Cartoon Drawing: Heads

The purpose of this first lesson is to start you drawing the cartoon head in its simplest form, and to teach you how to place the features correctly.  The method given for locating the features from all views is a time tested way of creating faces.  It is basic and it works.

For practice you will cover sheets of paper with balloon head shapes and swing those balloons in freely.  Use the center and eye lines for locating the features.  Strive for new combinations of features and draw the heads from different angles.  Keep your eyes open for people around you and what their features looks like.  Using the balloon and guidelines, try to capture those features in their simplest form on your paper; the best cartoons are based on observation of real people and animators almost always base their work on video they take of themselves or others. Don’t copy the heads in the examples, make your own, and take your time. Good work takes hard work. When you feel you can draw heads upside-down and sideways following the rules then turn in your assignment.

Project Reading Materials

Project Goal:

On a piece of 8 1/2 x 11-inch printer paper, draw in as many heads as you can fit. Tilt the heads as many different ways as you can and vary the heads shapes using what you learned on page 6.

Vary the expressions to suit yourself but make them as lively and animated as possible . Use the balloon with center and eye lines to help you draw them correctly and leave these lines in the drawing (do not erase !) so that I can see you understand their use .

Tiki Mugs

In Māori mythology, Tiki is the person created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. By extension, a tiki is a large or small wooden or stone carving in humanoid form, although this is a somewhat archaic usage in the Māori language. Carvings similar to tikis and coming to represent deified ancestors are found in most Polynesian cultures. They often serve to mark the boundaries of sacred or significant sites.

The veneration of the dead, including one’s ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living. Some groups venerate their direct, familial ancestors. 

In Europe, Asia, Oceania, African and Afro-diasporic cultures, the goal of ancestor veneration is to ensure the ancestors’ continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living, and sometimes to ask for special favours or assistance. The social or non-religious function of ancestor veneration is to cultivate kinship values, such as filial piety, family loyalty, and continuity of the family lineage. Ancestor veneration occurs in societies with every degree of social, political, and technological complexity, and it remains an important component of various religious practices in modern times.

Who is one person you would honor? Why?

use this to guide your design

Project Goal:

Create 8 Tiki designs to represent a family member you wish to honor. Use 1 physical trait and 1 personality trait to lead your design. Choose 1 design to sculpt into a clay mug. All families are different, if you think of them as family you can choose them.

Examples

I selected my grandfather to honor with my design. For a physical trait I chose to show the baseball cap he always would wear. His personality trait I wanted to show was his happiness and kindness.

Public Art & Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe

Project Goal: Create an image spreading a positive message in your neighborhood using chalk you have or if you can try the recipe for sidewalk chalk paint found here.

If you don’t have access to these materials any image of support and hope made with whatever materials you do have is good too!

Your image could:

  • Say something emotionally supportive to people passing by
  • encourage good behaviors like social distancing or mask wearing

Warning: make sure that you do this somewhere you have permission to do so!

My Example

Sidewalk Chalk Recipe

  1. add 1 cup of water to 1 cup of cornstarch.
  2. Mix until there are no clumps of cornstarch
  3. Next add a few drops of food coloring and mix until blended.

Warning: depending on what you use for color these could be staining so watch out & test first!

Sometimes the most beautiful art can come from the hardest of cercomstances. The Covid-19 pandemic had lead to both terrible hardships for people all over the world and to beautiful and powerful artworks spreading messages of hope, health, and healing.