Chris Hart’s Humongous Book of Cartooning is a great value book covering everything the beginner needs to master cartooning. It teaches how to draw cartoon people, fantasy characters, layouts, background design and much more. This latest cartoon title from Chris Hart, the world’s bestselling author of drawing and cartooning books, packs a wallop. It’s the cartooning book that has it all: cartoon people, animals, retro-style “toons'”, funny robots (no one has ever done cartoon robots in a how-to book before, and movies like “Wall-E” and “Robots” were smash hits and prove their appeal), fantasy characters and even sections on cartoon costumes, character design, and cartoon backgrounds and composition. The Humongous Book of Cartooning is humongous, not only because it’s so big, but also because it includes a huge amount of original eye-catching characters and copious visual “side hints” that Chris is famous for. There is more actual instruction in this book than in any other of Chris’ cartooning titles. In short, if you want to know how to draw cartoons, Chris Hart’s Humongous Book of Cartooning is for you.
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594 reviews for Humongous Book of Cartooning (Christopher Hart’s Cartooning)
4.6out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
11
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★★★★★
William Pirkle –
Lots and lots of practice and instruction drawing all kinds of people, animals, and things. EZ and super-fun!
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★★★★★
User 101 –
Christopher hart books were recommended to me by a friend, as I wanted to get in to cartooning/drawing, and his books are really fantastic! They are easy to understand and follow and also nice to look at being colourful. I now own 3 of his books which were also purchased from amazon. I cant recommend his book enough to anyone who like me, has an interest I cartoon drawing. 5 humongous stars !!
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★★★★★
Daniel –
Es el mejor de todos los tiempo. Todo un maestro del cartoon. Puedes sacar mucho de sus intrusiones. Recomendable 100%.
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★★★★★
Vin –
I have to start this review with my favorite quote: “I don’t agree with the point of view that says you should focus your energy on correcting weak points before moving on. Doing so is bound to be draining and frustrating, and it won’t bring you to a higher overall skill level. To raise your artistic skills, push yourself in those areas where you show signs of strength, where you excel, or where you are most inspired and driven…see where your talent leads you.”
That quote really sets the tone for this whole book – positive, inspiring, and entirely down-to-earth.
This “Humongous” tome contains a lifetime of wisdom from the author, who makes his drawings look effortless. I’ve finished reading the book, but I’m not finished with it – I’ll be referencing this for many years to come.
The book contains a great mix of basic principles, instructions, examples, and tips. I’m approaching it as a mid-level artist, and I’ve already been able to apply some of his principles. However, he breaks everything down into easily digestible steps that a beginner could easily pick up and run with.
Most of all, I appreciated his tone throughout the book. The instructions are clear and approachable. He explains areas of difficulty in a calm way, but doesn’t over-complicate anything. It’s full of encouragement.
Overall, I know I’ll revisit this volume again and again.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Alfredo Ramirez –
I like to draw, anything. But since I am terrible at it, I have found solace in cartoons where simple strokes substitute for the real thing but give the appearence of it. Christopher Hart is a genius. Before I read this book, I drew my cartoons by ‘comparison’; the expressions, the body attitudes, the position of the character was more of what I thought than of what it was. Hart gives you the why in very simple terms and all of it is completely documented, graphically, tons and tons of cartoons and examples. Just following the chapters – something I didn’t do since I jumped all over the place – should give you a ton of expertise on cartoon drawing. I thoroughly enjoyed – and enjoy – it, since free time I have, I just grab my book-friend and start my cartoon journey. I will never end, but I get many happy hours. I recommend this book, at least for novices like me.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Roger O –
Denna bok överträffade mina förväntningar. Så denna boken rekommenderas varmt, jag gillar den mycket.
