How to Letter your Cartoons

Author: Chris Haycock

The usual term for the spaces in which spoken words are contained in cartoons is a "balloon". This is so called whatever the actual shape of the space. Lettering in a cartoon is an important feature, and it is well worth studying a few simple rules to make your cartoons look professional and easy to read.

Firstly your letters should be very plain and simple. Compare them to the use of Arial or Helvetica typestyles in printing, or on the web. These two styles are among the most popular because of their plain, non fussy style, and are pretty easy to read in most sizes. So, avoid fancy flourishes and curlicues, and capital letters should be the rule rather than the exception.

You do not need much space between your letters in a balloon, but on the other hand do not crowd your letters and words. Make all your letters vertical, and avoid mixing slanting (italic) letters with vertical.

For the sake of neatness do not attempt to letter without first drawing some faint parallel guidelines, sketch the letters in lightly with pencil before inking. A good tip is to cut slots in the form of parallel guidelines out of a piece of thin card. A standard business card is ideal. Cut out two or three of these for letters of different heights. Use a pen whose point has become blunted with use for lettering. A new broad-nibbed pen may be used, but never a new fine pointed pen.

When you are lettering your cartoons, you should bear in mind that all drawings intended for publication, with rare exceptions, will be reduced in size before the printing process. Usually your drawing will be reduced by one half, although occasionally it will be a little more or less. So an original drawing of four by four inches will appear as a two by two inch drawing.

The smallest type generally in use in newspapers and magazines is six point type, that is six seventy-seconds of an inch in height. So you can see that in a half reduction scenario you should be drawing your letters no less than twelve point type in size, or twelve seventy-seconds of an inch. If the reduction is to be a bit less than a half then your letters should be drawn about an eighth of an inch high. Smaller type may be used sometimes , but it is always better to err on the side of safety and make your letters slightly too big, rather than too small.

If you cut the slots in your card to these guidelines you won't go far wrong. You will never be thought the worse of (quite the opposite in fact, it shows professionalism) if you ask the paper or magazine you wish to submit to what reduction they usually use. Finally don't forget that it is easier to sketch your words with pencil before inking. You can easily make changes which will not be noticeable, using a good quality eraser prior to inking.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/how-to-letter-your-cartoons-324195.html

Baby Looney Tunes Cartoons Still Amazing

Author: Craig Rad

Even from this early age, Bugs is still a cool bunny, Daffy is always self-centered and Tweety is even sweeter than as an adult. The Baby Looney Tunes cartoon series is a very interesting adaptation of the original Looney Tunes idea. By going back in time, all your favorite Looney Tunes characters gain even more charm and charisma, as babies discovering the world around them.

Baby Bugs Bunny - although he is not yet the confident and always on top bunny we got used to, Bugs already has the qualities that will make him a star in the future. The natural leader features characteristic to Bugs Bunny are still uncertain with baby Bugs, but his adventures teach him how to enjoy the good life.

Baby Daffy - although baby Daffy learns a lesson with each new type of trouble he causes, he is still the source of most problems for the Looney Tunes gang. Even though he isn't even out of diapers, baby Daffy wants everything to go his way.

Lola - she is always out there to prove something, both to herself and the rest of her friends. Baby Lola is a big dreamer and is the most emotional of the Looney Tunes group.

Sylvester - always hungry for something childhood has to offer, Sylvester the baby cat is often frustrated with things around him. This is why he uses his baby cunningness to get thing going in his favor.

Tweety - sweet and honest, Tweety represents the very spirit of childhood. She is empathic with everyone else's problems and has a kind and caring soul. Tweety is optimistic and dreams big, and this makes her one of the most adorable Looney Tunes characters.

Taz - this little tornado is easily distracted by anything moving around him. Although his speech is underdeveloped and funny, he has a kind heart and quite often a goofy behavior.

Granny - she allows the Baby Looney Tunes characters to develop and grow at their own pace, but she also looks out for them with a caring grandma attitude.

