Famous Artists Cartoon Course ‘Westport, Connecticut The comic figure ten Rube Goldberg Millon Canif Al Copp Horry Haenigsen Willord Molin Gumey Wilms Dick Cavell Witney Darrow, Jr Virgil Partch Borney TobeyThe basic cartoon figure The human figure isa wonderful aructure, mude to order for cartoonists. I consists of six basic parts—the head, the 1010, to arm and wo legs. AS & cartoonist you sill not be held the strc rules of anatomy. You may legen, shorten or ocer ‘wise distort any part ofthe figure you please ~ if til help you portray the character you are trying 1 erent, ‘Very few peuple have perfect gure, aa iti by exaggerating the imperfections of the average fgute that the cartoons makes ‘ie gures funny. The man who lives next door to you probably iets up every morning and looks with pride at himselt in the ‘ror. In his own eyes he is quite a hunk of man, but you see him ashe really, nd would draw him in seh a way that af hh saw the drawing you would have to-move ot ofthe neigh Dorhood or meet him out behind the gnrage. fhe fs small potbelly and shore arms, you would exaggerate these parts, He ‘woulda’ ike it, but the odes are that the test of the neighbor hhond woul recognize him in the drawing. ‘So going behind the physical appearance, you sould cap ture the subjects personality in your drawing. A lay person, for example, woult not be shown staring ercet with bulging muscles he would be drawn stooped over it wilted poston Nor would a soppy woman ston a stool in the sime manner 2s prim school teacher. This captring of perionality im your ‘haacters in very important ~ just how important you can prove to yourself by studying the work of succesul cartoonist or the same reisns that we reduced the comie head to a simple balloon in our Lesson 1 nhl lesson we wil reduce the ‘human anatomy to simple basi form figure. Because the basic form figure, like the balloon, har depts ae well as wid and haeght i gives you a solid, ehreedimensonal form ¢o build your cxtoon characters on. It keeps them from being fat ou ines and enables you to crete the illusion of figures that ave real bulk snd exist in space n drawing the base figure you must construct it slily by rawing through” to the oer sie. This means that you draw the figure as IF ie were wansparen. Even though ¢ shoulder or arm will be hidden by another part of the body in the finished drawing. you must be aware that they exis and, in the be figure stage, draw them in thei corectInation, When ll of the figure parts are acounted for by “drawing trough” in dhe base gure sage, the end real wil be figure tha is convine ing in sructare and action, The wonderfol usefulness ofthe basic Form figure is best ex plained by the examples onthe lacing page. Here three diferent ‘artoonsis—each with a diferent sqle~ have used dhe baie form to give their figures solidity and believable action. Each has used diferent proportions depending spon is syle, but cach has wed the sume mechod of planning and. constructing the figure ‘Because of the importance of the basic figure to your career a2 a cartoons, we want you to devote, chroughout your Course, 2 good portion of your practice time to the mastery of this rethod of figure drawing, Kis a tool which will prove ial able to you, Once you have a good command ofthe bsie figure, you can draw cartoon characters in any pone you eam imagine — ‘alking, running, jumping. squatting climbing, or standing on helt heads and ac de same cine be sure shat the figure wil appear sold and convincing and the pose or gesture tre to lie Tor this renion the study of the base fgute cevrves every minute of your time that you can devote toi Tor your practice work and for your assignments for this feson, you wil find the HI or B pencil bea to work with. Strive for fFeedom with your penciL Avoid tightening up and cramping your hand. Remember, the lines you sketch sn freely ‘ran inspiration for a new and diferent typeof characte. LASSE ol ell ney ese per a etoFomost Ants Centon Course The comic figure ve The basic form figure “The base form figure atthe right demonstrates the allimporant principle emptied throughost this teson — that the hum: body ts made up of simple, sold forms ‘The base form figure redices the body to i essential masts, Fvery dtractingele- tent hts been eliminated. Think of dhe form figure wii were ‘carved out of heavy wood —i solid, three dimensional ‘Now compa the form figure with the photograph ofthe Tv ing mowel to dhe left. Both ae similar im basie construction, In both model and form figure, the neck, the arms and legs, and the rb cage ate ewentslly mosifed cylinder, while the heals he trowing af te ba gue Nettenete deren the iccieee ee era Bi oho chaser, basically a splete ov epg shape and che pels Is spherical Tis extremely important in the beginning to view the body in terms of these simple, basic forms understand the ese tial mases ofthe separate parts and place these i {elationship. In cartooning, you ean exaggerate ind Of the basi form figure to create humorous characters and to five action to the drawing. But regatdless of your style of dra ingot the exaggeration, you shoul adhere to the principles of tivee-dimensional fora, With a soli fore to build on, the aulding of figure details and clothing is greatly simplifiedLevon Famous Ariss Cartoon Couns The comic figure Movements of rib-cage section of the torsoFomous Artists Cartoon Course The comic figure -2Ihe Sinton en degre eye es The basic forms in action Because the