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★★★★★
CrazyAboutBooks –
Since I have no other cartooning books to compare this to, I’ll just say I chose this one because the author has a good reputation, it had good reviews and it is indeed a big book. The exercises in it will be helpful to those wanting practice drawing cartoons. The directions are easy to follow which show step by step how to draw each figure. It is fun trying to draw the figures.
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★★★★★
wayne –
Chris Hart’s “How To Draw Cartoons for Comic Strips” is a much better book in my opinion. However,this book is great for the artist that enjoys drawing cartoon characters from television animation.
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★★★★★
Fun Life –
I have two students who are really interested in drawing cartoons. After reviewing at least 20 books on Amazon.com I decided to wait for this book to come out and pre-ordered a copy.
I now have it in front of me and believe it will be an excellent book for both students so I just ordered another one.
The instructions are clear and the examples are simply fantastic.
I personally have never been able to draw anything but even I now believe I could draw a cartoon character.
This book is strongly recommended as THE starter book. Even for students who can not read it would not take much time for a parent to read the instructions to the student and then let the student take it from there.
This would be a great book for any home school student interested in cartooning.
This book does not, and does not pretend to, discuss anything about story lines or how to “make it” in the cartooning world. It does exactly what it should do – get a person started drawing the characters, background and everything else needed to communicate a concept.
Chapters include:
Drawing Cartoon Characters’ Heads starts on page 8
Drawing the Facial Features starts on page 30
Drawing the Entire Figure starts on page 48
Designing a Character starts on page 62
Costuming a Character starts on page 80
Conveying Body Language starts on page 106
Designing Basic Layout starts on page 128 (nice discussion about setting the stage for the primary characters)
Special Characters: Robots starts on page 150
Special Characters: Animals starts on page 166
Special Characters: Fantasy Creatures starts on page 208 and ends on page 223.
I would normally not go into this much detail but the publisher has not yet made it possible to see the table of contents and I really appreciate all of the comments others have made on various books that have really helped me select the best book for the job that needs to be done. Hope this is helpful to all those who want to get started in cartooning.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
vicj –
This is a great beginners book for me. Now I need to practice drawing while referencing this book to improve my art.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Alexinaus –
Delivers on what it promises – a humongous book of cartoons
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Manjunath R. Mudaliar –
The best basic book there is to learn cartooning. Just practicing the cartoon drawings in the book will help you on your way to becoming a cartoonist.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Rachel Reads Romance –
Bought this as a gift for my husband and he dove right into it the same night he received it! The title of this book does deliver because it is in fact a thick book that has a large variety of drawing techniques. It had pages about drawing different parts of the face, drawing different body styles, drawing basic scenery, drawing costumes, and the list goes on!
William Pirkle –
Lots and lots of practice and instruction drawing all kinds of people, animals, and things. EZ and super-fun!
User 101 –
Christopher hart books were recommended to me by a friend, as I wanted to get in to cartooning/drawing, and his books are really fantastic! They are easy to understand and follow and also nice to look at being colourful. I now own 3 of his books which were also purchased from amazon. I cant recommend his book enough to anyone who like me, has an interest I cartoon drawing. 5 humongous stars !!
Daniel –
Es el mejor de todos los tiempo. Todo un maestro del cartoon. Puedes sacar mucho de sus intrusiones. Recomendable 100%.
Vin –
I have to start this review with my favorite quote: “I don’t agree with the point of view that says you should focus your energy on correcting weak points before moving on. Doing so is bound to be draining and frustrating, and it won’t bring you to a higher overall skill level. To raise your artistic skills, push yourself in those areas where you show signs of strength, where you excel, or where you are most inspired and driven…see where your talent leads you.”
That quote really sets the tone for this whole book – positive, inspiring, and entirely down-to-earth.
This “Humongous” tome contains a lifetime of wisdom from the author, who makes his drawings look effortless. I’ve finished reading the book, but I’m not finished with it – I’ll be referencing this for many years to come.