As stated on Wikipedia, the show premiered on WB stations usually before or after Kids' WB! on September 14, 2002. The show is similar to Muppet Babies, with the main characters taken care of by Granny.

The series officially ended on April 20, 2005, but a made-for-TV movie called Oh, Max is planned for release in summer 2007 and will serve as the series finale.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/baby-looney-tunes-cartoons-still-amazing-101484.html

Naruto Episodes

Author: Henry Hsieh
The popular Shonen Anime series, “Naruto” is based on the equally popular shonen manga with the same title that was written by Masashi Kishimoto. It is produced by Studio Pierrot and aired in several networks worldwide, including animax and TV Tokyo. The Anime started airing on October 3, 2002. However, as the manga went through a ‘time-skip’, so too did the anime. On February 8, 2007, part 1 of the series was officially concluded and was soon followed by part 2 which was called Naruto ‘Shippuden’ which started officially on February 15, 2007. The series is still ongoing up until now, airing a new episode almost every Thursday.

Naruto: Part 1

The first part of the anime series, Naruto, starts when the main characters are all 12-year old genins (Genin is the lowest rank for a ninja). Part 1 is composed of 9 seasons all in all. Part 1 starts with a brief explanation of the plot and the introduction of the main characters. It starts off light but becomes more serious towards the end of the first season where the group encounters strong enemies named Haku and Zabuza. It is here that the greatness of the series is elucidated because this is the part where Masashi Kishimoto’s prowess for blending humor with drama and action is first shown. After that comes the Chuunin exams, where more characters are introduced and many fights scenes are shown. The plot thickens in the heat of the Chuunin exams, however, as one of the series’ main antagonists, Orochimaru, is introduced. After which, some light is shed on the mysterious past of Uchiha Sasuke through the return of his brother, Uchiha Itachi, who is revealed to be Sasuke’s last living relative. Itachi’s return triggers a series of events that lead to Sasuke’s defection against Konoha which ultimately leads to his joining Orochimaru and become an antagonist himself. Kakashi’s Team 7 breaks up at this point, with Jiraiya taking Naruto in for training and Sakura asking Tsunade to train her too. Supposedly, this would introduce the start of Part 2. Unfortunately, by this time, the anime has caught up too much to the manga and had to show several filler episodes just to balance the time, much to the dismay of the fans.

Naruto: Part 2

The second part of Naruto is called Naruto Shippuden. Naruto and the crew are now two and a half years older. Shippuden starts with a teaser episode, showing a sneak preview of the fated reunion of Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, a.k.a Team 7. The preview stops just before revealing a pivotal point in the plot and shifts to the true start of Shippuden which is Naruto’s return to Konoha after his training with Jiraiya. Shortly after the start comes the Rescue Gaara Arc which has the team battling Akatsuki. After which comes the formation of the new team Kakashi. The new team Kakashi then heads out in efforts to capture the spy or Kabuto. During this transition, they meet a surprising character which in many ways shocked the team. With new and improved abilities demonstrated both from the villains and good. The current Naruto Episode revolves around the team’s efforts to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/naruto-episodes-282851.html

Naruto, Vol. 6

Naruto, Vol. 6 From VIZ Media LLC

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18219 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-05
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Comic
• 192 pages

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Customer Reviews

A really big Naruto fan!
Okay,okay.So we survived the first part of the Chunin Exam.Now we are entering the second part of the exam.All we have to do is get a heaven and a earth scroll.It seems simple but your wrong! Our heros are in a very serious situation.Everyone is your enemy except for your squad.Naruto,Sasuke,and Sakura are on their own and are about to encounter a lot of enemies.

