Chapter 2 / Learning to Draw: Tools and Tips 21 Three Methods of Character Design Many people ask me... well, maybe a couple of people have asked me... okay, there was that one guy who asked me, "How can you possibly come up with an original design for a cartoon character?" Over the years, there have been literally hundreds of comic strips, TV shows, and animated features. Are there even any original, untapped ideas left? Believe it or not, I genuinely believe there are. That's what excites me about the creative process. If we really put our minds to it, there is always at least one more original idea awaiting for us to discover it. Here are three ways to find that original design for a character: n n The Frankenstein method The Observational method