MERMAIDS IN THE MYTHS Mermaids are mythical creatures that are half-fish and half-human They spend most of their time underwater Cultures from all over the world tell stories of mermaids It’s thought that sightings of manatees and dugongs by early sailors may have been the original inspiration behind these ancient tales Even the famous explorer Christopher Columbus claimed to have seen mermaids on his journeys Mermaids are known for their great beauty Above the waist they commonly look like a beautiful woman with flowing hair From the waist down they are like a fish with a graceful long tail ending in two fins Myths claim that mermaids also have lovely singing voices In modern myth mermaids are shown as kind beings who sometimes bring good fortune to people by granting them wishes In some tales they even marry and live with people Probably the most famous of these is the fairy tale The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen which was the inspiration for the Disney film of the same name However the ancient tales of mermaid mythology tell a different story A mermaid’s enchanting voice is said to be able to lure ships onto rocks sending sailors to their deaths So are mermaids good or bad It depends on which story you believe 44
GET READY TO DRAW Part of the fun of drawing is the huge variety of materials and techniques you can use However when you’re getting started it’s usually best to start simple Beginning artists have used pencils pens and paper for generations If you have an art supply store near you the staff there can usually recommend good starting equipment They might even have starter kits you can buy One invaluable piece of equipment is a sketchbook a big book filled with blank pages You can fill a sketchbook with practice drawings and it can be fun to go back and see how you’ve improved Once you get the basics of putting pencil to paper you’ll want to start inking your drawings Inking is when you go over the initial pencil marks with pen which can help give your drawings a more finished look Another piece of equipment that many artists begin using more once they get a little better is the eraser Unlike the eraser at the end of your pencil artists erasers come in a variety of shapes and have a variety of uses Some are just for getting rid of mistakes while others help with advanced techniques like shading The core of a pencil is made of graphite which is what makes a mark Drawing pencils come in sets with different levels of graphite hardness The softer the graphite the darker a mark it makes There are tons of different types of drawing paper and they all have different purposes Tracing paper is very light and is great for copying examples to see how to draw them Different coloring tools have different feels and it will take some experimentation to figure out what you like best Colored pens pencils and markers are all great places to start Sharp corners on erasers can help create nice defined edges 5 5 Pens like pencils also come in different thicknesses You can buy them in sets and different sets might be recommended for different styles of drawing
CARTOON STYLE DRAWING Cartooning is a style many artists start out with Because cartoons don’t need to be realistic it can be an easier style to get started with With cartoons an artist can provide a lot of information with just a few simple lines A great place to begin is drawing faces It’s amazing how much can be shown through facial expressions First draw an oval to represent the head Then mark a cross or t-shape in the middle of the oval This cross will help guide where to place facial features like the eyes a nose and a mouth Draw an oval or egg Divide the oval into four sections with two crossed lines Draw three more ovals two upright for the eyes and one on its side for the nose Draw two more ovals or circles for pupils and a curved line for the mouth Curved up is a smile and curved down is a frown Erase the cross and fill in the pupils Add a few lines for hair too Two more ovals work well for ears and a few dots for freckles help give your cartoon some personality 6 6
Once you know the basics of drawing a face you can start experimenting You can keep your cartoons simple or you can make them more complex Eyes can be two dots or they can be huge expressive shapes You can use simple lines for mouths and eyebrows but their placement can show a wide variety of emotions Or you can exaggerate them with different shapes sizes and textures A nose might just be a curved line or it might be so big you can count individual nose hairs There’s no one right way to draw cartoons Eyebrows can show a huge variety of emotions Are they big fuzzy and out of control Or are they slim and shocked Even simple lines can add a lot to your drawings Once you know how to draw a face it’s time to think about other features How does your character wear their hair Whatever their style remember you don’t have to worry about every little hair You can draw an outline and people will understand You can also fill in the outline with a few line strokes to give the appearance of texture You can use these same techniques for facial hair like beards and mustaches A few dots can give the appearance of rugged stubble If you were a hairstylist what look would best suit your character Maybe some wild curls Or maybe your character has gone bald What might that say about their personality Long floppy hair can give a laid-back impression Spiky hair goes everywhere What kind of ears suit your character Adding a Y is an easy way to show the inside of the ears Use letters to shape your ears You can use a C down low Or use an A up high 77
