How to draw cartoon animals
How to draw cartoon animals
Cartoon Fundamentals: The Secrets in Drawing Animals
Knowing how to draw faces and facial expressions is a basic item in the toolbox of any cartoonist. But your journey will not be complete until you can also draw the giant animal world! Here, in much larger intensity of human-beings, diversity dominates! We have birds, fish, pets, wild animals. each animal with their unique characteristics. It seems difficult to represent so many features with just a paper and a pencil, right? Well, for today I’ll prove it’s easier than you think.
To get some inspiration, have a look at the hundreds of character designs on Envato Elements. Or for a shortcut, try a character creation kit!
1. Create a Base
But the child’s world is not complete without animals. They are in everywhere: toys, TV, movies. A cartoonist who lacks the ability to draw various animals in a piece paper, isn’t a complete artist. Today we’re going to change that and, again, following the same template we used in previous tutorials.
You doubt that we will draw most animals using only the circles below? Well, that’s it. We only need that circle, that will be our starting point to draw all animals in cartoon style.
If you’ve read my previous tutorials, there is nothing new here. So let’s keep our eyes positioned optimally on our template which will serve as the basis for all the animals that we build here today.
If you have not understood the drawing I’ve done below, take a look at my tutorial on how to draw cartoon faces. Also, visit how to create facial expressions for further guidance.
For each animal, I’ll show you some key elements you’ll need to illustrate to create the animal, as well as some handy hints on modifying the original design into something new. Like all cartoons, it’s about recycling what you have to create something new.
Now we have our template, let’s move onto the first animal, the queen of the Internet, the cat.
2. Draw a Cartoon Cat
This is a basic drawing of a cat’s face as seen from the front. The cat’s face is very easy to be drawn: It’s very well rounded and follows the curves of our circular template.
Cool, right? Now let’s complete our template filling the remaining angles:
The cat design in cartoon style follows the rules below:
Let’s see what it takes to make that cat a female cat?
Were you able to see what I changed above? It seems incredible, but I only decreased the eyebrows and increased the eyelashes. That’s it! Now we have a female cat!
3. Draw a Cartoon Pig
When we think of a pig, what comes to our minds it’s a cuddly and chubby animal, right? So it’s perfect to be embedded in our template. Let’s start at the muzzle:
The secret to drawing the pig are their ears and snout. Make sure that the snout/muzzle has a rounded shape on top and flat on the bottom. The ears are slightly facing forward, as it connects directly with the head. Try doing it with a triangular shape:
The secret of this technique I’m showing to you is very simple. You’ve got to identify the features that people use to associate with animals in real life in your drawings, so with the pig, it’s the snout and ears. If you manage to hit these small details, you will reach your goal!
It is possible to make an elephant from a pig? Of course it is! As you can see, small changes can give life to an entirely different being!
4. Draw a Cartoon Horse
We are working with species quite different from each other, are you noticing? This is to prove that we can explore all kinds of animals starting from the same template.
Let’s draw the horse now. Notice that the horse’s skull is thinner. The snout is positioned forward and his jaw is round and well marked by dental records. In a cartoon style, horses usually have big teeth, which gives you some freedom to play with the upper and lower lips.
Completing the angles:
Notice that the horse’s hair goes down throughout the neck.
Horses have broad, strong necks, and their nostrils are projected upward. The ears are of a regular size and in comparison with the size of the head.
5. Hail to Differences Between Animals!
We’ve talked about cats but we forgot someone who is also very important in a child’s life.
When it comes to pets, the dog is the leader. He is present in 8 out of every 10 houses! At least in my neighborhood.
As the dog and the cat are, probably, the animals you will draw more in your life, let’s make a comparison of the main differences between them:
When it comes to ears, a dog has an interesting feature that varies according to breed: their ears can fall down, or point up. You have greater freedom to explore the breeds and their characteristics in comparison to cats.
Drawing dogs is a huge adventure, because you can draw them all day long. Unlike cats, breeds of dogs are quite distinct from each other. 