The book contains a great mix of basic principles, instructions, examples, and tips. I’m approaching it as a mid-level artist, and I’ve already been able to apply some of his principles. However, he breaks everything down into easily digestible steps that a beginner could easily pick up and run with.
Most of all, I appreciated his tone throughout the book. The instructions are clear and approachable. He explains areas of difficulty in a calm way, but doesn’t over-complicate anything. It’s full of encouragement.
Overall, I know I’ll revisit this volume again and again.
Alfredo Ramirez –
I like to draw, anything. But since I am terrible at it, I have found solace in cartoons where simple strokes substitute for the real thing but give the appearence of it. Christopher Hart is a genius. Before I read this book, I drew my cartoons by ‘comparison’; the expressions, the body attitudes, the position of the character was more of what I thought than of what it was. Hart gives you the why in very simple terms and all of it is completely documented, graphically, tons and tons of cartoons and examples. Just following the chapters – something I didn’t do since I jumped all over the place – should give you a ton of expertise on cartoon drawing. I thoroughly enjoyed – and enjoy – it, since free time I have, I just grab my book-friend and start my cartoon journey. I will never end, but I get many happy hours. I recommend this book, at least for novices like me.
Roger O –
Denna bok överträffade mina förväntningar. Så denna boken rekommenderas varmt, jag gillar den mycket.
CrazyAboutBooks –
Since I have no other cartooning books to compare this to, I’ll just say I chose this one because the author has a good reputation, it had good reviews and it is indeed a big book. The exercises in it will be helpful to those wanting practice drawing cartoons. The directions are easy to follow which show step by step how to draw each figure. It is fun trying to draw the figures.
wayne –
Chris Hart’s “How To Draw Cartoons for Comic Strips” is a much better book in my opinion. However,this book is great for the artist that enjoys drawing cartoon characters from television animation.
Fun Life –
I have two students who are really interested in drawing cartoons. After reviewing at least 20 books on Amazon.com I decided to wait for this book to come out and pre-ordered a copy.
I now have it in front of me and believe it will be an excellent book for both students so I just ordered another one.
The instructions are clear and the examples are simply fantastic.
I personally have never been able to draw anything but even I now believe I could draw a cartoon character.
This book is strongly recommended as THE starter book. Even for students who can not read it would not take much time for a parent to read the instructions to the student and then let the student take it from there.
This would be a great book for any home school student interested in cartooning.
This book does not, and does not pretend to, discuss anything about story lines or how to “make it” in the cartooning world. It does exactly what it should do – get a person started drawing the characters, background and everything else needed to communicate a concept.
Chapters include:
Drawing Cartoon Characters’ Heads starts on page 8
Drawing the Facial Features starts on page 30
Drawing the Entire Figure starts on page 48
Designing a Character starts on page 62
Costuming a Character starts on page 80
Conveying Body Language starts on page 106
Designing Basic Layout starts on page 128 (nice discussion about setting the stage for the primary characters)
Special Characters: Robots starts on page 150
Special Characters: Animals starts on page 166
Special Characters: Fantasy Creatures starts on page 208 and ends on page 223.
I would normally not go into this much detail but the publisher has not yet made it possible to see the table of contents and I really appreciate all of the comments others have made on various books that have really helped me select the best book for the job that needs to be done. Hope this is helpful to all those who want to get started in cartooning.
vicj –
This is a great beginners book for me. Now I need to practice drawing while referencing this book to improve my art.
Alexinaus –
Delivers on what it promises – a humongous book of cartoons
Manjunath R. Mudaliar –
The best basic book there is to learn cartooning. Just practicing the cartoon drawings in the book will help you on your way to becoming a cartoonist.
Rachel Reads Romance –
Bought this as a gift for my husband and he dove right into it the same night he received it! The title of this book does deliver because it is in fact a thick book that has a large variety of drawing techniques. It had pages about drawing different parts of the face, drawing different body styles, drawing basic scenery, drawing costumes, and the list goes on!