Modern Cartooning: Essential Techniques for Drawing Today's Popular Cartoons    by Christopher Hart Order:  USA  Can Watson-Guptill, 2013 (2013) Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch Anyone interested in mastering the style of the cartoons seen on TV, in comics and movies today will want to check out this book. Especially designed for beginners, Modern Cartooning breaks down each step and takes the reader through all the fundamental art techniques necessary to create some polished and professional looking characters. 'I'll show you how to draw great-looking characters right away,' writes the author. 'The trick is to learn how to draw the basic head shapes and apply facial features from a wide selection of the most popular types in cartooning today. You'll start with a circle, then discover new shapes. I'll show you how to mold the head into new and unique shapes to convey humorous and highly entertaining attitudes.' The book's chapters include Basic Head Shape, Facial Features, Moving Beyond the Basic Head Shape, Medium Shots: The Best, Most Overlooked Angle, The Universal Body Type, Putting Your Characters Together, Different Body Types, Adding Important Details and Saving The Best For Last: Stuff You Won't Learn in Art School. As with any guide of this nature, the step-by-step instructions and diagrams will determine how successful the reader is in reproducing or creating the type of character the author is trying to teach. There are enough diagrams and written instructions here that even the beginning artist/cartoonist should be fairly successful. Like anything else – practice makes perfect so expect to spend some time perfecting your drawings! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews