Rule 4: Work Smart, Not Hard

The fourth rule is to "Work Smart, Not Hard"

Now first off, I need to clarify that this is not a license to be lazy or not learn how to draw a certain subject. If you want to be a real artist, You still need to put in some effort into your art.

With all of that said, You should also find techniques that will save you time and energy while drawing.

I also mentioned in the first rule that you shouldn't never overdo it with your work. Truth be told, Cartoons are a very simple type of artistic medium. Now while you do have your Disney-esque and Anime art styles with above average levels of details, both still keep things simple and focus on the detail that are actually important; and (arguably) leaving out the rest.

That is the essence of this rule; focus on the art details that are important; and leave out the excess

Here are some examples of what I mean, specifically regarding backgrounds

I started out trying to create Columbia City, one of the main settings of The Donoverse, as a densely populated skyscraper city like those of East Asia; think Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore. However, things changed when I tried to draw the city from a bird eye view. I felt that by giving the city large greenbelts, small pockets of highrise complexes, and reducing the roads down to just freeways; I could save myself possibly hours of time while also giving off a Futuristic Utopia vibe.

Another time saving technique I employ is having a file of templates for background details like trees, building facades, and other minor background details. These are incredibly helpful and saves me a lot of time on backgrounds that I can instead focus my characters.

Now, for me at least, this rule mainly applies to background elements and other trivial minutiae. I still highly recommend that cartoonists show still instead focus putting most of their effort into their characters and their character designs.

However, this rule also applies to Storytelling. In the next two articles, I will explain why it is best to simplify your stories