Negative Space Exercises

 I sometimes doodle characters with the idea of using negative space between them. Negative space in general makes things read more clearly and it also helps me with character design. 

After I draw one character on a page I try to make the next one fit into the negative spaces of the other one's silhouette.  The more characters I draw on the page the more challenging it becomes to fit a new character between the negative spaces of the surrounding characters.

This forces me to draw shapes that I might not otherwise think of if I was just drawing straight ahead.

Here are some HB style animals as examples:

..and some random animals

..some humans

I've also been working on some beatnik mice. A friend suggested I call them "Squeakniks".

I put some on T shirts.
 

If you like any you can find them here:

Jetsons

 Here are some variations on Ed Benedict's designs.

Skype/Zoom style

You ever notice how weird people look when they video call you? It's like a fish eye lens. Everything closest to the camera is big. I tried to capture it a bit in cartoon drawings: