So, you want to know how do you draw Tom and Jerry? Honestly, it’s a lot harder than the Saturday morning cartoons made it look. When I first sat down with a pencil to sketch that chaotic duo, my Tom looked like a flat blueberry and my Jerry looked like a peanut with ears. It was frustrating. But here’s the thing: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera didn't just doodle these guys; they built them out of very specific geometric skeletons.
If you’re looking to get that classic MGM look, you have to stop thinking about lines and start thinking about weight. Tom is basically a series of heavy water balloons stacked on top of each other. Jerry? He’s a light bulb. Literally. Once you see the light bulb shape in Jerry’s head, you can’t unsee it. That’s the "aha" moment most beginners miss because they’re too busy trying to draw individual whiskers or fur.
The Problem With Tom’s Evolution
One thing that trips people up when asking how do you draw Tom and Jerry is which version they are actually looking at. Tom has changed a lot since 1940. In the early shorts, like Puss Gets the Boot, he was way more realistic—squatting on all fours, covered in fuzzy texture, and having a much rounder face. By the 1950s, he became sleeker, more angular, and definitely more "humanoid" in his movements.
If you want the iconic look, aim for the mid-50s style.
The eyes are the most important part of Tom. They aren't perfect circles. They’re tall ovals that almost touch at the bridge of his nose. If you space them too far apart, he looks like a generic house cat. If you put them too close, he looks angry even when he’s supposed to be smug. You’ve gotta hit that sweet spot. His pupils are small, black dots that usually sit near the bottom of those white ovals, giving him that classic predatory-but-clumsy gaze.
Jerry’s Proportions Are a Trap
Jerry is tiny, sure, but his head is massive compared to his body. Think of a 1:2 ratio. If his body is two inches tall, his head should be nearly an inch of that.
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When you start sketching Jerry, start with a circle for the cranium. Then, attach a smaller, slightly tapered muzzle to the front. This is where people mess up. They draw the muzzle as a separate block. It’s not. It should flow into the cheeks. Jerry’s cheeks are his most defining feature—they are huge, puffy, and they usually overlap his neck.
His ears are basically giant ping-pong paddles. They are almost as large as his entire face. If you draw them small, he looks like a rat. Keep them big, round, and slightly floppy to keep him "cute" and "mischievous."
Construction over Contours
Stop trying to draw the outline first. Just stop. You’ll end up with a stiff, lifeless drawing.
Professional animators at Warner Bros. and MGM always used "construction lines." For Tom, start with a large oval for the chest and a smaller, tilted oval for the hips. Connect them with a curved line that represents the spine. This "line of action" is the secret sauce. If Tom is reaching for a frying pan, that spine line should be a sharp "C" curve.
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Once you have the skeleton, you wrap the "skin" around it.
- Tom’s Arms: They are like noodles. No elbows unless he’s leaning on something.
- Jerry’s Feet: Oversized. They look like little loaves of bread.
- The Tail: Tom’s tail is an extension of his spine. It shouldn't just look stuck on his butt; it should flow with his movement.
Why the "Muzzle" Matters Most
If you look at Tom’s mouth, it’s actually quite complex. It’s a "3" shape turned on its side. The top of the "3" forms the base of his nose. That nose? It’s a shiny, black triangle with rounded corners. Don't make it a perfect triangle. It needs to look squishy.
Underneath that, Jerry has two prominent front teeth, but only when he’s smiling or talking. Most of the time, his mouth is just a tiny little "u" shape tucked under his snout.
The Art of the "Squash and Stretch"
You cannot learn how do you draw Tom and Jerry without understanding squash and stretch. This is the fundamental rule of animation.
When Tom gets hit with a heavy object—which happens every three minutes—his body "squashes." He becomes a wide, flat pancake. But his volume stays the same. If he gets thinner, he must get longer. If he gets shorter, he must get wider. When you draw them in a chase, stretch their bodies out. It gives the drawing a sense of speed that a "correct" anatomical drawing just can't touch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
I’ve seen a lot of fan art where Tom’s fur looks like needles. Tom is a blue-grey cat, but his fur is usually drawn as a smooth silhouette. You only add "tufts" at the cheeks, the elbows, and the tip of the tail. Everywhere else should be a clean, confident line.
Also, watch the hands. Tom has white "gloves" (actually just his paws), and they usually have four fingers. Jerry has four fingers too. Drawing five fingers on a cartoon character often makes the hands look cluttered and "heavy."
Putting It All Together
Start with a light 2H pencil. Do not press hard. You’re going to be erasing a lot of your construction circles.
- Sketch the Action Line: A simple curve showing the pose.
- Add the Ovals: Head, chest, and hips.
- Connect the Limbs: Use "stick figure" lines to place the arms and legs.
- Flesh It Out: Add the thickness to the limbs and the puffiness to the cheeks.
- The Face: Place the eyes on a crosshair grid so they align with the nose.
- Ink and Clean: Use a felt-tip pen or a darker 2B pencil to finalize the lines you actually want to keep.
Take Action: Your Next Sketching Steps
To truly master this, you need to practice drawing the "light bulb" and "water balloon" shapes repeatedly. Don't even try to draw the faces yet. Just fill a page with Tom-shaped blobs and Jerry-shaped peanuts.
Once you feel comfortable with the shapes, go to YouTube and find a classic 1940s short like The Cat Concerto. Pause the video at a random frame. Try to "deconstruct" that frame into basic circles and squares. This is called "study sketching," and it is the fastest way to train your hand to recognize the specific proportions used by the original animators.
Grab a stack of cheap printer paper—don't use the expensive stuff yet, it'll make you too nervous to make mistakes—and draw fifty Jerrys. By the fiftieth one, you won't be asking how do you draw Tom and Jerry anymore; you'll just be doing it. Focus on the overlap of the shapes and the tilt of the heads. Speed will come later. Accuracy comes from the circles.