Also recommend Naruto vol. 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9

NAruto Review
In this volume of Naruto, the second portion of the chunnin exam just started. This exam is being held in the Forest of Death, and the instructor Mitarshi Anko has promised to cut the number of called Orochimaru that is known for his evil forbidden ninja abilities and he's in the chunnin exam! Orochimaru wants something from Sasuke. But when the guards heard that Orochimaru was in the exam, they quickly sent out maximum security in the Forest of the advancing teams by half! Each of the teams are now turned against each other and they must use there fast cunning ninja techniques to collect the necessary scrolls from the other teams to past the test and to survive the many challenges that the forest brings to these young ninjas. It's a matter of life and death in the second chunnin exam. Some teams may come out alive and victorious, while the other teams may end up dead. And if that's not enough, there's an imposter Death to find this Orochimaru. Too bad it was already to late, Orochimaru found Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, but he mainly just wanted Sasuke. Orochimaru was destroying the three of them, only Sakura was barely standing. The instructor, Anko tried coming in to save the three of them. But Orochimaru was too strong and Anko was useless as well. Luckily, Orochimaru fled from them and Sakura had to find a place for them to rest. But when Orochimaru's minions heard that Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were weak, they were told to take finish them off. So they went off to find the three of them. When Naruto's friends who are also in the chunnin exam heard of this, they went off to find Naurto, Sasuke, and Sakura as soon as possible. Luckily they made it right on time. In total, two teams were there to help them. But one team were all cowards so they just watched. When Orochimaru's minions were there, they were outnumbered. But to them numbers didn't count, it was just how strong they were that counted and they were definitely stronger. So even with two teams against them, Orochimaru's minions still defeated them. That is where the story stands, but there is still a surprise from the evil minions. Nobody knows...

I thought this book was very interesting. This book had a great flow in the story and it wasn't boring like some books. It had lots of action in the story and I thought the plot was very interesting. I liked the way that they're in a world of ninjas and they are all in this gigantic examination to be the ultimate ninja or something like that. Something that also fascinated me was the artwork of the graphic novel. It was very realistic in an anime way. People who enjoy reading action or adventure books should trying reading this book because there's a lot of action and adventure going on in this book. Also, people who enjoy reading comic books should try reading this book. The drawings in there are very well drawn. This is a quote from Orochimaru " I'm Orochimaru the giant snake. If you'd ever like a rematch...".

You go girl!
Well Orochimaru K.O.ed Sasuke and Naruto,so it is up to her to protect them.Hey,Lee and Ino's team can to save the day!But the real savior is Sasuke?

Hidden Messages Inside Anime

Author: Henry Hsieh
Anime is one of the best things that could possibly happen to television. Since its debut outside Japan, anime has reeled in millions and millions of fans. However, there are those that remain skeptical of anime, thinking of it only as a glammed up version of the typical cartoons that we see on TV. They take one look at the too perfect faces, the out of his world costumes, and the quintessential talking animals and they immediately dismiss anime as childish. Well, we as watchers of anime know that there’s much more to anime beneath its cartoonish facade.

There are several hidden messages in anime, messages that speak directly to the soul, messages about life’s lessons and truths. They might be hard to see at face value but if you look past all the humor and all the drama, you’ll see that what the characters are going through, be it a robot invasion or one-on-one battle with a dragon, are essentially the same things that we’re going through… just translated into fantasy. And every obstacle they encounter, every moral dilemma they face, we can relate to in some way or another.

Take Naruto for example. He is a young orphan boy who has been ostracized by his village for having a demon fox sealed inside of him. Now, I doubt that any of you who are reading this have demon foxes sealed inside of you. But I can bet that some of you have felt ostracized, unwanted, underestimated, and utterly alone at some point in your lives. And even when all you want is a bit of acknowledgment, nobody seems to want to give it to you. And here’s where Naruto’s hidden message comes in even in Naruto Shippuden… it’s a challenge to all of us, to do what Naruto is currently doing: never giving up. It’s a challenge for us to take on his nindo and to never back out on our own words.

Almost all of the characters have hidden messages within their own stories and backgrounds. Take Zabuza, he is portrayed as a heartless killer, a villain, someone whom we are programmed to hate. And yet, at the final moments of his life, it is revealed that despite all his brusqueness, he is still human, like all of us. And he knows how to value and be grateful to those he loves. The message in this is clear, those who have done several misdeeds are still human, and we owe it to them and to ourselves to coax the humanity out of them.

