If you're a beginner at art, and you are interested in drawing people, then learning drawing people is a possible first step to take.

Cartoons won't really give you a realistic looking image of a human being, but they will give you the foundation of drawing out the structure of a human shape, and it will be more fun than more traditional exercises.

Especially when learning how to draw people, starting with cartoons can make it an easier transition.

Learning to draw cartoons of people is often easier than drawing animal cartoons, because people essentially have the same basic shape and structure.

Animals have a wide range of shapes and sizes, and while some might be simpler than others, there isn't much about animal shapes that is universal. But when you draw people, there is the standard oval shape for a head, rectangles for legs and arms, and of course the same balance of two arms and two legs.

When you start learning how to draw cartoons of people, it's often best just to start with structure and focus your energies on drawing stick people. This sounds overly simple, because after all who hasn't drawn hundreds of stick figures before?

But the point of this exercise is to concentrate on the drawing practice of keeping the image symmetrical and to maintain proper proportions. Add simple circles and ovals for hands and feet as you continue to work on this skill.

The next step when drawing cartoons of people is to go beyond rounded stick figures. This means really looking at the human shape and at all the bones there are in our bodies, specifically in the arms and legs.

To draw cartoons you need to look at the joints in our arms and legs and make the necessary bends to the structure of your stick figure. Add rectangles to fill out the thinness of your stick drawing and with a little detail in clothes and the face, you'll have created a simple cartoon person.

If you consider yourself to be a serious artist, then learning how to draw cartoons might not be for you. But if you are a beginner looking for drawing practice and who wants to have fun as you draw, and gain some necessary skills required for drawing any type of image, then you might find drawing cartoons to be useful.

If you start with cartoons, then you can learn the foundation of creating realistic objects by getting the hang of symmetry and proportions, and learning how the body actually looks.

Animal origami bases are a set of simple, yet abstract folded figures. And although the paper itself may not look like anything after being folded into a base, it is just the starting point from which to make other origami animals.

Learning the traditional animal bases, like the preliminary bird and frog, make it easy to complete a wide array of other origami projects. Cranes are not the only animal origami creatures that can be recreated through folds, as cats, dogs, fish and many other animals are also popular choices.

Once you have built the origami base you need, you will have the foundation of something that, with just a few other folds, can create numerous other shapes.

When beginning to build a project, choose a simple origami pattern which is less complex to construct. Although it is called the bird base, it does not mean that only origami birds can be created from it, as other animals as well as decorative figures and gifts use the bird base as a starting point.

Here's how to make a dog using this Japanese paper form. First, you will begin with a square piece of paper. If it is colored, put the colored side face down on the work surface and then fold along the diagonal to create a triangle.

Next you will bring the corners together to section the paper in half and then unfold. This step creates a crease. Now you will place the model so that two points are at the top and one point is facing down.

To create the dog's ears, you will turn down each of the two top points, using the center crease line as a guide. Finally, folding the top and bottom of the dog's head away from you. The dog is complete.

This is a very basic origami diagram. Many kids who make this enjoy pasting google eyes on it as well as drawing a nose and a mouth to make it more realistic and personalized. For a great selection of inspiring origami animals and others, visit the website of Robert J. Lang, at www.langorigami.com.

Creating perfect folds in origami can be simple or difficult; it all depends on the design involved, especially for kid's crafts. Often it is recommended to add google eyes and use pens or pencils to create more realistic finished products.

To create a herd of horses or a flock of birds, use paper that contains shades of the same color. As well, choose paper that is colored differently on each side, so that you are immediately aware of which side is the front and which side is the back.