"If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters."
- Garfield
Garfield is among the most famous of American comic strip characters, "the most widely syndicated comic strip of its era." It was originally published as Jon in 1976.
Garfield is a "fat, lazy cat with a dry sense of humor." He loves sleeping and eating, especially lasagna. He also treasures a teddy bear named Pooky. His companions include his owner, Jon Arbuckle; a dog named Odie; and the veterinarian Dr. Liz Wilson.
Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial.
In addition to comics, Garfield has appeared in animated cartoons, books, a live-action film, and video games. During the 1990s, plush figures of Garfield with suction cups on their hands were popular decorations for vehicle windows.
Would you like to draw a cartoon of Garfield the cat? You can follow the step-by-step instructions of this cartoon character drawing tutorial. You'll use a series of geometric shapes, including rectangles and ovals, to create the basic shape. Then, you'll detail your drawing, erasing the original guide lines. Sharpen your pencil, and grab a good eraser!
You can learn to draw other famous comic strip characters, including Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Captain America, Goku, and Super Mario.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing Garfield
1. Begin by drawing a circle. This will outline Garfield's head.
2. Draw a square overlapping the bottom of the circle. This geometric shape will guide you in drawing Garfield's body. Below the square, draw a narrow rectangle to help you outline the leg. Finally, draw another rectangle, slanted diagonally and overlapping the first rectangle. This, too, will help you draw a leg - one that is crossed over the other.
3. Draw two large, horizontal ovals overlapping the bottoms of the rectangles. These will form Garfield's feet.
4. Draw a small triangle on one side of the square, and another at the top of the first rectangle. These will aid you in sketching Garfield's shoulder and tail.
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5. Next, draw the guiding shapes of Garfield's raised arm. Extend a horizontal rectangle from the square. Above it, draw a smaller rectangle. Finally, draw a circle on top to form the hand. Then, draw a small oval overlapping Garfield's foot. This indicates the presence of the cat's tail.
6. Draw two ovals overlapping the top of Garfield's head. These will become the ears. Then, erase the overlapping lines from your drawing, cleaning up the outline. Next, use curved lines to contour the character's shape at the shoulder, the elbow of the raised arm, and the shape of the round belly on each side of the square. Next, you will draw more guidelines. Within the circular hand, draw two straight lines which cross each other at a perpendicular angle.
7. Erase all of the guide lines except the perpendicular lines of the hand. A clean outline of the cat should remain.
8. Use the perpendicular lines to guide you as you draw the shapes that will become Garfield's fingers. In one quadrant, draw a square with a vertical line through it. In the other, draw two rectangles stacked on top of one another. These will become the thumb and pointer finger. Finally, draw a small triangle at the junction of the feet.
9. Draw a curved line to contour the tip of the forefinger. Then, divide the face into four quadrants using straight lines that meet at a perpendicular angle. Draw a curved line across each of the ears.
10. Draw Garfield's face, using the perpendicular lines as a guide. Draw a large oval overlapping the vertical line. Draw a second oval overlapping the first. These form Garfield's eyes. Draw a small oval overlapping the previous one, forming the nose. Finally, draw a rounded "W" shaped line to indicate the mouth.
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11. Erase all the guide lines from the character, leaving a clean outline of the cat.
12. Draw a wide "U" shaped line above the mouth. Connect it to the bottom of the mouth using a series of curved lines. Detail the ears with a series of connected straight lines. Draw a straight horizontal line across the bottom of each eye, indicating the drooping eyelids. Dhade a half circle under each to indicate the pupils.
13. Draw a collection of curved lines below each ear, indicating fur. Then, draw the stripes along the tail, the sides of the face, and the sides of the torso.
14. Use curved lines to detail the hand, the sides of the mouth, and the toes of the feet.
15. Color your cartoon of Garfield. He is an orange tabby cat with black stripes.
Printable Drawing Tutorial
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i love this
Great! So glad you liked it! 🙂
EAZY I LOVE IT MORE THEN THE STRIPS