Learn what makes an ugly cartoon character and how to draw one that should get the job done! One simple tip you can use when creating cute or ugly images is working with symmetry. Indeed, symmetrical images are always more enjoyable and fun to look at.
Therefore, you can also apply this technique to an ugly character and avoid symmetry at all cost. In this lesson, I will show you how to draw an ugly character like the one below using simple shapes made with irregular lines and volume. Ready? Let's draw! :)
First, draw the character using lines that are not perfect and shapes that are different from one another. For example, as you can see below the eyes and the pupils are not the same sizes.
The lower lip is also exaggerated and eyebrows are huge. The head and body are made from rectangles instead of circular shapes. The nose is large and made from a broken line.
Let's make this character even creepier by adding just a few hair on top and on the right side of the head. A few lines can be drawn on the forehead and curved lines can also be sketched below the eyes. Finally, other lines are added around the mouth.
Next, add plain colors to the illustration. In this case, both pupils are not filled with the same color making the cartoon character even more strange and different.
Using the gradient fill tool, add some darker areas on all shapes of this ugly character. For instance, the bottom of the head is darker than the top. The same technique is used for the shoes, the shirt, the pupils, the ear, the hand and the eyebrows.
Cool! Now let's create more shapes that will be used to add shadows inside the cartoon character. You can draw these additional shapes below the eyebrows, the nose, the mouth and on the left side of the head, the shirt, the arm and the hand. Don't hesitate to use transparency to partially hide these shapes and create a more subtle effect.
Nice work! This is the result so far once all darker shapes are added. In the next step, our goal is to add white shapes to create highlights and enhance the volume of the illustration.
Duplicate the head and reduce the size of the new shape a little bit. Color this new element in white and use transparency to hide the left part of it. Draw more shapes on the nose, the ear, the eyelid, the shirt, the hand and the shoes using the same technique as the one used for the head.
That's it! This ugly cartoon character is now completely done! Drawing a beautiful ugly character is not as easy as it looks, but it can be done using a vector software and a few basic tips like the ones available in this tutorial. Enjoy! :)