Image: Shutterstock
Children love cartoons and animations and are always fascinated by how colorful, funny, and cute they look. If you are wondering how to draw cartoons for kids, this post is for you. Teaching cartoon drawings for kids is a great way to spend some fun time with them, and it also allows their imagination to wander off the roof. The whole exercise can also serve as a great bonding session with your child. So here, we have penned down a couple of incredibly exciting cartoon drawing ideas.
Drawing With Kids: Drawing is great for your kid, especially if he does not feel confident enough to express himself. It will enable him to put across his thoughts, feelings and ideas. Drawing can also help in developing interpersonal skills, increase his attention span and help him develop self-managing techniques. Apart from math and chemistry, kids also need to develop their visionary skills.
Keep a portfolio of their work and after a few months they will see a remarkable improvement in their drawing skills. Drawing improves with time; the ability to understand the use of colors and shapes increases with practice and with age. It is very important to inculcate drawing hours with your kids in their routine.
Key Pointers
- Participating in drawing activities can support the development of interpersonal skills, lengthen attention spans, and assist in forming self-management techniques.
- Drawing enhances fine motor skills by involving the small muscles in children’s hands and fingers.
- Crafting cartoon characters becomes effortless by employing basic shapes like squares, triangles, circles, and rectangles.
- Creating various cartoon characters, such as the koala, cow, butterfly, and tiger, can be an enjoyable experience.
Start With Basic Shapes
Image: Shutterstock
- A Circle
- A Triangle
- A Square
- A Rectangle
- A Heart
- A Star
You can ask your child to round the corners of the four basic shapes and add ears and hair to them. Make them add eyes, nose, and mouth to the shapes. Finally, color the faces and you will be surprised with the result.
The best thing about cartoon drawing for kids is that it is simply meant to suggest things like mouth, eyes, nose and hair. It is not sketching and hence does not have to be perfect.
Quick TipHow To Draw A Koala
Image: Shutterstock
Step-By-Step Tutorial
- Draw a circle that is slightly elongated on the sides.
- Now, draw two upturned U’s on the top of the circle to create ears. Add an inner U to each ear to create dimension.
- Draw two big eyes and darken them, leaving small white circles on the inside.
- Also, draw tiny ovals on top of the eyes and the cheeks.
- Now, draw a teardrop-shaped nose.
- Add a small curved line under it to depict a smile.
- Draw two curved lines from either side of the circle to create the outline of the body.
- Add small arms directed inwards.
- Add the feet and the paws beneath the hands.
Learn To Draw A Cow
Image: Shutterstock
Step-By-Step Tutorial
- Sketch a small horizontal oval shape. Add a bell shape on the oval with a small tuft of cloud-like hair at the top.
- Draw small black eyes and eyebrows on the bell-shaped part of the face, and two tilted nostrils and a small curved smile on the oval.
- Now, draw two small curved horns on either side of the tuft of hair. Also, draw two horizontal mango-shaped ears below the horns on either side of the face.
- Draw the body with one line going straight down from the oval and another line starting from the oval’s right and curving down.
- Sketch one hind leg and two front legs. Add a curved line between the legs to create the belly.
- Add a small tail at the back and draw lines on each leg to create hooves.
- Finally, draw black patches on the cow’s body.
Tougher Characters To Try
How To Draw A Butterfly
Image: IStock
Step-By-Step Tutorial
- Begin by drawing a small circle.
- Then, draw two circles at the top to overlap the main one.
- Remove the overlapping lines to create eyes.
- For the eyes, draw two small ovals inside the circles at the top. Color the inner ovals to give them an effect. Draw a semi-circle on the face to create a smile.
- Draw a slightly elongated U below the face.
- Add a conical shape below the U to create the body.
- Draw big wings from either side of the face and join them to the body.
- Add a pair of smaller wings starting from the elongated U to the conical part of the body. The wings should be downward.
- Remove the overlapping lines of the bigger pair of wings.
- Add three legs on each side of the body.
- Draw small circles at the end of the legs and add feelers at the top of the head.
- Now, draw patterns on the wings.
- Fill in with colors of your choice.
How To Draw A Tiger
Image: Shutterstock
Step-By-Step Tutorial
- Start with drawing a medium-sized circle slightly tilted to the right.
- Draw two small semi-circles at the top of the head to make ears, and add eyes, eyebrows, a small nose, and a curvy ‘W’ joined to the nose to make a mouth.
- Now, draw a curved line from the head to create the tiger’s back and bring it downwards to draw its hind leg. Draw another line from the head to sketch its front leg. Add the paw details and join the legs with a curved line to create the belly.
- Draw a long curved tail at the back of the body pointing upwards.
- Add one leg each to the front and the back from the belly to create the legs that are not facing us.
- Draw thin and long V shapes on the body, tail, legs, and face, and darken them to create stripes. Also, add thick, black stripes on the tail.
Quick factLittle Secrets To Good Drawing
- Kids must always use a pencil.
- Keep the strokes light.
- Depending on the level of skill, ask them to use single and steady strokes.
You must have a basic understanding of how to draw cartoons for kids, especially if they admire cartoon characters. Let your child use their imagination and creativity while drawing. Cartoons make for great drawing ideas for kids, especially beginners. You may start with basic shapes, including circles, squares, or triangles, to outline the face and add eyes, nose, and facial expressions. Using step-by-step diagrams and a few tips and tricks can help the kids draw a cartoon character perfectly. You may begin with easy-to-draw cartoon characters, such as the koala or cow, and gradually teach tough ones, such as the butterfly, when your child acquires basic drawing skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can drawing cartoons help in developing a child’s creativity and imagination?
Drawing cartoons can be a fun and effective way to develop a child’s creativity and imagination. They are encouraged to think outside the box and develop unique ideas by creating their characters, stories, and settings, improving imagination, creativity, and drawing development in children. If the cartoons seem too difficult, they may also try cartoons for beginners.
2 Why is it important to encourage children to draw and express themselves creatively?
Encouraging children to draw and express themselves creatively is essential for their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Drawing helps them develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving abilities.
3. How can parents and teachers motivate children to draw cartoons?
Parents and teachers can encourage a child’s creativity by providing various art materials and giving positive feedback on their drawings. They can also introduce children to different cartoon art styles and provide opportunities to practice and develop their skills through guided drawing activities and fun challenges.
4. How can children learn to create cartoon characters?
Children can learn to create cartoon characters by starting with basic shapes and building on them. Then, they can experiment with different combinations of shapes and features to create unique and exciting characters. Other than traditional art, they may also try the same methods for digital art, using drawing apps for kids on electronic gadgets.
5. How can drawing cartoons help children develop their fine motor skills?
Drawing cartoons requires small muscles in the hand and fingers, which helps improve their dexterity and precision. The repetitive motions involved in drawing, such as tracing, shading, and coloring, can also help to strengthen these muscles over time.
6. How can cartoon drawing help improve a child’s focus and concentration?
Cartoon drawing can help improve a child’s focus and concentration by engaging them in a fun and creative activity that requires attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
Infographic: How Drawing Can Benefit Your Child
Whether your children are just scribbling or drawing their favorite cartoon on paper, it will surely keep them busy and away from the screen. However, this activity is much more than just a distraction. Read the infographic below to learn about the various benefits of drawing for children.
Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Learn how to draw Peppa Pig with this easy step-by-step art tutorial! Perfect for beginners, follow along and create your cartoon drawing!
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