Drawing is Fun, Be Ready to Enjoy it to the Hilt
I still remember the day when I made my first Mickey Mouse drawing. It was an awesome feeling. Many years passed since then but to date, I remember the feeling. The beauty of cartoon drawing or any type of growth for that matter is that you can have a boatload of fun by engaging in it.
But to get full fun out of the hobby you need to be able to make decent quality drawings. If one takes lots of time to pick up basic drawing skills it will not remain a fun activity for him. So learning the right techniques at the very beginning is the key. Otherwise one may spend months without picking up any skill to write home about.
Here I will list some cool ideas that will help you to pick up good drawing skills with a reasonably short period.
Divide and conquer: To make a drawing of a complex object or character divide the structure into simpler pieces, then draw those simple pieces and add all the details after you have got the basic shape correct.
For example, suppose you are trying to make ahead of a man. Though it is not easy to draw a human head, you can make your work easy by getting started with an oval shape and adding the details like ear, eyes, nose, etc to the oval shape as a second step to complete the head drawing.
While using this technique please keep in mind that the oval shape that you are using is a 2D representation of something that is a 3D object, otherwise, you will have a problem while drawing three-quarter heads [the head facing little towards left or right]. Three-quarter heads are challenging because here the nose etc will not be on the central line of the oval.
Stay away from the computer: To improve your drawing skill you must make all your drawing s using pencil and paper. Do not use the computer when you are just starting. Once you are quite good at drawing objects [both inanimate and animate] you can start using computers.
Most of the professional cartoonists who make drawings for TV shows draw their characters on paper first. Then scan and digitize the drawings for ease of handling. So you can have no excuse to use a computer at an early stage.
Never let a day go without practice: Practice drawing something daily. Get comic books and try to draw the characters. Try to draw various objects around the house. With sufficient practice, you will be proficient in drawing within a short period.