 |
 |
 |
Interpreting Cartoon Drawings Drawings of cartoon are meant to entertain. No doubt about that. Cartoon characters have always found a special place in the hearts of people from all walks of life. Few have realized that drawing cartoon characters may also be a form of story telling. By taking a deeper insight into the life of any such character one may get a glimpse of a hard hitting truth or fact. This is exceptionally true with the editorial cartoons that appear on the forefronts of any newspaper of journal. People gravitate more willingly towards a cartoon drawing as compared to lengthy publications. These drawings help us understand information as they are presented in a visual and memorable way. Political cartoon characters became popular at the times of world wars as a means to propagate the war efforts of each country. However, it has been since noticed that it is not simple to interpret the drawings. Most of the times the editorial cartoonistscartoonists drew comic images to get messages across and create awareness. The cartoonists always harbor a vision while drawing characters. Understanding what message a drawing is trying to convey is like stepping into the mind frame of the cartoonist. To interpret the message conveyed through these drawings it is essential to get to the bottom of each detailing. Cartoonists make use of many different details to achieve their final goal. Caricatured cartoon character of any famous personality is the simplest way to exaggerate a physical feature. For example, large big popping eyes to show someone who very often is affected by an issue. Recognizable symbols are another way of communicating an idea. Captions or speech bubbles come handy while summing up the message in few simple words. Names and tiles, true or symbolic are also used to make an impact filled presentation, like Uncle Sam is a commonly used cartoon synonym for USA. The first step towards unraveling the mystery behind a cartoon is to take note of all the details, as in the symbols, people or any characteristic that have been overdone. Once the key details have been identified, the next step is to understand what each one stands for. Try to interpret what is actually happening in the story. What are the characters doing, are they smiling, dancing, fighting or relaxing? The deepened analysis should do the trick. The eyes has to move back and forth and go round the different details. All this while your understanding of the cartoon will keep on growing. This might give an idea that editorial cartoons are difficult to interpret. However, this is not so. With regular practice the interpretation of drawings of cartoon characters deepens and diversifies just like a crossword puzzle. Very soon you will be able to get to the bottom of the mystery behind a cartoon. Students are also taught various subjects by means interpretation. They are fun way of depicting the prevailing social, political or environmental satire. They hold more truth than any writeup would ever do. To interpret them is like getting to the bottom of prevailing situation. You do not have to put in a lot of effort to interpret what your favorite Abby, Bel and Kewl are saying. They say and do everything in such an adorable manner that very soon you will find that you are doing things the way they do. |