Select paper with smooth to medium tooth quality ("tooth" is the amount of surface texture found on paper or card stock). As we will be using coloring pencils, a smooth tooth will work well. As we will also be using a light box/light table, paper that is less dense/less opaque (eg. regular printer paper) will be easier to work with at this stage.
Begin with a rough drawing of figures using construction lines and basic geometrical shapes to create and develop characters. This is where most of the work lies because you are planning and building your composition. I usually begin with the head by drawing a basic circle representing the shape. The finer features are then added onto the face (you may click on the image, and each of the following images, to get a larger view).
I then continue to work on the rest of the body from there. Again, using basic geometrical shapes for construction (eg. circle for belly, bean shape for torso etc).
As you draw your shapes, try give them a sense of dimension; make your shapes "rounded" as opposed to "flat", so that they give the effect of looking solid. For example, if you draw a circle for the head, try to give it a spherical quality by adding perspective - if the head was on a 3/4 angle, one eye (the one closest to you the artist) would be larger than the other (being the one on the otherside of the face). Draw curved lines following the contours of the face to indicate where the eyes, nose and mouth would approximately be. There will be more on this later in a different tutorial. But work towards making your images look "solid" so that if you wanted to pluck your picture off the page, you could!
I also use a technique called the Line of Action which indicates how the body will be positioned (eg. standing upright, slouched, seated, bending, running etc). The Line of Action usually runs directly through the middle of the body. This techinque is a very helpful drawing guide as it helps to keep your character position balanced and believable. Again, more on this in another tutorial.
Tip: Expect messy or scratchy line work. I generally try to avoid erasing any of my lines as a general rule as my line work allows me to learn where I'm coming from as I develop my character from basic shapes. Be courageous and leave the mess. It will look very different at the end.
Tip: Using paper/card stock with some tooth adds texture to your work and the pigments of the colors are aborbed better, giving a richer and brighter overall look to the finished piece.
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