Look-alike cartoon characters are popular on the Internet when major animated events take place in the mass media, such as the release of a nationwide animated film. The popularity of these movies sends fans scrambling for their own personalized cartoon images. Production companies typically meet the demand with free character-creation programs, using them as a publicity tool. This was popular when “The Simpsons” motion picture was released in 2007, and more recently with “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” the 2010 movie based on a popular graphic novel series. Making your own look-alike cartoon character is a simple task once you decide how exactly you want your character to look.
Decide what kind of cartoon character you want to design. There is a whole selection of cartoon creation sites on the Internet, ranging from generic cartoons to brand-name designs.
Evaluate the desired appearance of your cartoon character. This will require you to decide if you want your character to look like you, or if you want to deviate somewhat. Some considerations are hairstyle and color, piercings, skin tone, eye color, facial shape and fashion.
Load the cartoon design program via the Internet once you’ve made your choice. This may take a while since some programs are more detailed than others, so be patient.
Follow the walk-through process of the designer you’ve chosen. Be ready to make selections for a wide variety of characteristics, such as facial features, hairstyles and clothing. Some programs will carry you through new screens during the selection process, while others will simply move you down a list until you’re finished.
Finish your customized cartoon character once every selection is to your liking. You will be presented with a “finish” prompt when you’re through. Here you will be given the option to save the character you’ve created onto your computer as a JPEG file, create a link where your character can be viewed or upload it onto social media for you to share with friends and family.
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Writer Bio
Steven Surman has been a freelance writer and journalist since 2007. His work has appeared in several magazines, including “The Humanist” and “A&U.” He is also a staff writer for the Broken Frontier website. Surman holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and English from Bloomsburg University.
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