used on posters for advertising....

One way to get ideas for characters is drawing freehand. You need a pencil and a page. Be in a quiet, peaceful area. Get atimer and set it for 10 minutes. Sketch the first thing that comes to mind. This exercise helps when you run out of ideas fo creating characters.  Draw all different shapes of eyes,noses,bodies,hair style.etc.. Experiment. Draw big eyes, small nose, short round body etc… Try out all different shapes until you create your perfect character...

The eye can be the most expressive element for the character. It could be two simple dots or very expressive. Draw lines underneth to show some tiredness. Eyelashes for a cute character. Using eyelids can change the entire facial features. Big eyes can show a happy, curous expression. Small,squinty eyes can show an angry, irratated expresssion....