How To Draw Fictional Characters

Finn & Fire Princess fanart by @jessic.art — Artwork by Jessica Nguyen @jessic.art

50+ Cartoon Characters Anyone Can Draw (With Free Video Tutorials)

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Cartoons are some of the easiest things to draw. They're often built on simple shapes and don't require a whole lot of practice to get them just right.

And there's a lot of awesome cartoon characters out there. How do you know where to start or who's worth learning to draw?

Well that's why I collected this massive to with over 50 cartoon characters to draw. Each one includes some tips along with a full step-by-step tutorial video. Have fun!

1. Bugs Bunny

Everybody and their grandmother knows Bugs Bunny. He's perhaps the most iconic cartoon character in the US and he's certainly a fun little guy to draw.

From his big rabbit feet to his teeth made for chompin' carrots, there's a lot to love about Bugs.

It may take a few tries to get his pose just right but there's plenty of references online to help.

2. Bart Simpson

This spiky-haired kid is also well known across the world and super fun to draw.

You can find a lot of basic shapes in Bart's design so he should be a no brainer. Not to mention his clothes are real simple and only come in two colors(does he ever wash his outfit?)

3. Peter Griffin

This freakin' sweet lead from Family Guy has a huge gut and a lovable chin.

If you wanna try Peter Griffin's design make sure you get the glasses just right. Those rims are also his eyeballs!

4. Scooby-Doo

In the beloved mystery gang there's no more memorable helper than Scooby-Doo.

As a great dane you'll find many similarities from Scooby to real-world dogs. But he's also got one heck of a smile that's all his own.

5. Shaggy Rogers

As a close companion to Scooby you might also wanna try drawing Shaggy.

These two love their treats and run away from monsters at first sight.

Yet somehow they both end up stuck solving mysteries together. Funny how that works out.

6. Barney Rubble

As a friendly next door neighbor to the Flintstone house, Barney is one quirky character.

His design features triangles for ears and some pretty big feet. But if you spend some time practicing and getting those feet just right you'll be able to draw Barney from any angle.

It may even help if you study feet sketches to practice some anatomy before tackling Barney.

7. Jake The Dog

Adventure Time's simplistic style makes it perfect for learning to draw cartoons.

And one of the simplest characters you can start with is Jake. He's basically a huge oval with some long stringy limbs. Really it doesn't get much easier!

If you're struggling just remember Jake's immortal words: sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something.

8. Princess Bubblegum

You might also try Bubblegum from the land of Ooo since her design is quite peculiar.

There's a lot of episodes with her dressed in many different outfits so you can even try restyling your drawings to practice her in different poses.

9. Soos Ramirez

I always loved Soos' design because it's just so true to life.

He's a happy-go-lucky guy and his big smile is all the proof you need. Just make sure you get his shorts right and pay attention to all those little hairs on his chinny chin chin.

10. Popeye

Drawing Popeye is a whole lot of fun once you learn to get his limbs in proportion.

He has massively oversized forearms and his chin is pretty large too. But if you practice this for a while you'll get the design down—no spinach required.

11. Scrooge McDuck

This wealthy uncle has a fun design with a top hat, a cane, and some very small reading glasses.

I'd consider Scrooge one step up in difficulty from Donald Duck who I covered in my list of Disney characters to draw.

Both are really fun and provide different challenges for artists.

12. Rick Sanchez

Many people complain about the art style of Rick and Morty but I think the characters have pretty unique designs.

Rick is one example of a character that's not overly complicated to draw, yet he does have some smaller technical features. Notably his teeth and his long singular unibrow.

13. Morty Smith

There's also Morty if you wanna try drawing both titular characters together.

Morty is a lot simpler with just a t-shirt and jeans. Plus his hairdo is much smaller and feels way more natural.

14. Hong Kong Phooey

The crime fighting dog Hong Kong Phooey is an exceptional example of Hanna-Barbera cartoons in action.

This character design is simple yet easy to love. His karate poses also let you dive into gestures by practicing with this lovable mutt.

15. Patrick Star

For someone who literally lives under a rock, Patrick is certainly pleasant to look at.

His most difficult feature to draw is the top point of his head. This needs to be in proportion with his eyes to look right, but nothing about his design is very complicated.

16. Mr. Krabs

There's also the money-grubbing Mr Krabs who features a much more technical design.

To get his eyes right you'll need to consider their size against his body. The eyes make up a good portion of Mr Krabs' design but he's also got some pretty large claws and a super small crinkly nose.

