I needed a break from drawing figures and these Disney tutorials have been popping up so I decided to go ahead and give them a try. The Disney animators are after all, a group of very talented and perseverant artists, considering they have to draw 1,000s and 1,000’s of drawings to create their cartoons.
I’ve been to Disneyland two times and DisneyWorld one time. The first time I went was when I was four or five. There I am on the left trying to pull the sword out of the stone. I really believed I could do it. And on the right I’m posing with Minnie Mouse. On that visit we were watching a parade and Mickey Mouse picked me up and carried me. That was my first time to be in a Disney parade.
The Little Mermaid was always my favorite Disney movie so I had to get a posed pic. I loved Ariel and I would sing along with her and act out her parts with her. Here I am on my second visit when I was 12 years old. I lost that hat I’m wearing. It had a picture of Goofy in silver thread but I stupidly wore it forwards on a ride and the wind picked it up and I lost it forever.
On my last trip I was 15 or 16. In high school, I went on a band trip to Disney World to march in the parade and enjoy the park for a week. (My second parade lol) That was so much fun. I’m happy to say that I survived Splash Mountain 😂.
My friend, Kim, is on the left and I’m on the right in the blue shirt.
Start with a Circle
Every tutorial starts with the artist saying, “Start with a circle.” So I decided to go ahead and warm up by drawing geometric shapes. Actually, no matter what you draw, you’re going to start with simple shapes that you build on. Pull up some images on google and just draw your heart out.
- Circles – practice these until it becomes second nature to create a perfect one free hand (or at least as close to visually perfect as you can)
- Squares – practice a variety of squares and rectangles until you can create perfect straight lines free hand
- Triangles – practice these at different angles like you’re in geometry class (right angle, obtuse, acute)
- Spheres –Â when you feel more confident making circles, start having fun making spheres and shading them
- Cubes – these are good for practicing depth, perspective, and shading
- Cylinders – try drawing cylinder items around your house like candles and shampoo bottles
- Cones – draw ice cream cones or traffic cones
Warm Up Sketches
It’s actually a good idea practice drawing shapes and lines regularly. Just like a musician warms up by playing scales.
After tons of practice you’ll find that drawing more complicated subjects will be easier and they’ll take on a more realistic and 3D appearance.
Now on to the Tutorials – Mickey
All of the tutorials I followed were from the How To Draw Series on the Disney Parks channel.
Of course I started with a Mickey Mouse tutorial. My circles aren’t perfect but just so you know, his ears are two perfect circles that could fit perfectly in his circular head.
I thought I could’ve done better so I drew him again. His ears are better circles the second time.
Goofy
I drew Goofy next because he’s one of my top favorite characters. I love how goofy he is. I watched The Goofy Movie soooo many times. I never actually got into the sequel though. Since he’s so goofy you can have a lot of fun giving him crazy eyes. The animators also give some interesting facts about their characters. Watch it to find out how they were inspired to create his hat.
Minnie Mouse
I drew Minnie next because she’s so cute and lovable. I love her big bow. She’s drawn straight on so she’s an easier tutorial to follow. She was also drawn by my favorite animator to follow, Heather Worley. She had that perky Disney energy that got me excited to draw. She also spoke clearly and gave good tips and went at an easy to follow pace.
Oswald, Chip, and Grumpy
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was a very easy tutorial. He was Walt Disney’s first character before Mickey. I recommend drawing him a bunch. Why not? He’s simple and it’s very rewarding. You could even search for some tutorials that include his whole body.
Chip from Beauty and the Beast was a bit tougher but still very doable. The animator went kind of fast and I had to rewind a few times.
Now Grumpy was a little tougher. I struggled to make his frown and cheeks look like him. If you plan to follow his tutorial, pay extra attention to his frown. Also, just pause the tutorial so that you can take your time. If you’re feeling ambitious, there’s also a Dopey tutorial. He’s one of my favorite of the seven dwarves.
Scrooge McDuck
I love the whole duck family. I love how flustered Donald Duck gets, especially when his nephews are playing pranks on him. I chose Scrooge McDuck because he’s drawn by Heather Worley.
Daisy
Daisy was kind of tough. I struggled to get her pretty girly features. I think I made her face look too round. I was a little happier with the second tiny drawing I attempted.
Tinkerbell
Tinkerbell had those girly features I kind of struggled with. I didn’t get her face shape quite right but it provides a good challenge that worth it to tackle. Another tutorial by Heather Worley.
Jack Skellington
I never really liked Nightmare on Elm Street. But Jack Skellington is very easy to draw.
Winnie the Pooh
I drew Winnie the Pooh when I really should have taken a break. Don’t forget to take breaks.
Those are all the Disney tutorials I followed. They were relaxing and a lot of fun to do. I hope you try out a few. You could even challenge yourself to follow every tutorial they have. They have Simba, Buzz Lightyear, the Frozen characters, and so many more.
A little Disney Memory of mine: As a kid, the movie Fantasia scared me. To this day, I still haven’t seen the entire movie. I should watch it though because it’s got great music and great animation.
I’d love to hear about your favorite Disney memories or favorite characters and movies. Let me know in the comments. And remember to imagine, to dream, to be inspired and to be motivated by Disney.
Hidden in Plain View 