How to Draw Cartoon Lips for Beginners
Learning how to draw cartoon lips is actually very easy to do and is a lot of fun as well.
You can exaggerate the mouth as much as you want. They can look sexy, serious, or silly. There are so many things you can do with cartoon lips.
Will you draw them to look like they belong to a specific person or just a random lips drawing?
It’s best if you use a reference photo when you’re drawing. But you can also draw them without.
Let’s gather up some supplies and get started.
* Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. This means I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.
Art Supplies
Cartoon Mouth Sketch Practice
Doing a cartoon mouth sketch exercise is a great way to warm up and start working through some ideas for your drawings. And since it only takes a few minutes to complete, it’s also a great way to get some quick practice drawings in.
Here’s how to do it:
- Get some paper and something to sketch with (pencil, pen, marker, etc.)
- Pull up some reference photos of mouths
- Set a timer for three or five minutes
Then just do as many quick sketches of mouths as you can before you run out of time. Keep your lines loose and quick. And don’t get too hung up on all of the little details.
You could also just do as many sketches as you can fit on the paper. Either way is fine, and should only take a few minutes to complete the cartoon mouth sketch practice exercise.
Step by Step How to a Draw Cartoon Mouth
Learning how to draw a cartoon mouth is really easy if you break things down into simple steps. We like to make all of our drawing lessons as easy to follow as possible, so let’s get started.
We’re going to start with a simple drawing of cartoon lips. Then we’ll move onto some that are a bit more interesting.
Begin by drawing the line where the upper and lower lips meet. Notice how the line curves. Don’t make it straight.
Next, draw a curved line at the bottom of the lower lip.
Keep in mind that the shape of your lines and the distance between them will change how your lips will look.
Now connect the lower part of the lip to the corners of the mouth.
Next draw a curved line for the middle of the upper lip.
And again, connect that line to the corners of the mouth.
You could make your lips by drawing the upper lip first, and then the lower lip instead. Either way is fine and is up to you and what you prefer doing.
How to Draw a Cartoon Mouth with Teeth
The process for drawing a mouth with teeth, or a smiling mouth, is pretty much the same as drawing a closed mouth.
This time instead of drawing a line where the center of the lips are you’re going to draw the opening of the mouth.
However, the shapes and curves are similar to what we drew earlier.
Then continue by drawing the center of the upper lip.
Now connect that line to the corner of the mouth.
Repeat that process for the lower lip.
Draw the line between the middle of the two front teeth.
You can make your teeth however big you want. And whatever shape you want to make them.
Draw the outside edges of the two teeth.
Then draw curved lines for the bottom edges of both teeth.
Next, draw the gum line for the upper teeth. This is just a series of curved lines.
Extend those lines down and add the bottom edge of each tooth.
Fill in the space with the bottom set of teeth.
This can be easily done by drawing the line between each set of teeth. Most of the bottom teeth are hidden anyway so no need to be overly concerned about getting too much detail.
Finish off your cartoon lips with teeth by adding creases at the corners of the mouth and any other small details you want to add.
Practice Drawing Cartoon Lips
If you want to get really good at drawing cartoon lips then you need to draw as many as you possibly can. The more you practice the better you’ll get.
Repetition is key to drawing and developing your skills, style, and creativity.
The best way to practice is with some good reference photos. Practice drawing all different types of lips. And see if you can get a good likeness.
Then try drawing some different expressions and see if you can capture the emotion in each one.
After several drawings it will begin to get much easier and your style will begin to show in your work.
Where to Find Lips to Draw
When practicing your mouth and lip drawings you should try to work from a reference. Either real life, the internet, or a book. Facial Expressions is a really good resource for realistic and cartoon faces. Capturing a specific expression is much more challenging than just drawing a mouth.
The book is filled with different types of people make several different facial expressions each. You can start with the easier expressions and work your way up to the more difficult ones.
Just keep practicing and working on developing your skills. It doesn’t matter if it’s realistic drawings or cartoon drawings. Both take practice. Keep it fun and relaxing. Set a challenge for yourself to complete a certain amount of drawings. I like doing seven for my challenges.
Grab your FREE Guide to Better Art in 7 Days
How to Draw Cartoon Lips Step by Step
I hope you enjoyed this art tutorial on how to draw cartoon lips for beginners. People are so much fun to draw, especially cartoon or caricature style. Once you get comfortable drawing facial features, and faces, there’s a lot of opportunity to add then into your artwork.
But it can sometimes be a struggle to get the lips and eyes just right. The solution to this problem is to practice.
If you need help post your questions in the comments.
