Photo by Adrienne (wallyspam)

So, you are a huge Disney fan, and have decided that you want to try and draw one of the Disney characters yourself. There are plenty of books that are available  on the subject, but for now please feel free to use this handy  guide until you are able to get one of those books for yourself.

First thing you should do when you want to draw a Disney character is to gather the tools that you will need.  You will need paper, a pencil, an eraser, a colored pencil and a marker.  Next, you will want to choose a Disney character to draw.  If this is your first time drawing a Disney character, it’s a good idea to start with someone simple.  Mickey Mouse and Mine Mouse are both very easy to draw and good starter characters.

When you have chosen which character you are going to draw, it’s a good idea to have a copy of the character right in front of you for reference. Even if you are a huge Disney fan, small details are sometimes hard to remember and could be missed even by the most avid fans. So keep a copy of the character in your line of sight and get ready to draw!

When drawing a Disney character, or any cartoon character, the first thing you want to do is to draw the basic shapes. Lightly use circles, ovals and curved lines to create the head, body, arms, legs, feet, and hands of your character. These lines are the foundations of your character and will be the basis that you will work from.

Photo by armadillo444

Next, you are going to begin making the head the right shape. Using your model drawing as a guide, make sure you get the right proportions, shapes and placements on your Disney character’s eyes, ears, nose and mouth. For most Disney characters, the eyes are large and oval. As for noses and mouths, they differ in animals, obviously, and in the human Disney characters, the noses tend to be simplistic.

Now that you have your Disney character’s head done, it’s time to draw the body.  Even if your character normally wears clothes, draw the arms and legs. Be sure to position your character properly, as each Disney character has a position which is unique to them. Remember, for example, Goofy has hunched shoulders and Donald Duck has a large, feather covered bottom.

Now it’s time to dress your Disney character. Again, for your first drawing it’s a good idea to pick out a Disney character that not only has an easy to draw body but easy to draw clothing, or no clothing at all. Samba, Napa and the cast from the Lion King don’t wear any clothing at all, whereas the cast from Aladdin have very elaborate and ornate clothing.

Photo wikimedia.org

Once you are satisfied with the overall picture of your Disney character, take a black pen or marker and make the lines that you intend to keep dark and permanent. Next, take your eraser and get rid of the extra lines that you used as a guide. Finally, it’s time to take those magic markers and colored pencils and color in your character.  If you are feeling adventuresome, you can put your character into a scene. Put Princess Jasmine in the marketplace, or Samba on the African plain. Is Aladdin flying his magic carpet through the sky, or is the Genie causing mischief for everyone? The possibilities are endless.

What would happen if Scar wound up in the middle of the forest in Snow White?  Or how about the Wicked Stepmother from Snow White sent back to Aladdin’s time?  With your imagination you really could come up with some wild scenarios.

One thing to remember is not to be discouraged if your drawing doesn’t turn out the way you think it should turn out the first time. Disney animators do this for a living and they have years and years of practice. The more times you draw your Disney character, the better you will become.

Photo by joaniem53

Keep practicing by drawing different Disney characters, and see what characters are easy for you. Each of us has their own style of drawing and therefore some shapes come easier to us. Keep up the practice and who knows? Maybe one day you will be a Disney animator yourself and someone will be trying to draw your characters.