eylinder and sphere are three dimensional forms, ‘they work perfectly in helping you essablih the ation andi rection of the individual parts ofthe figure and ofthe figure at 2 whole. Just as we used the center line in Lesion I to "turn the comie head, we cam aie centr ine on the torso to help us turn the body in the proper direc ‘When you draw a figure, start by analyzing the action and de termining in which ditection the figure and its individual pare must go. Ask yourself: Do the upper am, torso, an thigh ome tovard me? Do the upper arms extend away? ‘To what deree? Once the direction isetabished in your mind, foreshortening Is easy wo arrive a bythe use ofthe basic frm ofthat part Inthe early sages of your penciling, i is important to “draw through” even though certain pars ofthe figure wil be hidden in he finished drawing. I the arm an the far sie i behind the figure and only the hand shows beyond the edge of the figure it is esentil that the whole arm be "draen through,” as though the body were wansparent. This wil enable you to establish the Dalance and solidity ofthe figure anil make aire that every part ofthe body isin a nacural portion. "Drawing through” wil go help you clothe the figure'so thatthe garments wil fallin nor imal, believable folds the way they would on real, three mensional figure, rae ees alae SRS ie10 Constructing the comic figure—step by step wi le there are many ways 19 construct cartoon figures, the step bystep methed demonsrated on these pages, we feel, the Dest Te not only gives you a procodute for constructing solid three dimensional figures, but ie also helps you to think and fel the character while you construct i Lis in the fist stages of the drawing of any figure chat the action must be determined, Any action involves the whole igure, ot just individual parts of i. A standing figure cannot be changed into a running figure by giving running action to the legs only. ‘The result would bea sti, unconvincing drseing. So bbe sure, when you stare to draw any action, shat you fist chink 2 ioeteson Fomous Aros Cartoon Course The comic figure it oe eazeully and then, from the very fist sketch, show the action in the figure asa whole Action and character are inseparable. action of the characte, you must ls fe hi land how ies reflected in the action. Ther Knowing and understanding the Kind and «ype of people you ate drawing. Any cartoonist can draw a sloppy fat man, bu the fanoonise who cin make the reder fel the emotional slop: nes of the character above and beyond the paysical mesines ‘of dress isthe one who gets the jobs with the big ae pay checks "Sma try nid ot cigDrawing the figure in action13PIMOUS ARTISTS CARTOON COURSE Student Work Tesson 2 ‘To study and practice ‘This lesson is designed to let you in on the ground floor of how to drav active, eolia, simple cartoon figures. You learn to set up their action and general proportions by using gesture-action sketches ae a foundation for solidly dravn figures. Then, vhen you add simple clothing, your characters lock right because you planned them that vay. For practice, draw many simple figures in every conceivable pose. Check your method by referring often to the taxt. Have fim with these drawings. Make @ point of creating actions in viich sone of the forms are foreshortened. Your grade on this lesson will be based on your understanding and use of the gesture- action Tigure shown on page 10 of the text, as well as on how you draw the basic and completed figures. There are three assignnents for this lesson, and they are to be done in pencil only. assTowen 1 n @ sheet of 8-1/2 x Li~ineh vond typewriter paper, plot out two gesture-action sketches similar to those on page 10 of the text. These sketches should merely establish the size, general proportions and actions of the figures described below, Make these figures lange fon the paper -- ebout 5 inches fran head to foot. AL Side view of a fat man walking hurriedly toward the left-hand side of the page. B. 3/4 front view of a man hanging by his hands from a tree branch, Try to make your sketch show thet the man is hanging in midair, his welght supported by 2he ‘ams as he clings to the branch. DEORDANT -- Mark thie shect ASSIGIOGNT 1. Asstomer 2 On a sheet of 8-1/2 x 21-inch bond typewriter paper and using the gesture-action eketch st the right ap © guide, dray the basic form figure of a seated man about 5-1/2 inches high. Your drawing showld be sinilar to those on page 2 or at the top of page 6. The left am supports ‘he figure, vhich leans back slightly. Head and torso are ‘twisted as he Looks back over his shoulder with a puzzled of surprised expression, The right hand i¢ raised to hie hhead to enphasize this attitude of surprise. DORE -- Mack this sheet ASSTOOKENT 2, AssTomour 3 on a third sheet of 6-1/2 x 1ninch dona typewriter paper, arava complete, clothed Sigure, using either of the tvo igures you drev for Assigment 1. Follow the procedure outlined fon pages 10 and 11 of the text. hia figure should be the sae size ar your gesture-ection @raving in Assigment 1. D@ORTANT -- Mark thie sheet ASSIGIOGNT 3. Present your assigrnents in the sane clean, professional manner you would use if you were submitting ‘thea to the cartoon buyer of a publication, Letter your name, address and student mmber carefully in the lower leftehand corner of each page. In the lover right corner, place the Lesson Number and Aasigrmont umber. Yall FAMOUS ARTISTS CARTOON COURSE Westport, Comecticut