And it’s not just the characters that are worth looking into either. The themes and plots of several anime deserve a lot of praise for their insight and ingeniousness. Look at the anime Deathnote, if you take it at face value, it’s nothing more than just a very well-written and well-portrayed thriller, complete with some of the best plot twists ever concocted in anime history. But if you look at its theme, you’ll see that it’s about the classic debate on justice… is it just to kill evil men for the sake of protecting those who are good? Or should we allow evil men to live on the premise that they’re human like all of us? It’s even reminiscent of the age-old debate about the death penalty. Do we really have the right to kill another human being?

Indeed, the hidden messages in anime are very thought provoking and it fosters self analysis at many levels. They might just change the way we view our lives if we take a more serious approach to them and utilize its life provoking lesson to make our society a better place. Yes, all in all it’s just anime but the power that it brings onto the table should never be underestimated.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/hidden-messages-inside-anime-396565.html

Naruto or Bleach, Which One is Better and Why?

Author: Henry Hsieh
The great Greek and Roman philosophers loved to debate back then, and the internet junkies love to debate today. It’s a human impulse – to debate. Saying “it’s a matter of opinion” doesn’t help because there always has to be someone who’s right and someone who’s wrong. People can debate for the silliest things and for years and years, the debate can drag on without having a clear winner. But that’s just the way things are. And you can’t deny it, debates are really are fun and we all love it.

The start of the new millennium signaled the start of two of the greatest Shounen anime series since
Dragon Ball Z – Naruto and Bleach. Both anime series have accumulated millions of fans worldwide and, as expected, to these fans, saying that both anime series are good and both worth watching is just not enough. They have to know which is better.

So,Rreally, Which is Better – Naruto or Bleach?

Naruto and Bleach have similar main characters. They’re about adolescent boys who are both special, both somewhat dense but kind-hearted and gutsy, both insanely strong and can go against the strongest enemies, and both have a tendency to trash talk but still be able to give inspiring speeches. But while the main characters are similar, the plots are different. While Naruto is about ninjas, Bleach is more like an anime version of Ghost Busters. Both have their own appeal to fans. And really, it’s a matter of opinion whether the fan likes ninjas or anything related to the afterlife better.

Similarities and Differences

The execution of these series’ storylines also differs. Naruto spends more time developing its story and its characters than Bleach does. And while the flashbacks in Naruto can get a bit dragging for some people, especially the ones who watch for the fight scenes alone, they do leave us with more three dimensional characters and a more detailed storyline. When things happen, you know why they do because there’s a background. The progression of the story is logical. Bleach, on the other hand, is one big mash of plot twists that, though entertaining, really are just good for the shock factor.

Humor-wise, both are great. Both can have you clutching your stomach and rolling on the floor in insane laughter. However, Naruto’s humor is somewhat slapstick sometimes as compared to Bleach’s more refined and natural humor. But then, you have to consider that the characters in Naruto are mostly kids and are younger than the characters in Bleach (not considering Shippuden).

The fight scenes in Naruto are way more interesting because it dabbles more in strategy rather than just the simple clashing of swords. However, because there’s much strategy involved in Naruto’s fight scenes, you also get to hear a lot of long and winding explanations in between fights and this is something that the some fans who are in for the action dislike. Bleach’s fight scenes are also great and action-packed but are rather repetitive.

One edge that Bleach does have over Naruto is that its characters get a change of wardrobe every now and then. In Naruto, we see the same costume each and every day. It’s as if the characters have closets- full of the same clothes.

