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Homeschooling Fun: How to Draw a Comic Strip

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As a homeschooling mom, I struggle to find real art thing for my kids to do… you know, besides just coloring pictures!  Kids love to get involved in contests, as Bob Weber knows!

“Oh Brother!” Comic strip illustrator and writer Bob Weber, Jr. offers kids and parents step by step instructions on cartooning

25 OB Sunday (1).jpg Bob Weber, Jr. draws pictures for a living. He draws the children’s comic, “Slylock Fox and Comics For Kids,” and he also writes the jokes for the daily strip, “Oh, Brother!” Role Mommy asked Bob Weber, Jr. to share his advice and best practices with any budding cartoonists out there, and this is what he had to say:

“If you like to draw and aspire to be a professional cartoonist, all you need to get started is a pencil, paper, and the determined desire to draw every single day. The more you practice drawing, the better your cartoons will be. Many aspiring cartoonists spend a lot of time drawing faces. That’s fun, but you’ll need the ability to draw a wide range of things in order to effectively illustrate your jokes or stories in an interesting and convincing manner. Go to the library or bookstore to find cartooning lesson books. These books can be valuable resources for learning to draw faces, hands, motion, backgrounds and perspective. You might also want to consider taking a cartoon class in your area.

Another terrific way to greatly improve your drawing skills is by studying the work of cartoonists that you admire. Allow yourself to be influenced by the styles and techniques of successful cartoonists. In most cases, the cartoonists you admire were themselves influenced by cartoonists that came before them. Don’t worry about your art looking too much like those you admire. Over time, as you continue to practice, your own unique drawing style will develop.

Finally, a cartoonist needs an idea before he or she draws. Being a good artist isn’t enough. You need to be somewhat smart, clever and witty. The more you know about the world around you, the more brain food you have to feed your imagination, and the more interesting your cartoons will be. Read as much as you can. Pay attention to the people and world around you. By observing the everyday activities that take place around you, you will soon find that you have plenty of ideas to draw from.

Now go find a pencil and draw, draw, draw!”

 

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For more great advice on cartooning, visit the “How to Draw” section on the “Oh Brother!” website. And don’t forget to enter your child into the “Oh Brother!” Is Your Kid a Character contest where one lucky child will get the chance to be featured in a nationally syndicated comic strip! All you need to do is fill out the form provided on this post, tell us a brief funny story about your child and he or she will be entered to win. A panel of humor and lifestyle bloggers will select the winners. Results will be revealed the week of March 21.

This is really such a great thing for homeschooling the arts!

*This post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network.

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Alaq

Sunday 17th of July 2011

the kids should love this :D

windsurfing

Wednesday 6th of July 2011

It is great that you take care of your kids this way. It is not very easy but it is a great way to open their minds for the world...

R Hicks

Monday 14th of March 2011

I think this is great for kids to learn and they can let their imagination run wild.

Erin

Thursday 10th of March 2011

This is a great idea for kids. I loved learning to draw characters and comics when I was little!