Funny drawing of a glass vs mugI was recently feeling low about my drawings, but then I received a comment on my Instagram account, "Your drawing made me smile." These 5 simple words have instantly transformed how I felt about drawing.

Why do we draw? Because we have something to say, because we want to connect with people, because we have a smile to share.

One of the best ways to entertain your viewers is to draw kind and funny drawings. These are the drawings we want to see again and again.

In my previous post I looked at drawings that evoke emotion. In this post I will explore funny drawings, and how to achieve really good drawing results with humour.

5 Ways to Make Drawings Funny

  1. Use puns and wordplay. This is a classic way to receive a smile. Does this look familiar?
    Funny Food Puns
  2. Exaggerate what is already funny. For example, an elephant has a long nose and a giraffe has a very long neck. Can these be used in a funny way? Below I show funny examples of both of these.
  3. Illustrate annoying experienced that we can all relate to. Reluctant (read "slow and rude") bank tellers? Mosquitos? Traffic jams?
    If you feel your blood pressure rising (I do!), have a laugh at this drawing by Matt Golding.
    Funny drawing by matt golding about traffic
  4. Draw mischief. I can fill a book with funny mischievous things that my 2-year-old does. And think of the wit and mischief of a little mouse Jerry from the Tom and Jerry Show. It's hilarious!
  5. Create a surprising outcome by misleading the mind.

These are just some ideas to get started. Look at lots of funny drawings by people you admire. I find newspaper cartoons to be a good source of effective illustrated humour. I don't particularly seek political cartoon genre, but I look at HOW the artists make the drawings funny. How do they find that golden thread of humour in everyday life.

Stay open and observant in your everyday life, and you will see lots funny situations! When you come across one, take a note of it in a little diary or your phone (I use the Evernote app). Soon you will have plenty of funny material to use in your drawings. 🙂

Funny Drawings by Three Artists That Nailed It

Here are three artists that I admire for their ability to make people laugh.

1. John Potter

John Potter spent years as the newsroom artist for the Billings Gazette in Montana, USA. He is now a traditional landscape artist, but his cartooning skills are admirable. Here is his take on the excuses that artists use (and how not to need them).

Funny Artist Excuses by John Potter

Excuse about not having natural "talent"

Funny Artist Excuses by John Potter

Excuse about artistic experimentation

Funny Artist Excuses by John Potter

Excuse about unexpected painting conditions

2. Shannon Wheeler

Shannon Wheeler is an illustrator and cartoonist who appeared in the Onion newspaper and The New Yorker. He publishes a weekly comic at the Adhesive Comics website.

Funny Comic by Shannon Wheeler

Spelling inquiry

Funny Comic by Shannon Wheeler

Office home

Funny Comic by Shannon Wheeler

The smarts of goldfish

3. Matt Golding

Matt Golding is an Australian political cartoonist appearing in the Sunday Age newspaper and the Melbourne Times. He published a book called "Three-Second Thoughts". Below are 3 pages from his book.

Funny drawings by Matt Golding

It's the question of a chicken and the egg

Funny drawings by Matt Golding

Killer Handstand

Funny drawings by Matt Golding

Reading Elephant

My Personal Efforts at Funny Drawings

Here is what I came up with for this week's drawings, based on the research you see above, and a few quiet minutes of thinking after getting my son to bed. It's amazing what 5 minutes of silence can uncover! 😀

Funny drawing of giraffes having a picnic

Good Times

Funny drawing of a giraffe

A New Perspective

Cute and funny drawing of a cat pile riding a giraffe

Sweet Ride

Materials I Used This Week

  • Copic Multiliner Pen, black, size 0.3
  • Micron Graphic Pen, black, size 1
  • Tombow Dual Brush, black
  • Strathmore Drawing Paper (Vellum Surface)
Full disclosure: I personally own and use all of these. If you buy anything using my links, Amazon will pay me a small commission (no cost to you - thank you!). But if you normally shop somewhere else, it's totally ok too.

Drawing Time Diary

Mon, April 24: 15 mins
Tues, April 25: 30 mins, 1 hr
Wed, April 26: 1 hr, 45 mins, 1 hr 15 mins
Thur, April 27: 1 hr, 1 hr 30 mins
Fri, April 28: 30 mins
Sat, April 29: 1 hr
Sun, April 30: no drawing (blogging)

Total drawing time: 8 hours 45 mins

This is the final week of my 6-month drawing challenge. Yay for actually finishing it! Thank you for your support along the way, it's what kept me going when going got hard. 🙂

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I will do a re-cap of what I learned in a separate post. Check again soon for fresh articles and thoughts! ♥