Cartoon Self-portrait with Michael

Click the video above for a special message from Workshop Coordinator Michael Alvarez. Inspired by a portrait that his cousin made 15 years ago based on the figurine characters called Precious Moments, Michael invites you to make a cartoon self-portrait in the same style. But first, let’s practice on a sample image. Scroll down if following text and images is easier than video for your learning style.

The demo will be based on these characters, because they are simple and pretty fun. Feel free to draw one or both!

Before we begin…

Try warming up by just making doodles, creating circles over and over, and then repeatedly making lines. Next, I practice making lines darker and lighter. If starting to sketch is hard for you, you can also check out our other post, Sketching from Scratch. If you can only make stick figures, that’s a great thing, because we will be using them for this activity to indicate the gesture or movement of a character.

Step 1

Let’s draw the shapes for the head and lines for the seated pose of these characters.

Step 2

Next, let’s add basic shapes like trapezoids and rectangles to sketch out the upper body, legs, and feet.

Step 3

Working on the face, we can use measurement lines to ensure that features will be the right size and location. One vertical line helps keep features even, and three horizontal lines are where the eyes, nose, and mouth can sit.

Step 4

Now that we have the proportions set up, we can draw the details of the face, the shape of the hair, and the hair accessories.

Step 5

Now, we can start on the body. We will move from the upper body/arms and move down to the feet.

Step 6

Let’s follow the line drawing for the arm. We can start with rounded lines for the shoulder, then move down to the arm, the forearm, and the hand.

Step 7

Now we can sketch in the basic shapes of the clothing followed by details. Begin to remove your sketch marks and make your lines look darker and cleaner.

Take creative liberty with the details. I decided I didn’t want the characters to have bare feet, so I gave them some shoes, specifically some Converse, Chuck Taylors. Think about how you can change up the details to make the drawing your own!

Now, try making your own cartoon self-portrait!

Include objects or significant symbols that describe who you are or what makes you happy.

Here is mine. I included a pencil to represent art, which always gives me a sense of self-worth. I also included a skateboard, which is a fun way I occupy my time. Hope you enjoy this exercise and please share your work by tagging @artworxLA whenever you post images.

—Michael