Humongous Book of Cartooning (Christopher Hart's Cartooning)

I have to start this review with my favorite quote: "I don't agree with the point of view that says you should focus your energy on correcting weak points before moving on. Doing so is bound to be draining and frustrating, and it won't bring you to a higher overall skill level. To raise your artistic skills, push yourself in those areas where you show signs of strength, where you excel, or where you are most inspired and driven...see where your talent leads you." That quote really sets the tone for this whole book - positive, inspiring, and entirely down-to-earth. This "Humongous" tome contains a lifetime of wisdom from the author, who makes his drawings look effortless. I've finished reading the book, but I'm not finished with it - I'll be referencing this for many years to come. The book contains a great mix of basic principles, instructions, examples, and tips. I'm approaching it as a mid-level artist, and I've already been able to apply some of his principles. However, he breaks everything down into easily digestible steps that a beginner could easily pick up and run with. Most of all, I appreciated his tone throughout the book. The instructions are clear and approachable. He explains areas of difficulty in a calm way, but doesn't over-complicate anything. It's full of encouragement. Overall, I know I'll revisit this volume again and again.

I have two students who are really interested in drawing cartoons. After reviewing at least 20 books on Amazon.com I decided to wait for this book to come out and pre-ordered a copy. I now have it in front of me and believe it will be an excellent book for both students so I just ordered another one. The instructions are clear and the examples are simply fantastic. I personally have never been able to draw anything but even I now believe I could draw a cartoon character. This book is strongly recommended as THE starter book. Even for students who can not read it would not take much time for a parent to read the instructions to the student and then let the student take it from there. This would be a great book for any home school student interested in cartooning. This book does not, and does not pretend to, discuss anything about story lines or how to "make it" in the cartooning world. It does exactly what it should do - get a person started drawing the characters, background and everything else needed to communicate a concept. Chapters include: Drawing Cartoon Characters' Heads starts on page 8 Drawing the Facial Features starts on page 30 Drawing the Entire Figure starts on page 48 Designing a Character starts on page 62 Costuming a Character starts on page 80 Conveying Body Language starts on page 106 Designing Basic Layout starts on page 128 (nice discussion about setting the stage for the primary characters) Special Characters: Robots starts on page 150 Special Characters: Animals starts on page 166 Special Characters: Fantasy Creatures starts on page 208 and ends on page 223. I would normally not go into this much detail but the publisher has not yet made it possible to see the table of contents and I really appreciate all of the comments others have made on various books that have really helped me select the best book for the job that needs to be done. Hope this is helpful to all those who want to get started in cartooning.

Massive value for the dollar. Fun book with great examples and fun illustrations

Since I have no other cartooning books to compare this to, I'll just say I chose this one because the author has a good reputation, it had good reviews and it is indeed a big book. The exercises in it will be helpful to those wanting practice drawing cartoons. The directions are easy to follow which show step by step how to draw each figure. It is fun trying to draw the figures.

Pretty good book. It has everything one needs. Learning from the best

Amazing book

I love the detailed tips in this book- they're a trademark of Chris Hart's. If you should only buy one book by the acclaimed author, then this should be that book. It not only contains information on how to draw people, it also gives step-by-step instructions on how to draw animals, fantasy creatures, all sorts of characters from different time periods (Vikings, Romans, etc.), scene backdrops, character placement, and more. It's really an amazing collection of precious cartooning knowledge, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for art instruction! Due to this book and others by this amazing author, I have really learned a ton about cartooning and drawing in general. :)

The review title sums it up- I'd just buy the cheaper of the two. Bad idear buying both..so yeah- don't do that as well. Good basics, though- I was able to steal a few things for doodling.

Denna bok överträffade mina förväntningar. Så denna boken rekommenderas varmt, jag gillar den mycket.

The best basic book there is to learn cartooning. Just practicing the cartoon drawings in the book will help you on your way to becoming a cartoonist.

Es el mejor de todos los tiempo. Todo un maestro del cartoon. Puedes sacar mucho de sus intrusiones. Recomendable 100%.

Delivers on what it promises - a humongous book of cartoons

I've been using this book for some weeks now and its help give me a lot of confidence and made the whole process of drawing much more enjoyable. Its good for practice for me as im learner and its nice to get some experience on how to go about drawing characters. The book gives a good overview of the mindset needed for creating characters. This book is full of inspiration and will always be great place to start for reference which is also worth noting. I would recommend to others.