But overall, I’d say that Naruto wins over Bleach because Naruto is much more emotionally engaging. The Naruto episodes can evoke so much emotion in you that you’ll cry with the characters, laugh with them, and even go so much as to really love or really hate some of the characters. Bleach sort of had something similar in the beginning but the storyline started to deteriorate and you start to lose touch with connecting to the characters. With Naruto even with Naruto Shippuden you're still able to ‘feel’, connect and understand the positions for the characters, and for me, that’s what makes a good anime. Not to mention that the storyline just gets better through each episode as you watch Naruto!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/naruto-or-bleach-which-one-is-better-and-why-307346.html

What Does the Word Naruto Mean?

Author: Henry Hsieh
As enthusiast of the animation Naruto, we've all heard about the word Naruto, but do you know what Naruto truly means? The word Naruto is actually from a type of Japanese fish cake. The specific fish cake that Naruto is with is often seen with pink surroundings and designs that is seen as a simple spiral form.

Believe it or not, it is often eaten alongside with soups and noodles. Yes, this will include the ramen that Naruto from the animation that he enjoys. If you examine the fishcake carefully, you would also notice that the head protector that Naruto wears looks very much the same as the food Naruto itself. So Kanoha is really revolving around the food Naruto and it's kinda interesting to see that these little facts actually ties in together to the centric part of the storyline somewhat.

Besides Naruto being a traditional Japanese dish as fish cakes, Naruto is also an actual city in Japan located in Tokushima a bit leaning towards the southern part of Japan. The city itself is quite small with a population of only 63,784 currently shown on their city's official website. The city of Naruto was founded in the March of 1947 so the city itself is still relatively new. One of the most interesting facts about the city is that it contains the first two of the 88 Shikoku Pilgrimage buddhist temples. Now what makes this fact stands out is the looks of the people from the temple and what they wear.

Yes, those traditional Buddhist clothings that pilgrims wear are closely resembled to the ones that the Hokage's in Naruto animation wear starting from how they dress all the way to their hats. So the next time t you watch Naruto episodes again, you'll know exactly where it's origin as well as where little things ties up together

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/what-does-the-word-naruto-mean-290262.html

Does the Animation Naruto Contain Life Lessons Beyond Entertainment?

Author: Henry Hsieh
There is no doubt that Naruto is one of the biggest anime that hit the US market today, but can Naruto be educational? From its origin from a more Eastern background, animation in general has come a long way since its first inception. Starting back in the old days with the original dragon ball series where it was first created all the way to Naruto today, there have definitely been a lot of changes that have been taken place in the animation world.

The population of kids attracted to Naruto is growing by the day and I believe there is a clear reason why it is the most popular anime or cartoon here in the US today besides its artistic values in comparison with numerous cartoons that are shown in our television screen on a day to day basis. Let’s take a look our cartoon Batman for example. The plot or a single episode usually involves with a villain shown in the story and causes trouble with a certain amount of people through their special techniques. However, their evil deeds are eventually squashed toward the end of the episode as Batman saves the day. In the cartoon itself, there’s nothing wrong with it. The good prevails over evil, and the single episode is ended with a happy ending.

What the problem with these cartoons however is that they are very interpersonal and kids and teens cannot relate themselves to them. Kids nowadays are more intrigued with interactions then ever before. This is shown through the popularity of the internet and social sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Blogger. They have grown tremendously due to its fundamental pitch to allow kids to relate and connect with each another.

What has made Naruto so powerful is as an anime is that they have developed their characters so well that their ability to relate to kids is tremendous. Similar to a soap opera, we are able to see each and every single character develop in their own way. We see that the animation characters often time interact with the kids through numerous contests and promotions related to interact with the kids. This type of close and very personalized interaction, you can think of it similar to the strategy that McDonald uses to make kids feel like at home. It is no wonder that kids love McDonalds and the same way goes with Naruto.

The adult humor aside, Naruto is also very educational in my opinion. The focal point of the animation itself remains between the fight of good and evil. However it becomes educational throughout various episodes when we are provided the background of various characters. For example when we examine the life of just the main character Naruto; not only is he a below average kid, he is always the underdog in terms of his studies beside the fact that he’s also unpopular with others. The crucial point that the animators have it a success is how Naruto reacts to these oppositions. He tries even harder! Similar in our society unlike the baby boomers who in majority have worked with the corporate world for many years and an overwhelmingly amount of them have pensions and benefits to assist them after retirement, the people from Generation X are faced with even greater challenges. Besides massive layoffs and work sent overseas, the problems just keep stacking up. Along with kids that grow up nowadays, the piles of stress have pushed them toward the edge in many ways. That’s why we see kids running into the malls and shooting others all the time in our news today.

