I’ve written previously about how a simple notepad can help you with your cartoons. Today I’m going to look at how it can help you doodling cartoon strips.
With the examples in this article, I used a small notepad that could easily be slipped into a pocket or bag.
On one of the pages, I drew a crude template for a cartoon strip. Don’t draw this on the first page of the notepad, but two or three pages in. Use a thick black pen, so that you can see the faint outline of the template showing through on the first one or two pages.
You’ll notice a certain roughness with all of these examples. The point is that it is way more important to start doodling than it is to worry about the quality at this point.
The blank template now serves as a reminder that you are going to practice drawing cartoon strips. You don’t have to draw on top of this template, simply draw on the page preceding it, you can also trace the outline of the panels if you wish.
Not knowing what to draw is one of the blocks to starting drawing, so I’m going to seed the cartoon strips with a quick doodle of a man in a hat walking. During the day, the task is to complete the cartoon strips with some sort of idea.
Another layout you can try to force you to think up a variety of ideas is the following pattern.
The idea is that the first you draw the first two panels, and then think of three different ways for the story to end.
You can also take this a step further.
Here you have to think of three different middle panels, and then again three different last panels. For a bit more variety I’ve added a dog in a hat instead of the man.
I hope the above acts as a prompt to get doodling cartoon strips.
What’s next?
I put out a Cartoon Newsletter featuring a whole host of different characters as well as occasional cartooning tips. Add your name and best email address to the orange box below and I’ll wing a copy your way.