Elemental Construction, Continued
Features of
The features of the cartoon head define character, convey emotions, and send
cartoon heads
messages. The features include the moveable parts of the face like the
mouth, eyes, and eyebrows, which carry the most emotive impact; and hair,
nose, and ears, which add little to expression but develop character.
HAIR: Draw hair to conform to the shape of the head. An abundance of
hair belongs on the heads of moppets, heroes, and playboys. Hair stands on
ends when you are scared, becomes tousled when frustrated, and droops with
despair. Even the lack of hair is a sign of many characteristics such as old
age, worry, and wisdom. Do not draw each individual strand of hair or
create masses of highlights. Draw the hair simply, with flowing strokes of
the pen or brush.
EYEBROWS: Raised eyebrows indicate surprise or laughter. Lowered
eyebrows imply sternness and anger. Bushy eyebrows go to the heavy or
tough guys, the boss, and people with lots of hair on their heads. Thin,
sparse eyebrows go with pretty women or handsome men.
EYES:
Draw eyes as simple dots or circle them to represent eyeballs.
When drawing eyes on women and children, keep the eyeline low on the
basic balloon shape, a little over halfway down the vertical guideline.
EARS: Most ears are simple, except the outlandish, jug-ears of country
bumpkins and cauliflower adornments of the tough guy. You can give
women figures additional character by the type of earrings they wear.
Flagrantly large, geometrically-shaped forms look better on “showgirl”
types, while small, unobtrusive earrings are worn by “ladies.”
NOSE: Noses lend themselves well to exaggeration.
curvilinear forms and you should draw them simply.
the grecian nose, is geometrically angular.
Normally, noses are
Some noses, such as
MOUTH: Mouths are one of the most expressive features on the face. For
example, you can shape a mouth to appear as though it is speaking particular
words.
CHIN: Not often thought of, the chin, or lack of it, is a good indicator of
character. Aggressive or belligerent chins thrust forward, while those of
cowards tend to recede.
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