Other classes of animals, like birds to name a few, are very distinguished from others by having unique features as well:
Notice how the birds are distinct. While the chicken follows the circular pattern, the eagle and the parrot has the flattened head.
Well, now it’s time to try for yourself. Try redraw the animals that I drew above as many times as necessary, until you can do it for yourself. Then, use the template below and make other animals that I haven’t shown. Remember to look for the special characteristics of each animal and try to reproduce them in paper:
6. Lights, Camera. Action!
Animal bodies have an immense flexibility! They expand and compress all the time, you only have to look at the contortion positions of a cat to realize how flexible they truly are. It’s not necessary to have full knowledge of muscular anatomy of animals, you just need to highlight the main areas and understand how the body works when its in motion.
Learn to simplify the forms of the animal you are drawing, but make sure you know where to position the most important structures of the body such as the neck, hips, tail and limbs.
The felines also has the same bone structure and muscle of the domestic cats. Keep in mind that you only need to set the size of its limbs. Only define the basic parts and bulk them up, so you will see what I’m talking about.
Notice how the lions and tiger are stronger. In the lower right corner we have the example of the lion’s head and how its drawn in cartoon.
Once you have understood how animal bodies work, you can play with it! In cartoon style you can even merge it with the human anatomy. This is a very interesting technique to give more action to a scene. Try to do four-legged animals on two legs and acting as human-beings.
Notice how the sketch changes depending on the anatomical structure of the character: In the end, everything is based on rounded shapes.
7. Hoofed Animals in Motion
Let’s take a look at the anatomy of the horse and check the main differences:
The front legs of the horse has a slight difference from other animals: It’s curvature resembles a knee, while the cat and dog look more like «elbows».
Interesting. this means the horse is the only animal that has a different bone structure from other four-legged animals? No. It means that all hoofed animals follow the same pattern, regardless of the size and shape, you will realize that these features remain.
Well.. Not always, right?
Sorry, piggy!
The fact is that nature is full of mysteries and curiosities. Anatomy is a very complex subject, especially when it comes to animals. As a designer, I confess that I don’t know even half of the muscles which form all animals. But you must understand that your role as an artist isn’t to represent real life accurately through your sketches, but use your creativity to convince people than you’re willing to show.
In fact, anatomy isn’t that hard. You only need to unlock its secrets.
So Many Animals, So Little Time!
Well, now you have the knowledge needed to draw nearly all the animals you want! Of course, your quest doesn’t stop here. My recommendation is that you try to observe how animals behave in real life. Watch the Discovery Channel, take pictures of your own pets in move, go to the zoo and observe the work of your favorite artist. Believe me: You’ll become a pro if you follow these tips!
Animals have feelings and should be treat with respect, love and care. Whether it’s in cartoons or in real life. Remember that pets are part of the family. Connect with them as you would connect with a drawing. Until next time, keep drawing!
How To Draw Cartoon Animals
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The power of caricature
By definition, cartoon is a style of drawing that pushes, exaggerates, or otherwise «distorts» a subject in order to bring out its character, make it more expressive and appealing, and convey a certain emotion or message. A caricature is a very powerful way to achieve this: by taking a few elements of a subject and making them more prominent, we convey a specific message about the character we are creating. This applies to creating animal characters as well!
Caricature involves pushing the proportions of the animal’s key features in order to make the expression more readable, more «human-like».
In the example below, I took this siamese cat’s key features (large eyes and ears, long nose and a triangular face) and made them more prominent, while also giving it a clearer, more relatable, and dare I say grumpy expression!
Photo reference (Source) Natural proportions Caricature / Exaggerated proportions
Of course, keep in mind that not all caricature have to be this extreme. Many artists like to settle on a halfway point between realistic animal anatomy, and a more expressive, human-based face. This is the style typically seen in Western animation, with Disney and Dreamworks movies as a prime example.
«Humanizing» animals
Also known as anthropomorphism, it’s the technique of adding human features to an animal’s face in order to make its expression more readable. This is typical of cartoons and it’s a great way to make the character more appealing and easier to emphatize with. As said earlier, this can be very subtle or very extreme, the difference often residing in how much we pushed the proportions in the previous step.
