Famous Artists Cartoon Course
Westport, Connecticut
The comic head teen
Rube Golaberg
Milton Conift
Al Copp
Horry Haenigsen
Willrd Molin
Gurney Wiliams
Dick Cova
Whitney Darrow, J.
Virgil Postch
Borney TobeyThe comic head
‘When you meet sind the first thing you look at i his face,
You 45, "You look fine” or “You look sick” or "You lok st
‘or "You look happy.” You recognize Joe or Bill or Mary by the
{eyes oF nose or eats or hair. The good Lond ie am expert at put
ting people together s0 you can identify them easily. Each of us|
Insert features — even twins are not really identical ~ and,
in addition, each of us has «definite and individual personality.
‘Asan observer and recoder ofthe human race, yout most have
fan awareness not only ofthe surface differences beteeen people
‘hut alo of sehat makes them tick In genera. you muse become
4 piychologis. good undertanuling of the emotional dlfer
fences between people wil help you to create cartoon characters
that wll react propery to any’ sc of circumstances and leave no
oubtin the reader's mind a to the type of people they are.
From now on we want you to stat thinking like a caroonist
tap looking at your friends a3 Joe, Bll or Maty, Instead, tink
of them as Joe, the bigmouthed showol; Bil, the Lite mouse:
Bind Mary, the gil tha’ afraid of her fsband, Kids al the
family goldfish. Open your eyes and see the people around you
Watch and sty their actions and rections, The painter hires
smodels to pose for him, but you, 284 cartoonist, want no planned
poses. You want your models to act naturally against a natural
Dackground. So wherever you are, at work, at play oF at the
sipermatlet, keep your eyer and your mind open — your eyes to
rly the phsialeiferences and your mind to gain a under
Sanding of your subjects personalities,
Tecase the face andl head ae the most expresive parts of the
figure, we naturally tke them up Gist. The meted we use to
“draw them may appear sinple, bur plesse remember that every
head of fae, from the simple exnggerated cartoon hesdl to the
ery realistic hen of the illustration and adventurestripsype
is built upon the same basie principles, ALI hesds ate shaped
somenhat like a balloon and ave tna eye, twa eat, ne nose
and one mouth. In the pure comic or highly sized eye, these
features may be exaggerate or even placed in extreme positions
in elation to exch othe, but the basi principles of end con
suricton ave still the sime as those usel to draw the realistic
type. Page 10 illustrates this basie relationship of all cartoon
hens. Sty it creully sn note how each ofthe dierent ne
hha made nse ofthe kime base principles and features to ereate
is own individual characters
In starting to draw the cartoon head, think off a beng Hike
a chiles balloon — something that has shicknem aswell a eight
tind width. The photo of the balloon on the opposite page will
demonstrate what we mean. ‘The balloon has depth ~a third
Uimenion, Ifyou let youre think of ax 2 at cele, you wil
fend up with alot of characters drawer ith any teeing of
soliity. Remember sha the head is sphere and, when the fx
tyes ate placed om ts surface properly hey will give the elect
‘of being drawn om a curve rather than fat plane
Get in the lubic of dashing your balloons off rely. Let your
pencil go aroun the balloon shape Uhee or four nes. Don't
tay to make perfect sngletine ballon aF ov, or draw the
Balloon scith a compas. Do them freehand. The pencil work is
‘nly s guide upon which you wil on
ities tele lopridest or bumps out on the se, done worry about
it Sometimes these ieegulaities will get an enttely new
ype of character you. Alo, when dasting the Balloon ot
Tine, do not gee in dhe habit of bearing own too hey with
your pencil. In Later lessons. to finish your cartoons yu will go
Over their outlines in ink: if your penciing is too dark, ie wil
be almost ipoatbleto eras alter inking
“The important thing to remember when drawing ny cattoon
Isto keep it simple. The simple, direct approach of eattanning
has an instantaneous effect upon an aualience. Because of is
ct the cartoon bead. If
directness and clarity, the cartoon as become well established
in every Bld of visual communication, including television and
advertising, Keepin mind the importance of the simple, direct
Approach when you drae the carton Hes for this lesan. Strive
constantly 10 capture. in as few ands simple lines a8 possible,
the personality und feeling of the character you are drawing
Avold overdatving or shading. particulsty in the eartoon face
