Cartoon Drawing for Sale

From comic strips to animation, cartoon drawings are often used to convey satire, caricature, or humour. The meaning of the word has evolved throughout the centuries. It can be traced back to as early as the Middle Ages, where it was used to refer to preparatory drawings for artworks such as paintings, frescos, tapestries… The word came from the Italian cartone, meaning a large sheet of paper. Famous Renaissance masters such as Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael employed this practice to prepare their masterpieces, and today these cartoons are highly prized.

However, the meaning of the cartoon as we know it today came about in the 1780s. Illustrations started to be used to criticise society and politics, with many cartoons focusing on caricatures. The political tensions at the end of the eighteenth century also meant that cartoons became, in some cases, an act of resistance against oppression. With the rise of print media in the early 1800s, social and political satire blossomed, offering humorous and keen observations on current fashions and scandals. Many satirical magazines were launched in Western Europe, such as the famous British Punch, or Le Charivari in France. These political cartoons overtly criticised greedy governments and were often censored. 

In the late 19th century, the first newspaper comic strips appeared in the United States. Written and drawn by comics artists or cartoonists, they started off as humorous small stories (notably with the “gag-a-day" genre), and developed to feature adventure tales, like Popeye, Tarzan, and The Adventures of Tintin. Finally, a new meaning of cartoons emerged along with the development of film technologies in the first half of the 20th century: animated cartoons, especially in the wake of Walt Disney's success. Thanks to his creative genius, Disney characters including cartoon animals like Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck and princesses such as Snow White became mainstays of our pop culture such as. Asian countries, particularly Japan, also developed the art of cartoon with manga and anime. Japanese kawaii chibi (cute little person), characterised by their expressive cartoon eyes and funny facial expressions, have invaded the Western pop culture. 

Today, many contemporary artists armed with their pens, crayons, pencils and erasers are inspired by the cartoon pop culture, such as Smurfo Udirty, a Brooklyn-based illustrator. He creates vibrant illustrations using pen and ink and represents recognisable cartoons characters from Scooby Doo, Bart Simpson, Pikachu, or the Powerpuff girls.

In Artsper's selection, learn about the drawings techniques and different styles of sketches, doodles, and funny cartoons produced by emerging contemporary artists. You could even use these artworks to channel your inner cartoonist and get inspired to learn how to draw cartoon characters yourself!