Comic Strip Creation: Getting Started with ToonDoo

1 – Go to toondoo.com, and click on the red “Sign Up For FREE” button in the upper left corner. Choose the type of account you want (free accounts generally are fine for most needs).

Choose each of:

Username (must be unique. Using a common name, like ‘Daniel’ may not work, but using ‘Daniel1772’ is more likely to be unique)

Password (something you can remember but won’t be easily guessed by others) valid e-mail address (if you ever forget your login information they can send it to you)

2 – Once you sign up, you are prompted to log in. Insert your credentials to log in. (the user name and password that you just created)

3 – Roll your mouse cursor over the Tools tab, and click on ToonDoo Maker.

4 – You will be prompted to choose a layout style. If you want more than four slides in your comic strip, you can put multiple strips together in a book when they are each done. In order to put strips together in BookMaker tool, they must be one of the Horizontal layouts

5 – ToonDoo Maker will load. Let’s look at the features of the tool.

The top bar has all of your content including backgrounds, characters, text bubbles and more

The Start Here menu has your save as and open features.

The bottom bar has all of your Tools such as shrink, enlarge, flip, rotate, delete emotion, posture.

This means that you are on the first of two pages of content. Click the arrows to browse other changes.

Some additional tools allow you to make your own characters, import images, and draw/paint.

6 – Start by saving your cartoon. You should do this frequently just in case your internet connection is interrupted.

You will get a pop up

Tags allow others to find your cartoon

This means other people can take your work and make it their own.

The easiest way for students to hand in work or to share their cartoon is by sharing with friends.

The default saving feature is Publish to the World. Be cautious of any personal information that might be shared in your work.

7 – To add a background, roll your mouse over the backgrounds tab on the top tool bar (third from the left). Select a category (space, sports, indoors, etc).

8 – To use one of the backgrounds, drag it onto your first slide. If you choose you do not like it, you can click Delete in the bottom tool bar.

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Backgrounds Tab

Background Categories

Delete button

9 – Start adding characters by rolling your mouse over the Characters tab in the top tool bar. Just as you had done with the background, drag in the characters that you would like to use.

10 – Adjust your characters with the lower tool bar. You can clone, clip, shrink, enlarge, change emotions and posture.

Shrink/Enlarge

CloneFlip

PostureEmotion

11 – Props are brought in the same way.

12 – There are many styles of text bubbles to use. There are a few key things to know.

you have to hit enter to make text go to the next line use the same shrink and enlarge buttons as we did in step 10 to change the font size you can grab the ‘arm’ of the text bubble and move it so it points towards your character.

Props

TIP: This button here will copy everything from the first slide to the second slide. This can save you from having to go find all of your characters, props, backgrounds and speech bubbles again.

Making Your Own Cartoon Characters

In your bottom tool bar, you have three advanced tools: DoodleR, TraitR and ImagineR. Click on the TraitR tool to make your own cartoon character.

Here is an overview of the tools:

Don’t forget to give your TraitR a name, and SAVE!

You can do advanced changes here to eyes, mouth, and emotions

You can adjust colors here

This area allows fine adjustments to the facial feature you are working on. You could move a mustache left, right, or zoom it in and out

This is the preview pane, which allows you to watch the changes. You can zoom in and out, and tilt the head of your character.

These two tool bars allow selection of facial features. They are also related to each other. For example, when mustache shape is selected on the top, the lower tool bar shows the beard shape

Using Your Own Images

In your bottom tool bar, you have three advanced tools: DoodleR, TraitR and ImagineR. Click on the ImagineR tool to make your own cartoon character.

A pop up will appear. At the top it will automatically select Load In Editor. If you do not need to edit the image, simply change this to Add to Gallery. You will be prompted to use an image from the internet or upload one from your computer.

If you select Load in Editor, you will be able to cut out a portion of the image for your use. See below for a quick overview.

You can adjust the points and the lines to wrap around an object perfectly.

You can add and delete the number of points you have here:

You have: rotate, zoom and flip tools here

Goofify allows you to stretch out the image. You can make a photo look more ‘cartoon’ like

When you click Save, the image goes into you’re My Gallery under My Images