Looking at ‘real’ photo albums or galleries is more exciting than digital pics. And the same goes when you start learning to draw cartoons – paper and pencil is King!
Are you learning to draw cartoons? Get this: my kids LOVE going through my old photo collections. They pore over over our wedding album, and page back and forth through the early years of their lives looking at themselves as toddlers with Marmite* moustaches. But more recently they have run out of luck, and it’s not for want of enthusiasm.
It’s the dratted digital age
Somehow since the advent of digital cameras, we take more (and better) photos than ever. But do we print them out? Not so much! We have all these lovely photos and we seldom get to see them because they are tucked away on the computer. This is a problem you want to avoid when you first start cartooning.
“What shall I use to draw when learning to draw cartoons?”
Getting started cartooning as an adult feels like a momentous step, and people are keen to makes sure they have the right tools and stationery. They even even wonder if they should be launching into technology, given that drawing is so accessible via amazing apps for iPad, and Android tablets.
Keeping it simple works best, so pencil and paper is a good start for ‘making your mark’.
But isn’t pencil and paper just… boring?
It may indeed sound dull but it’s tangible, and that makes all the difference. Tangibility = encouragement. When you draw on paper, the pages soon mount up and you can quickly see how much effort you are putting in. Even more importantly, you can see improvement which is SO gratifying. That in turns builds momentum.
Momentum is your biggest ally
As you know, to succeed at anything, you need to keep working at it. As adults, when learning to draw cartoons, I’ve found that the important thing is to ‘make your mark’ day after day. Really simple, incremental exercises done consistently over a number of months.
Consistency creates the difference…
…between those who succeed at cartooning and those who fail. And pencil and paper helps you make progress fast. The tech can be learned quickly later on. Technology is only as good as its operator – if you can’t draw yet, it can’t either. Nothing has really changed even in these days of super-smart tech 🙂
But doesn’t technology give you more freedom to experiment?
Yes, it does. I deal with that here. And you can experiment on paper, too…
So don’t use a white board…
Not even if you plan to take photos of it. And unless you already own digital drawing tools, don’t rush out and invest.
Instead, trundle down to the store and buy a school exercise book with un-ruled pages.
Add a fistful of HB pencils
And a sharpener.
(Don’t worry about the eraser for learning to draw cartoons – you won’t be needing that).
Are YOUR photo albums up to date even in the age of digital?
If they are, I take my hat off to you. But pencil and paper will still do fine if you want to draw cartoons. It builds momentum and progress. And that is what leads to success 🙂
And volume – which takes some planning and scheduling to achieve.
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*Marmite – a dark brown, yeasty sandwich spread, much loved in England and parts of the Commonwealth 😀
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