DRAWING CARTOON ANIMALS

DRAWING CARTOON ANIMALS

 

                          Welcome to the Weekly Blog of Christopher Hart

           Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure, then you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every week, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

Ever wanted to draw cartoon animals, but didn't know exactly how to approach it? Many cartoonists use real animals as a reference for their animal cartoons. And usually, the result is an old fashioned looking cartoon. The reason? The styles of popular cartoons have zoomed way past the representational look of characters base upon their real counterparts. Instead, it's more effective to think of your subject as a cartoon first, and an animal second.

After all, how many actual physical traits do you need to make your character recognizable as the species you're attempting to draw? A cartoon elephant will look like an elephant if it is fat and has a trunk. That's the foundation. The rest is all about  manipulating and exaggerating shapes to make it funny, witty and edgy.


If you would like to see hints, techniques and animal characters - in other words, if you'd like to give it a try, or improve your current efforts, I'd like to recommend my book, "The Cartoonist's Big Book of Drawing Animals" published by Watson-Guptill.

And let me know how you're doing with it!

 

*Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing*

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You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

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HOW TO MEET DEADLINES WITHOUT GOING CRAZY

 Welcome to the Weekly Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure, then you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every week, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

HOW TO MEET DEADLINES WITHOUT GOING CRAZY

Many artists struggle with deadlines. How do you make progress, with the clock ticking, which becomes like the the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head? And when you're working on more than one project, it can get tricky. How do you prioritize? How do you know which project to work on the hardest, and which to let wait? Here are some suggestions:

1) When you've got a deadline, before you begin to work, figure out how much progress you must make on a weekly basis in order to achieve your goal. If you've got a 28 page comic book to do, you know you need to do one page a day for a month. But is that really true? You probably need more time for looking over the work and refining it, or re-drawing some pages, before handing it in. Therefore, for safety, you would aim to finish 28 pages in three weeks, leaving the final week for revisions. Three weeks means you would have to produce about nine pages a week of finished art. So, that's a little more than one drawing a day for three weeks, right? Not really. Remember, a week is not 7 days, but five days: Monday-Friday. So, in order to produce 9 pages in 5 days, you have to come up with about 2 pages a day.

2) When you are doing more than one project at a time, remember this rule: The project that is closest to publication is always the most important one. This will help your work look its best, and also, benefit your relationship with the publisher. Quite often, I'm working on a new book, and then, my editor sends me a copy of a book I did six months ago so that I can contribute editorial suggestions. I'd love to stay on a roll and keep working on the book at hand; however, that's not the one that's about to go to print, which is the publisher's primary concern at the moment. So I literally drop everything and work as hard as I can - long hours - to squeeze in the new, additional work.

If you're having trouble coming up with inspiration while under a deadline, I've got three suggestions:

3) Do not take a long walk along the beach or head to a coffee cafe in order to allow your imagination to blossom. Stay working: draw, draw, draw until something comes up. Pros work hard to produce their work. It's a craft and skill in addition to being an art. What if a newspaper writer said to his editor, "I can't write my column this week; I'm not inspired." You think the editor would let him have a week off to get his head together?

4) If pushing through the stuck imagination isn't working, then drop your entire approach to the project and drastically switch directions. In other words, if you were drawing a pretty girl walking her dog, in order to come up with a cute scene, then instead of continuing to refine a drawing that's not working, drop it, and draw a completely new character and new pose. Frequently, you'll find that this allows you to approach the drawing in a fresh way, when you feel totally stale.

5) If all else fails - go back to the basics. Be less ambitious, and draw something that's in your wheelhouse. Then see if you can tweak it enough to give it a fresh angle.

Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by. See you soon.

-Chris

Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing.

________________________________________________________________________

You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email. Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

Something New

 Welcome to the Weekly Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure – you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every Wednesday, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

Hey -- big news - my new board game came out! I'm very excited about this. It's a board game, like Trivial Pursuits, only this is a "drawing" game. It's called, "Cartoon It!" and comes from the prestigious game and puzzle company, Thinkfun. It's already in Barnes and Noble, and toy stores across the country, bless their little hearts. It was designed by me and my co-inventor, award-winning game inventor, Joyce Johnson. But I'm too modest to mention anything else about the game....  Well, okay, you twisted my arm: It's got a splash graphic on the cover with my name on it.

Outside of that, my dog had another accident, we visited the in-laws, and another payment is due on my daughters' tuition. In other words, back to real life now...

Meanwhile, I'm in the development stage of a new project -- coming up with the exact concept and angle. In the past, this has always been the tough part -- you know, like getting a tooth extracted. There's so much focus required: squeezing imaginative thoughts out of the correct hemisphere of the brain; weighing one idea against the next; looking for fresh and useful ways to present various topics. But now, it flows much more smoothly, and has become somewhat enjoyable. But there's no danger that I'll end up liking this process more than dinner at Japanese restaurant with my wife. But, this is where the bones of a book are set - it's the foundation. It's got to be done, and it's got to look just right to me, or I don't begin.

More on the process of writing a book next time...

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Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing.

________________________________________________________________________

You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

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CHECK OUT MY INTERVIEW ON SUVUDU

Welcome to the Wednesday Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure – you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every Wednesday, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

Hi, All: 

"SUVUDU, a premier website covering manga, fantasy, Sci-Fi and pop culture, just did an interview with me that posted last week. To view it, simply  Google SUVUDU, and then, once you're on the home page, select the heading "GRAPHIC NOVELS AND MANGA." That'll bring you to the page that has my interview.

The interview offers important and specif tips on How-To- improve as an artist. It's written for the serious beginner. Might be valuable for you. 

--Chris

Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing.

________________________________________________________________________

You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

________________________________________________________________________

                                         Welcome to the Wednesday Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure – you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every Wednesday, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required. 

MEET CHRIS, AS A GUEST ARTIST

AT AN UPCOMING ANIME CON 

Hey, all -- ! I just got invited to an Anime Con, scheduled for February. Since it's geographically favorable (within driving distance), I think I go. They'd like me to do two panels for them. So I'm coming up with some ideas, which I think will not appeal to my readers. Right now, I'm leaning toward two: How To Get  Your Work Published -- and -- a Portfolio Review. My style is not to criticize the work of aspiring artists with judgments, as may do, but rather, to identify each artist's strong and harshly, but to encourage aspiring artists by identifying each artist's area of strength (we all have them, but are not always aware of what they are).

I'll post the name of the Con, location and dates when I firm it up; and I'll also describe the two panels in more detail. So if you're one of my readers, why not stop by and introduce yourself? And even if you're not, you are, of course, invited.

Hey, I'd also love to get some feedback on the extensive redesign of this is website, if you'd care to use the "contact" mailbox on this website.

It was a significant revamp of the old one, and took a full month to complete. I hope you find it easier to navigate, and also, more visual. It's got added options, too, and the books are easier to view than before.

I'm also interested to know if you think the new Blog is a worthwhile feature for the website.

Thanks for dropping by for a visit today! I hope you make this Blog a part of your regular surfing.

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You can reach Chris by sending an email from the “contact” option on this website. Chris reads all of his emails, responds to everyone, and never uses a “form” email.  Due to his busy schedule, please be a little patient when awaiting his response.

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Back from the Hurricane!

Welcome to the Wednesday Blog of Christopher Hart

Best-Selling Author of How-To-Draw Books on Art Instruction

If you have a passion for drawing - whether it’s manga, cartoons, comics, or the human figure – you’ve found the Blog that’s written just for you.  Every Wednesday, I’ll discuss tips on drawing; offer my analysis and predictions about the rapid changes in the publishing industry; offer advice on how to become a published artist; and, of course, give brief updates on my books. So make this a regular stop as you surf the Blog-O-Sphere. No reservations required.

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Sorry for the delay in writing the Wednesday Blog, but we were out of power for days during Hurricane Irene. The thing I missed most of all wasn't TV, or hot meals, but the internet! With it, you're connected to the world; without it, you feel as though you've disappeared.

Here's what I've been thinking about...With so much manga are available to read online, for free, what does the future hold for printed, graphic novels? Are they, like records, going to become the "Buggy Whips" of the next decade?

I don't think so. And this assessment isn't influenced by my personal preference. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't allow your feelings to influence your analysis of a situation, or you'll end up with a worthless conclusion.

When I look at the experience a reader wants and enjoys from printed, graphic novels, the first thing that strikes me is that reading from a computer screen, for fun, is okay now and then. But it tends to get old. Who wants to do all of their pleasure reading at the same desk, and in front of the same computer screen, where they either do their homework or job? Reading your favorite graphic novel should be a relaxing, pleasurable experience. I can't envision a time when a reader won't want to curl up with a book, either on the couch or on the beach. Who wants to be tied to a computer when portability, and sharing books is also part of the experience?

Webcomics are great places to discover new talent. But often, they're truncated snippets of stories, offering only "teasers,"which give you only enough material to make you want to come back for more. And not every author of a webcomic is devoted to reliably updating it. So you run the risk of getting absorbed in a story, which has no ending.

Certainly, a large percentage of graphic novels will be sold as ebooks. The percentage is anyone's guess. No genre will be immune to the conversion. As the demand for more bells and whistles increases, don't doubt for a moment that the graphics will lose their static nature, become partially animated, and even offer a sound track to heighten the suspense at dramatic moments. However, the thing about manga, which is unique to this genre, is that its fans are often purists. They want their books to read right to left, in the Japanese tradition. They want accurate translations. They want it left alone. Something tells me that a good portion of manga fans will be resistant to adulterating the art form by turning it into interactive entertainment. After all, if it becomes too interactive, what have you got? Anime. And manga has never been in danger of being vanquished by anime.

Manga fans also enjoy collecting a shelf full of graphic novels. But perhaps the most persuasive element in my analysis is a subtle one: Drawings on paper have a certain appeal, which graphics in the virtual world do not. Yyes, graphic novels, like everything else in publishing, will change. But my guess is that printed graphic novels will remain a sector of the market for years to come.

Welcome To My Wednesday Blog

Welcome to the first installment of my Blog!  But wait...if this is called "The Wednesday Blog," then why am I starting it on a Friday? Well, I've got to admit -- I've been remiss in getting this thing going, because of my deadlines. But now that the smoke has cleared just a little bit, I couldn't wait to jump on it.

Next Wednesday, there will be a new installment, and every Wednesday after that, until the sun supernovas (which, by the way, can't happen, because it doesn't have enough mass. That was for my 8th grade science teacher, in case she was reading this Blog).

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for stopping by my website, and also for visiting my Blog. In this Blog I'm going to cover various topics, which I think will appeal to you, and be informative. Here are some of the things I plan to talk about:


-Art techniques
-The publishing industry
-How to become a published artist

-Tips on drawing
-And updates on my work


So please stop back soon! Next Wednesday, we'll get into some specific art stuff!

Your Drawing Colleague,

Chris Hart