Drawing Girl Cartoons: Get Inspired and Create Your Own

Wish you could transport yourself back to the days of Saturday morning cartoons? While you may not be able to recreate that exact TV- and cereal-filled ritual again, you can enjoy a look at some of the most beloved cartoon characters from the past and present. Below, get inspired by some of the most iconic girl cartoons, and then learn how to draw cartoon girls yourself. 

10 Best Girl Cartoons

1. Betty Boop

One of the most recognizable girl cartoon characters of all time, Betty Boop first appeared in Dizzy Dishes in 1930. The first iteration of Betty Boop was actually part human, part French Poodle—but she transitioned to fully human within a year. 

2. Kim Possible

Kim Possible is the title character of the cartoon Kim Possible, which debuted in 2002. Playing the role of an action hero, Kim Possible is recognized as one of the first strong female leads in a cartoon. 

3. The Powerpuff Girls

The three Powerpuff Girls are kindergarten-aged cartoon girls who fight off monsters and villains. They were designed with a simple, cartoon look—large heads, small bodies, and big, round eyes—rather than a realistic style.  

4. Patti Mayonnaise 

This blonde cartoon character girl is Patti Mayonnaise—Doug Funnie’s love interest in the animated series Doug. She’s kind, supportive, and an accomplished athlete. 

5. Tiana 

As a black girl cartoon character, Tiana is recognized as the first African American Disney princess. In the animated film The Princess and the Frog, she dreams of opening her own restaurant but is derailed when she’s turned into a frog. 

6. Angelica Pickles 

Known for bullying behavior and bratty attitude, Angelica Pickles is the three-year-old villain on the animated series Rugrats. 

7. Lisa Simpson 

Lisa Simpson is the middle child in the animated series The Simpsons. Smart and vocal about her left-wing political stances, Lisa tends to be a loner compared to other characters her age. 

8. Lucy

Lucy van Pelt, from the comic strip Peanuts (and later animated films including A Charlie Brown Christmas), is an entrepreneurial girl cartoon. She’s often seen running a psychiatric booth, where she offers advice to Charlie Brown. 

9. Dora 

Dora Marquez is the title character from the Nickelodeon series Dora the Explorer. In each episode, the Latina girl cartoon takes her backpack and pet monkey, Boots, on a quest. 

10. Elsa 

Elsa appears in Disney’s animated films Frozen and Frozen II as she struggles with her magical abilities to create ice and snow. She is voiced by Broadway singer Idina Menzel and is perhaps most well-known for the song, “Let It Go.” 

How to Create Your Own Cartoons: 3 Classes

1. Character Illustration: Drawing Faces, Figures & Clothing

In this tutorial, learn how to create cartoon girl characters that are full of life, movement, and personality. This class also covers the differences between how to draw a cartoon girl face and how to draw a boy face. 

2. Character Design: Designing Animated Women

In this character design course, Skillshare instructor Tom Bancroft shows you how to use simplified shapes to create a female form—and ultimately, how to draw a cute cartoon girl. He explains size relationships within the body and face to help you create proportional characters, as well as tips for drawing characters and faces from different angles. 

3. Learn Cartoon Character Design for Animation

If you want to learn how to create girl cartoons that look like the modern animated characters you know and love, this is the class for you. You’ll use the free program Inkscape to draw the head, face, and body of your character, then learn how to add detail with color and shadow. 

Cartoons aren’t only for kids. Use these timeless characters as inspiration, and learn how to draw a girl cartoon of your own. Soon, it will feel like Saturday morning all over again. 

Starting From Scratch? 

Introduction to Cartoon Character Design

Take the Class!