\ I didn't know where to start. Chihuahuas were kind of a big trend at the time, so I started thinking about how to draw Chihuahuas.
I went to the library with my post-it notes and started trying to figure out how to draw a cute little cartoon Chihuahua…
After looking through tons of pictures and doodling my sketch studies, I couldn’t help falling in love with the little critters. They’re so cute with those big round heads and bulbous eyeballs and those teeny little bodies.
Once I felt comfortable with the basic animal anatomy I started to cartoon it up a little bit… 
…and then finally I came up with this little guy:
The marking on his forehead was scribbled quickly, and when I gave it another look, it looked like a chili pepper. Then the name popped into my head: “Chili Chihuahua!”
So this is the final result of those cartoon drawing explorations. I was really happy with it! And you know what? I tossed it all in a folder and haven’t done a darned thing with it since.
Oh, and lest I forget: Chili Chihuahua is TM and ©2011 by Sherm Cohen! ---After all, I might want to come back and revisit this little project someday :)
11 comments:
Ha! You came up with a really fun chihuahua character. I hope he makes it into a cartoon some day. It's very interesting to see your process, too.
Thanks, Dan -- it's hard to keep that initial burst of enthusiasm burning bright enough to take an idea to fruition. Maybe someday (after I've run through the million other ideas that are in my head) I'll get back to work on it :P
"it's hard to keep that initial burst of enthusiasm burning bright enough to take an idea to fruition"
You could almost use this to remind yourself how that 'first impression' is so important in any drawing (idea)! I absolutely love this character...hope to see him on some adventures someday!
Thanks Erik -- I appreciate the encouraging words ^_^
What a fun character Sherm! I love how you distilled the very essence of the majestic chihuahua down to it's most hilarious.
Great stuff Sherm! :D
Oh man. This reminds me when I scribble a bunch of my own cartoon ideas on notebook paper. A lot of the time, they pretty much write and draw themselves as if they had their own mind or something, and I really get into developing their personalities and dialog, only to find myself being even more enthusiastic about the other ideas that I have in my head.
What kind of pen did you use for these?
Thanks David -- thanks Jeaux!
Roberto: I was probably using the PITT brush pen…very versatile for sketching :)
Coming up with a cartoon idea and then losing interest in it? Story of my life ._.
I'm trying to actually go through my ideas instead of letting them sit on the shelf and forgetting about them, though. It's a hard habit to break.
I love development drawings like these! There's so much to learn, and they reveal so much of the personality of the creators. Back when I worked as an archivist in the Don Bluth animation collection, I made a beeline straight for the preproduction boxes, rooting around for notes, reference pictures, doodles, scraps of animation... you never know what you'll find at the start of a project!
Thanks, Sherm!
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