Rementber that too many fine lines instead of strengthening a0
‘expression, will olten kil i Make simplicity your watehword
‘Many times throughout your Course we will remind you of
the importance of practice. We particulary sues i here because
the cartoon head 30 basic, By practice we donot mean that
You ate to spend only ten oF Altern minutes a day at your
sues. We mean that you should draw every chance you gu
orm right now the abit of carrying a sketch, pac with you
wherever you go. Sketch pads come inal ues, and there is
Small size that wil fe i 3 oat pocket of a handbag. Every time
you see an interesting face, jt st done in «quick sketch. Don't
fuitlen up and make work of itor worry abont producing a
dean, Gnished pencil drawing. Yow are interened in captain
' chiracter ora exprenion andl a fe sketch wil often do that
letter than a painstaking draveng, Tf you areal alone in the
dencis’s wating room and there ae no mols present just daw
faces from memory. The important point i t keep drawing
Learning to draw carioons i a serious busines. Fortunate
however, there is just as much please int as there is work
Cartooning has often been cled “the happy art” and dancing
‘comic eats one ofthe happiest parte ait. So grab a pencil
and start swinging them io, Don’t expect every head you draw
to be a manerpiece— but do expect them to get beter 2 you
five them more ime and thought and, above all, have Fun
Arawing them
For this ret lesson, all the materials you nee sre some soft
pencils (28 or 3B), some 8y4 x H-inch Bond typing paper. and
fn Arigumn or kneaded rubber eraser, and you ate ready too
to work, Remember, when buying supplies, dhat a goad crafts
man likes to use goed tool, Lackily forthe catooniet, pencils
te inexpenive, When one ges too short for cornfor, throw it
array or give it o the ladies bridge cub.Lesion “If Fomous Atise Conon Course
The comic head
Drawing the balloon head
Before beginning to draw cartoon heads, you must learn to draw
the balloon shape freely and quickly. Never use compas. To
form yur balloon, wing the pencil around several times on the
paper. The freely drawn balloon ill be only a guide for the
feneral shape of the head, so make it lght — you cam strengthen
the outline later. Practice drawing balloons about the sie shown
here, because most of your work 2s cartoonist will call for
heads this size or smaller
“After yous have gotten the hang of drawing the balloons and
can dash them of exsily, you are ready t0 sing the to guide
Jines a. Sketch these lines as chough they go completely around
the balloon. ‘This wil give the head solid, ehreedimensinal
quality and keep you from drawing fat, pancaketype faces
‘Then sare drawing in the eyes, nose, mouth and ears, following
the principles demonstrated bere
f - ™N
Ste
Side
viewtenon I Fomovs Arts Corton Cours
The comie head
Turning the head
( fast ad you should have little trouble lo.
cating the fetizes properly no matter at
Which angle the heid i ted or turned,6 tenon I Fomovs Artie Corton Cote
The comic head
Changing the shape of the balloon
1 everyone had his or her hair shaved off, you would ste that
there is as much variety in the human head as there isin the
tops of « range of mountains. Human heads come in almost
every shape, from lima beaa 19 a toy top —and so do cartoon
heads. The round balloon head is only the beginning.
Tagine that yo are grasping a ty balloon in your hands.
[Now squceze ic hard. The balloon changes its shape but i till
keeps is three dimensions. The same thing must be true of the
diferentshaped cartoon beads you draw. Regardless of the
form, your centerline must follow the cuve of that form. Ii
does, you can place the features correctly in relation 4 the
‘center line and maintain the three dimensional eet.
CChanging the shape ofthe basic balloon head is dhe Bey to cre
sting many different cartoon types. As you see her, jus couple
fof varied shapes can be the start of a whole cast of interesting
Characters Milquetonsts and mogs, debutantes and dowagers,
seadogs and swansVarying the location of the features
While the eye Line is usually halfway beewoen the op of the
ea andthe chin, itering carton arcs of many
ent types can be created by raising or lowering thie line, Even
sith Ballons of the ame shape nif in the eye line cn be
the start of a new character. Keepin mind, howet
the features ate evenly balanced om each se oft
{his line serves a a fixed guide for loeating them,
Hair on the head and faco
1m the simple cartoon head, hair makes the head male or female.
