I just added a new chapter to my Gravity Falls AU where Grunkle Stan is a Vietnam War veteran struggling with alcoholism and PTSD, while trying to reopen a portal to the otherside of reality in order to save his brother. All the while simultaneously attempting to protect the kids from literal demonic forces.
I love your art so much! There's such a charm in your style and colors. How did you learn to draw children and babies so well? I try but they never quite look right. They just look like I messed up an adult face. Any tips?
hey, thank you so much!!! tbh, children are tricky and it took years of practice before i felt like i drew them okay--hopefully these tips are helpful to you!
using georgia and her much younger self as a guide: children have big heads in relation to their bodies, with their features mostly relegated to 2/3 or even 1/2 of the face, depending on the art style. babies and toddlers in particular almost always have large foreheads and big cheeks, no matter what their individual features are.
my children tend to lean more cherubic and cartoonish because i've always adored how rose o'neill, the creator of kewpie dolls, drew children and babies. great big eyes, small noses and mouths, etc.
that being said: as you can see with georgia above, her younger self still has fuller lips and a wider nose, they're just small in proportion to the rest of her head, if that makes sense!
i would avoid any harsh lines/super definition on the face. i usually add a soft touch of shading or a few very, very light lines, usually to show the fullness of the cheeks like i've done with eloise above.
there are exceptions. sometimes my characters like wilma and all of her children have dimples or a particular way their eyebrow crinkles, or some other definable feature. all that is okay! but just know the more lines you add to a character, the older they look--so you want to use a lighter hand when drawing very young children or babies.
as children age, they "grow" into their facial features. their heads are usually still a bit bigger in proportion to their bodies, with a jawline that is beginning to define, but still relatively soft.
with ellen and leon below, you can tell they are several years older than eloise above, but not so old they begin to look like teenagers or mini adults.
overall, these are the tips that have stuck with me! because i like to give my ocs children or draw them as children, i make a point to dedicate time to figure drawing people of all ages, from babies to old folks, and it has helped a lot!! thanks for asking!! <3
Special shoutout to all the queer, intersex, and trans het folks. Sorry for all the “it’s illegal to be straight this month” jokes you’ll have to endure. Y’all are still very much part of the community.
[Jaunty Upbeat Music] Stanley: "Wait, no, I can explain! It was a mistake! Fine! I can make it on my own! I don't need you, I don't need anyone! I'll make millions and you'll rue the day you turned your back on me!"