In this example, the proportions between realistic and cartoon are actually almost identical, with the cartoon having a slightly smaller muzzle and nose.
What really makes a difference here is how the features are drawn: in the cartoon version, the cat’s mouth is more visible, and the eyes are more focused. The mouth and eyes are two key components of expression. As humans, we instinctively focus on them when we read another person’s face. By making them more clear in this example, we immediately made the cat look more «human»!
Some movies require their animals to be so expressive that they even give them actual eyebrows, to make their faces even more readable!
Pushing proportions is important, but pushing expression is key!
Using geometric shapes
This ties in with the previous two steps: using geometric shapes on a character is a way to subtly convey their personality. Seeing as certain shapes are associated with certain characteristics, they are a great tool to give a crucial first impression of your character, and they can also help you constructing their figure as you draw!
In this demonstration, I will be using characters from my comic «Africa» as examples.
The circle is often associated with a cute character: round heads and eyes and curvy shapes convey a sense of «cuddly», but can also read as immature, inexperienced, not yet tempered. By using it on my protagonist character, I wanted to convey that she still has much to learn.
By definition, the triangle is the ultimate «edgy» shape. Sharp edges are typically associated with danger, chaos, and they are very frequently used on «evil» characters. However, the triangle can also represent perfectness, importance, and unity. In the case of Giza, I wanted her to literally look «sharpened» by her life trials, but she should also be a goal for Africa to reach, her idea of perfectness.
The square is a symmetrical shape, associated with stability, strength, sturdiness, resilience, but also stubbornness. Like the triangle, it’s also a very angular shape, which can make the character look uneven, possibly unreliable, ambiguous, potentially dangerous. For Chui, I wanted him to look equal parts strong and confident, but also subtly threatening.
Pushing gesture
So, we’ve learned to exaggerate an animal’s expression, proportions, and shape: one more crucial things to exaggerate is their gesture, a.k.a. how intense their actions look and feel.
This is true for all characters in all pieces of media: when drawing, always be sure that the pose is energetic, and that it conveys just as much character as the animal’s face and shape. Avoid «static» poses, as they tend to make less of an impact and can detract from your character’s personality.
Photo reference (Source) Really focus on pushing the gesture. Put more emphasis on the movement and how dramatic the pose looks.
Conclusion
And there we have it! Here are the main basic guidelines to follow when creating a cartoon animal character! Now it’s your time to put these tips into practice! Grab your drawing equipment, a photo reference if needed, and start creating!
How to Draw Cartoon Animals
Learn to Draw Cartoon Animals Easy! In this 6 Hour Mega Course for Beginners.
How to Draw Cartoon Animal Characters by Paris Christou.
Have you always wanted to draw lovable animal cartoons?
This is a course for beginners to intermediate level.
In this 6 Hour Mega course you will learn how Animator and Illustrator Paris Christou takes a basic head shape and demonstrates and explains in detail the techniques he uses in Real Time on how to add basic shapes that form each individual animal feature to create Tons of Animal Characters! You will travel through different animal environments like the House pets, Farm animals, Forest animals, Jungle animals and even Sea creatures!
Paris Christou demonstrates this course with Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 6! But you can also follow along with any artistic software and even with a pencil and paper.
STAGE 1 : «The Basics «
Total running time : 17 MINUTES 36 SECONDS
THE TOONBOX HEAD
— Paris teaches you how to draw the Basic ToonBox Head in different angles
which will be the base for each individual Animal Character.
STAGE 2 : «Pets»
Total running time: 1 HOUR 21 MINUTES
DRAWING HOUSE PETS
— In this section, Paris focuses on Cats and Dogs since their features are the basis to
understanding better the rest of the animals in this whole course.
STAGE 3 : «Farm»
Total running time : 1 HOUR 21 MINUTES
DRAWING FARM ANIMALS
-Journey through the farm as you learn to draw animals that either lay eggs, go «OINK or MOO» and lots more.