17. Gerald Johanssen

Gerald from Hey Arnold is a really fun yet challenging cartoon character to draw.

I say challenging because his hair can be a nightmare.

Once you spend some time getting the shape right it gets a lot easier. But it'll take quite a few tries before you feel comfortable drawing his figure.

18. Helga G. Pataki

Another character with some pretty crazy hair is Helga.

In fact, there's a lot about her that's crazy. And that's half the fun of drawing her.

Just make sure you pay attention to her head cause it can be a little strange getting that right along with her rectangle hairdo.

19. Kim Possible

The Kim Possible design looks easy enough at first glance.

But when you sit down to draw her you'll realize she's got a lot of little features in her face. Not to mention those crazy parachute pants straight from the 1980s.

20. Top Cat

Moving even further back in time to the 1960s we have the ever-famous Top Cat.

He sports a cap with button-down vest and some pretty flashy moves. If you like the simple Hanna-Barbera art style of The Flintstones then give TC a try.

21. Magilla Gorilla

Another crazy critter from the Hanna-Barbera library is Magilla Gorilla.

This design is a little more challenging because he comes with a bow tie along with a small cap and suspenders. And don't forget his oversized clown shoes.

All these little details can be frustrating but Magilla is one lovable gorilla to draw.

22. Yogi Bear

On the easier side of cartoon animals we have Yogi Bear.

Straight outta Jellystone Park is the beloved Yogi Bear. This guy is super easy to draw so long as you get his tie and collar just right.

23. Beavis and Butt-Head

This crazy duo took MTV by storm in the 80s and 90s with their absurd commentary on music videos.

They follow a very specific art style developed by Mike Judge and it can take some effort to get them just right. Focus on the proportions first and pay attention to their hair.

24. Angelica Pickles

One of the toughest characters to draw from The Rugrats is Angelica Pickles.

But her design is so detailed that it'll really fill you with a sense of accomplishment to get it right. Her pigtails can be a tough area along with her leggings so keep practicing to get 'em right.

25. Dee Dee

Dee Dee is one of the later 90s cartoon characters also developed under Hanna-Barbera Studios.

But she's also one of the easiest to learn if you can get her long legs just right.

26. Smurfette

Smurfette stands out as the only female smurf in the entire group of blue critters.

Her design is one of the few with long hair and a dress. This makes her design super interesting and fun to draw.

27. Flapjack

I've yet to find a character from any 21st century cartoons as fun to draw as Flapjack.

His weird little cap and his tiny limbs are both super fun and challenging. But once you get it right you'll never wanna stop drawing this little guy.

28. Johnny Bravo

If you're looking for a character with massive limbs and a simple face try Johnny Bravo.

He's a big stupid hunk with great hair and a terrible personality. But he's just lovable enough to pick up a pencil and start drawing.

Keep an eye on proportions and make sure you get his upper body much larger than his lower limbs.

29. The Grinch

There's been a few renditions of the Grinch character but my favorite is from the original 1966 film.

You can find plenty of great tutorials for this guy and he's a lot of fun to draw. Especially around Christmas time when you can watch the cartoon while drawing.

30. Mojo Jojo

Mojo Jojo can be a real troublesome design but he's a lot of fun to master.

A few problem areas can be his hat, his cape, and his strange oversized arms. In fact, his limbs in general are pretty weird but they make sense once you can draw the whole design.

31. CatDog

I can't think of a stranger and more awkward character for drawing.

Yet CatDog is such a fun character with some pretty easy shapes once you can see them accurately. The biggest thing is learning how to look at him so that you're drawing the shapes just right.

32. Muttley

Muttley's laugh is unforgettable and so is his character.

This dog has a lot of details in his fur so that might take some practice to get just right. And if you try drawing him with a helmet you'll have an even bigger challenge to face.

33. Eric Cartman

This little hellraiser is perhaps the most fun and absurd character in all of South Park.

His design is really simple to draw once you learn what to look for. And Eric can easily lead you into learning to draw all the other guys on the show.

34. Danny Phantom

Danny Phantom was created by the same guy behind Fairly Odd Parents.

You can tell in his art style that it's got a lot of similar features to practice.

And in the video tutorial above you can learn how to draw Danny Phantom from his original creator Butch Hartman. How cool is that!

35. Hank Hill

Speaking of similar art styles, Hank Hill was designed by the same guy behind Beavis & Butt-head(Mike Judge).

You can tell at first glance the art styles match and that his design features should be easy to replicate.