Not only does Naruto try hard in his daily training to overcome others that are smarter or have talents, the greatest success that animators have by developing Naruto Episode is by depicting how normal he really is. It implies in many ways that hardships will always come in our way and hard work will always payoff in the end. This is something that is lacking in today’s society where the richer gets richer and the poorer gets poorer. Doesn’t matter if you’re poor or rich, one must always work hard to achieve success. Obviously a little bit of luck would always help too. This is one of the only small lessons that I’ve observed in the anime Naruto, if you haven’t watched Naruto yet, you should definitely eitherwatch Naruto by yourself or with others. Who knows, you might learn something from it as well!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/does-the-animation-naruto-contain-life-lessons-beyond-entertainment-287369.html

What Makes Anime Popular

Author: Scott Brady

What is it that makes Japanese animation popular, not only to the young but to adults as well? I remember a few years ago when I was a freshmen and sophomore in university I was addicted to the Japanese anime "Dragon Ball Z". In fact, it even gave the famous American cartoon "The Simpsons" a run for its money in my book.

What I find odd is that "Dragon Ball Z" has about 39 episodes per season but if you want to write an overview of the entire season you can do so in just about one paragraph. And I mean you can add all the meat of the entire season into just that one paragraph. Here is basically what I mean...

Episode 1-10ish: Bad guy arrives and starts terrorizing the fictional planet. Minor super heroes fight the villain and lose (perhaps one even dies). Main hero who was conveniently not able to combat said villain for whatever reason finally arrives for the ultimate showdown. Episode 10ish - 38: Half of the time verbal fists are being thrown between said hero and villain while the other half goes to physical fists. Sprinkle in some dialogue from the minor heroes like, "Wow! He is at full power!", and you have yourself about 600 minutes. Episode 38 ending: Hero kills villain. Episode 39: Everyone is happy and life returns to normal.

And there I was, in my late teens, with my eyes glued to the television. I even knew nothing of importance was going to happen for about 25 episodes but there I sat unable and unwilling to move. "Dragon Ball Z", which aired in Japan from 1989 - 1996 did not first air in America until 1996. By the time I started watching this anime it was already 10 years old. And this length of time for an animated series is a long time when compared to the new techniques and styles of animated characters. But "Dragon Ball Z" was at the top of the charts for a cartoon series for its duration in America.

So back to the original question, what makes Japanese animation so popular? It may be this humble author's opinion but I would have to say the action, and to a further extent the deadly violence. As a prime example "The Simpsons" being probably the most popular America cartoon is a comedy based cartoon. In fact most of the newer American cartoons are based on comedy or to some extent mystery (Yes, Scooby Doo, I am looking at you).

In the 1980's America had its share of action cartoons like "Transformers", "Thunder Cats" and "He-Man" but as the end of the 80's came so did most of the American action cartoons. And with the release of the great "Akira" on video in 1990 and the subsequent mind blowing action/gore that came with it, most American cartoon lovers immediately turned their eyes to Japan. The movie stuck its "geta" in the door and made the debut for Japanese animation in the west.

In the 1990's newer American cartoons such as "Batman" and "Superman" came out and were enjoyed by most American action cartoon lovers, but with only these few American cartoons there left a lot of time for other action animation from Japan to fill the gap. With the amount of older Japanese anime being translated along with Japan's fresh anime, there is quite a lot of the Japanese component in the western market. So, this author's opinion is that Japanese anime happened to come along to the west at just the right time, and now that it's here it won't be leaving anytime soon. S.B.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/what-makes-anime-popular-42159.html