STAGE 4 : «Forest»
Total running time : 1 HOUR 12 MINUTES
DRAWING FOREST ANIMALS
-As you travel into the Forest, Paris teaches you how to draw characters like the Bear, the Fox, the Rabbit and lots more.
STAGE 5 : «Jungle «
Total running time : 1 HOUR 4 MINUTES
DRAWING JUNGLE ANIMALS
-Lions and Tigers and APES OH MY! In the Jungle you will learn to draw the Lion, the Tiger, the Elephant and Apes.
STAGE 6 : «Sea Creature «
Total running time : 27 MINUTES
DRAWING SEA CREATURES
-You now dive into the Ocean to learn how to draw Sea creatures like the Shark, the Dolphin, Octopus, Sea Horse and more.
STAGE 7 : «Expressions and Clean Up «
Total running time : 20 MINUTES
DRAWING EXPRESSIONS AND CLEAN UP
-In the final part of this Mega Course Paris teaches you how to add the facial expressions to the Basic ToonBox Head which can be used for any of the animal characters that you will design. He also draws a variety of head features for you to remember when you are creating your characters. And to finish off this course, Paris demonstrates how he cleans up a sketch of a Squirrel’s head.
BONUS MATERIAL:
— A folder with all the Rough sketches from this course.
Learn How to Draw Awesome Looking
Cartoon Animals Like a Pro
Cartoon animals and drawing go hand in hand. Think about this for a second, how many cartoon movies, have you seen that didn’t have any animals in them? What I’m trying to say here is that people love animals, especially when they’re cartoons! I know I love them, don’t you?
So, if we can agree that everyone loves them then I’m sure your next question must be: «How can I learn to draw cartoon animals?» That’s a fantastic question and I’m glad that you asked it. Let me tell you how you can get started.
Look below and you’ll see several step-by-step lessons that can help get you started. Each month we’ll add more tutorials to this page. If you’re really interested, sign up for the Drawing Coach news letter to the right and I’ll make sure that each month you’re kept up to date what new drawing lessons and tutorials have been added to the site.
In each lesson you’ll learn to use simple shape to begin, and progress through each stage of the drawing until you have a finished piece truly worthy of hanging on your fridge or on your wall!
If you don’t find the cartoon animals you’re looking for, go to the Contact Us section of the site to suggest a tutorial that you would like to see on the site.
Are you looking to make a breakthrough with your artistic abilities?
Artists from the world’s top studios like Disney, Nickelodeon, Blue Sky, and Pixar are sharing their hard-earned knowledge so you can learn directly from the people who create the amazing comics, movies and cartoons that we all watch and love.
How to Draw Cartoon Animals
Dual-Delivery Method.
CartoonSmart is now sporting two delivery methods for your training. You can stream the videos to your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone OR use our original delivery method: zip files containing the course videos and assets. Either way you’ve got the same great HD video CartoonSmart is known for. Before YouTube was even started, we’ve been offering HD quality screencasts!
Find out about the software used.
Your instructor uses the desktop version of Sketchbook Pro by Autodesk, but you can choose any illustration software you own. If you choose to use a sketching program for the iPad, two recommended apps are Sketchbook Pro for iPad and Art Studio for the iPad.
Learn about your instructor.
Paris Christou, professional instructor and YouTuber-extraordinaire, teaches this fantastic course on how to draw in elaborate detail. Paris is a full time animator, pin-up artist, children’s story book illustrator, and has his own comic series for a nationally distributed newspaper in the UK.
How to Draw Cartoon Animals – Six Hours of Tutorials!
In this huge video tutorial series you will learn how animator and illustrator, Paris Christou, uses basic shapes to construct dozens of animals! With 82 real-time examples, you’ll experience what it’s like to think and draw as a professional illustrator.
Divided into five different enviroments, the course features: house pets, farm animals, forest animals, jungle animals and sea creatures. Plus you’ll get two more videos covering The Basics and Final Clean Up.