This would be a great character to practice alongside B&B if you've got the time.

36. Samurai Jack

Now Samurai Jack has a very unique art style and this is not an easy one to clone.

However if you're a fan of the show you'll no doubt wanna learn how to draw him. Jack has quite a few forms but check out the tutorial video above to get started with a step-by-step guide.

37. Stimpson J. Cat

Out of the Ren & Stimpy duo I have to say Stimpy is my favorite to draw.

He's goofy as hell and a bit chunky which makes it all the more fun. Not to mention his feet and face are both a little easier to get right.

38. Tom and Jerry

Another popular duo is the ever famous Tom and jerry.

Cat chases mouse, mouse evades/tricks cat. Oldest story in the book.

Yet somehow these two characters are still widely known and oh so fun to watch(and draw!)

39. Ed, Edd n Eddy

OK yes, this is 3 characters.

But they're all so freakin' fun to draw!

The three Eds caused havoc on Cartoon Network for a decade and they have one of the most recognizable art styles in animation history.

Give these three a try if you wanna challenge yourself with drawing some crazy cartoon characters.

40. Elmer Fudd

Elmer Fudd has actually gone through a few different styles in his time.

I much prefer the later Fudd design but you can find both styles in Google Images. And they're both fun to practice if you like Looney Tunes characters.

41. Speedy Gonzales

Speedy Gonzales is another Warner Bros/Looney Tunes character with a fantastic design.

His sombrero and his outfit are two of the easiest things to draw. But watch out for his tiny tail and his monstrous feet.

42. Marvin the Martian

I've always wondered what's under Marvin's helmet.

I guess we may never really solve that mystery.

But that shouldn't stop you from drawing this fun alien character with his weird broom-brush helmet and white bowling shoes.

43. Courage the Cowardly Dog

It's always fun to draw animal characters that don't walk like real animals.

Courage is one such example with huge teeth and even larger eyes. The trickiest part of his design is the ears but you can get 'em right with a bit of practice.

44. Linus

Peanuts offers so many iconic characters and Linus has the best design I know of.

He's my personal favorite to draw with his blanket and small facial features. But really, any character from Peanuts will do.

45. Cosmo

Between all the fairies in Fairy World I think Cosmo is the most fun to draw.

His hair and crown are just like Wanda's, and like most other fairies. But there's something about this lovable oaf that just gets you excited to sit down and put pencil to paper.

46. Lincoln Loud

Lincoln Loud is one of the newest character in Nickelodeon's lineup of cartoons.

He has a totally unique art style all his own with stretchy limbs and pale white hair.

Perhaps not your average design but certainly a fun character to practice with.

47. Nigel Thornberry

Nigel Thornberry has one massive honkin' nose and some big front teeth.

These two features set him apart as a truly exaggerated yet believable character. That's what makes him so exciting to draw: you get to learn how to exaggerate properly and still remain on model.

48. Rosie the Robot

I wanted to include a character from The Jetsons somewhere in this list. Rosie feels like the best choice because her design is so abnormal.

She behaves like a typical maid yet she's still a robot. How fun!

You'll find a lot of small challenging details in her design but it'll be so rewarding to get it just right.

49. Invader Zim

This wild alien from another planet is one of Nickelodeon's classic cartoons with a huge cult following.

Invader Zim takes some practice because of the many weird shapes in his design. But with practice you can get to the point where drawing this character feels like second nature.

50. Wakko Warner

The three Warner siblings all have similar designs and similar features.

But in my opinion Wakko is the most fun and possibly the easiest character to attempt. He's often got his tongue sticking out with a pretty goofy look across his face. Doesn't get more fun than this!

51. Bender Bending Rodriguez

Bender the robot is yet another charming character that everyone should love to draw.

Luckily his design is pretty simple and doesn't require a whole lot of technical prowess.

You can find plenty of free tutorials online teaching you how to draw this alcoholic robot and get his features immaculate on paper.

52. Roger The Alien

Between Roger and Bender I'm not sure who's a worse influence.

I just know they're both entertaining and real fun to draw.

Roger's body is even easier than Bender since he's mostly made of ovals and spheres. But keep an eye on his head because it's the trickiest part of his figure.

53. The Red Guy

Last but certainly not least is a favorite of mine from Cow and Chicken.

And yes, his name really is Red Guy. He's got a lot of features mimicking the devil but his goofy demeanor somehow makes him just… not scary.

Or maybe it's the fact he doesn't wear any pants. One or the other.