Ben Colefax - How to Draw Cute Cartoon Characters (Download)

Drawing adorable cartoon characters seems like a magical talent reserved for naturally gifted artists, leaving many people wishing they could bring their creative ideas to life on paper. Whether you want to create personalized gifts, design characters for games, teach your children, or simply develop a rewarding creative outlet, learning to draw cute cartoons opens countless possibilities—yet most beginners don’t know where to start.

Ben Colefax’s course reveals the techniques behind creating charming kawaii-inspired characters, making this accessible skill achievable for absolute beginners through clear, step-by-step instruction.

About the Instructor

Ben Colefax is a cartoon artist who has spent years perfecting techniques for drawing cute characters. With over 27,000 students, his teaching focuses on demystifying the artistic process by breaking down complex drawings into simple, repeatable steps. Ben’s approachable style emphasizes that artistic ability isn’t innate talent—it’s a learnable skill developed through practice and proper guidance.

What You’ll Learn

This beginner-friendly course teaches you to confidently create your own cute cartoon characters from scratch. You’ll understand the anatomy of “cuteness,” master drawing facial features including different eye styles (kawaii and cartoony), mouths, and hair variations, sketch body components like torsos and limbs, develop your personal artistic style, and even grow an audience interested in your artwork.

The course covers both traditional paper-based drawing and digital techniques using drawing tablets and the Sketchbook app, providing flexibility for your preferred medium.

Course Content Overview

Getting Started introduces the fundamental anatomy of cute characters and includes warm-up exercises to prepare you for drawing practice.

Digital Drawing Tools (optional section) covers equipment recommendations, transitioning to drawing tablets, navigating the Sketchbook app on Mac, and creating custom brushes for digital artwork.

Face and Head Fundamentals teach basic head outlines, kawaii-styled eyes with their characteristic large, expressive appearance, cartoony-styled eyes for more traditional cartoon looks, various mouth expressions, eyelashes, female hair techniques, and male hair examples with multiple variations.

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Body Construction breaks down basic torso shapes, “sausage limb” techniques for arms and legs, drawing limbs holding objects, creating cartoony-styled hands, and designing simple legs and shoes appropriate for cute character proportions.

Character Development explores drawing characters from multiple angles including front view, three-quarter view, and rear view perspectives. You’ll learn boy character basics, plus coloring, shading, and layer techniques for adding depth and polish.

Animal Characters applies the cute cartoon principles to drawing rabbits (both kawaii and cartoony styles), cats, and dogs in kawaii style—expanding your character repertoire beyond human figures.

Practical Applications

This skill extends far beyond the classroom. Create heartfelt handmade cards for loved ones, design unique artwork for family members, draw in your children’s books and lunchboxes, develop characters for games or apps, or simply enjoy a creative hobby that brings joy to yourself and others.

Learning Approach

The course emphasizes that everyone possesses basic artistic ability—success comes from practice, proper direction, and passion. Each high-definition video lesson demonstrates techniques clearly, allowing you to replay sections needing additional practice and develop skills at your own pace.

Whether you’re a complete beginner, graphic artist returning to basics, traditional artist exploring new styles, or coder designing original characters, this course provides the foundation for creating charming cartoons confidently.