The art of drawing is one of the oldest in the world. Think of the extraordinary prehistoric paintings discovered in the Cave of Altamira and you won't need any more examples. Drawing is still among the most popular hobbies nowadays because it is not only inexpensive (anyone can grab a piece of paper and express his or her feelings by handling a simple tool like a pencil on its surface) but also challenging. When you start drawing you don't always know what the final result will be like.

In the past few decades, cartoon characters have been number one among children's attractions and many of our children, particularly fond of one character or another, have tried to copy them, recreate them on paper to keep these colorful idols closer to their hearts. Of course, not all these 'kindergarten fans' turn into famous cartoonists, but many such artists started their career in front of the TV screen and most of their 'creations' probably looked like monsters for some time.

Cartoon characters are sometimes more vivid than real ones in a film, thanks to technology which has been given such a tremendous boost in recent years. However, all this cartoon industry began with a pencil and a piece of paper plus inspiration and hard work. Though it may look simple to those who have never tried it, drawing cartoons is not a joke. You need a lot of talent to make a character come to life with some lines, circles and curves. Shades play an important part in this and so does the colour choice.

Life without a computer is inconceivable nowadays. This intelligent 'tool' has taken over most fields of activity including drawing. The simple paper and pencil tandem has been replaced by the graphics tablet and stylus, not to mention the fantastic software that allows you to modify your work in myriad ways. However, this is only a means of materialising your ideas and saving your work more easily and accurately; the basic rules of drawing are still the same.

Programs like Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Quark Xpress and many more are used by designers to perfect their ideas and make their work easier. It takes some time to become an expert, but with a little patience and basic knowledge of the software, anyone can do it. For novices, Adobe Photoshop is the perfect choice. Children use it successfully and so does the film making industry. There is nothing you cannot do with Adobe Photoshop, what you need is good knowledge of its options ? the rest is piece of cake.

There are many cartoon makers you can use to create funny characters, personalized cartoons of your friends or add a sketch effect to a cartoon photo; some of them are free. It is very easy. You only have to load a high-resolution photo and your caricature is just a click away. Such programs are widely used to create greeting cards, several types of announcements and of course to illustrate books and newspapers. Caricatures look great on T-shirts, mugs and other kinds of gifts; many people use them to improve the appearance of their websites and make them unique.