“When ie comes to hair, anything goes ~ from the last precious
few of the almost bald gent tothe weird rele of mild’ latest
vidi tothe beauty parlor. EveryGirls’ headstaxon I Fomour Artis Conoon Coun
‘The comic head
Facial expression
1 cartoon character i wo be animated and interesting
to the reader, it must expres exictly the right emotion,
Later in the Course we will how you how the whole fg
tre canbe used to express emotions, but, for now, we are
foneerned with the head and face. Joy, worrom, ange,
And other moods ate shown chieiy nthe face and you
Should len all you eam about how to draw thet,
“A good way to begin i to study the faces of the people
aroured you, 21d the dilerent moods they express Ako,
Set up a mirror and study your own features as you rege
ter various emotions. Se what happens to eyes, eyebrows
mouth corners, ete, and practice drawing what you se
‘A good cartoonist does just think hie
‘expressions and emotions — he Jel them, Thi
sive his characters conviction. Watch even the mont ex
petienced cartoonist at work and you will note that when
The draws an unusual expression on the face of a chat
acer his own face unconsciously aeeumes that expression,
Head gestures
Give the facial expression more pone and drama by
Arawing the headin an atitade of gesture that matches
the emotion expressed by the features. Again, stand in
front of a miaror and try out some of the basi expres
sions. Note how naturally the Head takes a pesiion that
‘comrespond othe expression, When you lugh, the head
goes back. When you look dejected, it goes down. For
early every facial expresion there is head. gesture
Practice these gestures and apply them in your work,
Pefced tend dpe10
All cartoon characters are based on real peopleFAVDUS ARTISTS CARTOCN COURS
Student Work
‘Lesson 2.
Zo study and practice
‘The purpose of this first lesson ic to start you draving the cartoon head in ite
simplest fom, and to teach you how to place the features correctly. The method
wwe give you for locating the features fron all views is a eure-fire, time-tested
way of creating funny faces, It is basic and it vorks.
For practice, cover sheets of paper with balloon head shabes and swing those bal-
‘loons 4n frecly. Use the conter and eye lines for locating the features. Strive
for new combinations of features and draw the heads fron different angles. Carry
f pencil and peper with you and have fun with then during odd moments. Keep your
eyes open for people sround you with unusual features. Using the balioon and
guide lines, try to capture those features in their simplest fora on your paper:
the best cartoon heads are based on observation of zeal people, Don't copy the
hheads in the text for these assignments and don't just dash off six heads and rush
‘then to the post office -- practice until you are Sure you understand and can use
the teaching in the lesson. When you feel you can draw heads upside-down and side-
ways according to the rules, send your assignmente along.
‘Your work for this lesson vill be criticized and graded on the basis of how well
you have understood and used the method given for drawing the conic head.
assTgMent 1
0a a piece of 6 1/2 x 11-inch bond typewriter paper, draw in peneil four heade
about 2 inches high. Draw one each of the following views:
1. Front view of the head of a man or girl
2. Bide view of a pretty girl
3. Three-quarter front view of a wonan's head
tilted slightly forward so that it 4s looking down
4, Three-quarter front view of @ man's head tipped
slightly back s0 that it is looleing up
Yary the expressions to suit yourself but make then as lively and aninated
fas Possible. Use the balloon vith center and eye lines to help you drav then
correctly and leave these Lines in the drawing (do not erase!) 20 that we can
see you understand their use.
TM@ORTANT -- Mark this sheet ASSIGNENT 1.
Assromen” 2
on another piece of 8 1/2 x 11-inch bond typewriter paper, create 2 conic heads of men
or women of any age and of various shapes, using the principles explained on page 6+
Use your ingenuity and inagination, and be sure to let us see the center and eye Lines
fs you did in Assigrment 1. Before you ake these dravings reetudy page 6.
TDBORDAMT -- Yark this sheet ASSTOMenT 2,
Present your assignments in the sane clean, professional manner you would use if you were
subnitting then to the cartoon buyer of a publication. Letter your ane, address and
student number carefully in the lever left-hand comer of each page. in the lower right
‘omer, place the Lesson Nunber and Assigaent Number, (Vou should do thie with all the
‘assigments you send in.) Mail to:
[FAMOUS ARTISTS CARTOON COURSE
Westport, Connecticut