Recommended Free Tools
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Free scan · under a minute
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
Free scan · Windows 10 & 11
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
Free scan · exact hardware match
ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
In 2024, cartoon illustration was not one uniform look. Reported directions ranged from bright, flat characters and retro comic lines to hand-rendered textures, playful 3D, and surreal imagery. These are retrospective observations and forecasts from agencies, artists, and creative platforms—not a definitive ranking of styles or a guide to what leads the market in 2026.
What cartoon illustration styles stood out in 2024?
The clearest shared thread was a willingness to exaggerate: simplify shapes, push expressions or proportions, and use finish and color to establish a distinct mood. The approaches below overlap, but they are not a single recipe. A clean, flat cartoon can feel playful without being retro; a textured image can be surreal without using 3D.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Playful graphic cartoons
IllustrationX’s January 2024 TrendX report described playful graphic illustration through simple, flat forms, bright, optimistic colors, and exaggerated characters and expressions. Elongated limbs, improbable proportions, and goofy distortions can make a character feel loose and humorous. This direction is useful when the drawing needs to read quickly and communicate an upbeat tone.
#1 Best Overall
IllustrationX said cartoon and humour was the second most enquired-about style across its own styles from October to December 2023. It also reported that 33% of its top artists by quarter-on-quarter enquiry for September to November 2023 created cartoon and humour illustrations. Both figures describe the agency’s business and stated periods; they are not industry-wide market shares. Read IllustrationX’s TrendX 2024 report.
Retro comic aesthetics
IllustrationX also reported interest in retro comic looks for editorial, publishing, advertising, and entertainment. Classic comic linework, lighter outlines, and halftone dots can evoke mid-century printing. Depending on the execution, that visual language can suggest nostalgia, give a composition clarity, or add impact. It is an agency’s commercial observation, not evidence that every audience preferred vintage comics.
Rank #2
- Over 100 pages of blank comic book templates in a large 8.5 x 11 format for young creators
- Features a variety of panel layouts to inspire original storytelling and artistic expression
- Perfect for kids who love comics, drawing, and creating their own illustrated adventures
Textural, eclectic, and surreal directions
In another direction described by IllustrationX, exaggerated forms remain fluid while linework becomes fragmented. Patterns, textures, bright gradients, and natural-media marks can coexist rather than being polished into one uniform finish. Its discussion of dreamlike surrealism includes swirling color, imagined landscapes, and emotionally ambiguous settings. These are reported emerging directions, not requirements for cartoon illustration.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesHand-rendered marks in physical or digital work
Creative Bloq’s 2024 roundup of illustrator and agent predictions pointed to renewed interest in analogue and hand-rendered work: pencil, ink, paint, paper, and pens, as well as digital images that imitate those materials. Jon Cockley, owner and co-founder of Handsome Frank, said, “With illustrators increasingly working directly onto tablets and improvements in software, like Procreate, we’re seeing a renaissance in hand-rendered work and texture,” Sam Walker, illustrator, agent, and creative producer at Brilliant Artists, singled out “hand-rendered illustration, be it pencil, ink or paint, or digitally produced facsimiles of these techniques.” These are expert expectations, not measured proof of a market-wide shift or evidence that AI caused it. See Creative Bloq’s 2024 illustration trend predictions.
Playful 3D, humour, and oddness
Creative Bloq’s interviews also covered playful 3D and humorous or unusual imagery. Illustrator Michael Parkin predicted, “I think with the increased use of AI and with the introduction of Procreate Dreams there will be a lot more animation in illustrations,” This is a prediction, not a measured forecast. Separately, Freepik’s 2024 announcement described its “Cartoon Style” as vibrant in color and contrast and discussed the broad use of 3D across visual elements. Neither source establishes that all cartoons in 2024 used 3D or animation. Read Freepik’s 2024 visual trends announcement.
How Adobe’s broader creative trends relate to cartoons
Adobe’s 2024 Creative Trends Report used four labels: Calming Rhythms, Wonder and Joy, Dynamic Dimensions, and The New Nostalgia. These describe wider creative directions, not a taxonomy exclusive to cartoon art. Adobe characterized Dynamic Dimensions as combining 2D and 3D, The New Nostalgia as a contemporary take on vintage styles, and Wonder and Joy as spanning imaginative environments and simple pleasures. Calming Rhythms points toward a calmer, more rhythmic visual mood. Brenda Milis, Adobe’s Principal of Consumer and Creative Insights, said the trends reflect creators and consumers seeking visuals that “inspire and reflect the endless possibilities of the imagination.” Read Adobe’s 2024 Creative Trends announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose a direction for a cartoon illustration
Rather than asking which style is universally best, decide what the image needs to communicate and compare a few concrete choices:
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Decision | Options to consider | What changes visually |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Physical drawing or painting; digital drawing; digital work that imitates physical marks | Whether the surface shows natural media or reproduces its character digitally. |
| Finish | Clean flat shapes and crisp lines; visible texture, fragmented lines, or brush marks | Whether the result feels graphic and controlled or tactile and varied. |
| Mood | Lighthearted and optimistic; nostalgic; strange or surreal; calm and rhythmic | The emotional tone established through character, color, and composition. |
| Dimensionality | Flat 2D; playful 3D; a combination of 2D and 3D | How forms occupy space and how the image relates to a flat graphic surface. |
| Audience and cultural context | Choose an artist whose knowledge and lived experience meaningfully fit the subject and audience. | Whether the subject is treated with relevant understanding rather than reduced to visual shorthand. |
IllustrationX highlights cultural authenticity as a commissioning consideration, while Adobe, Creative Bloq, and Freepik describe different formal and mood-based directions. For a commission, be specific about the intended audience and subject as well as the look. IllustrationX discusses its reported visual directions.
Best Value
Beginner exercises for practicing cartoon illustration
A sketchbook and basic drawing materials are enough to explore these approaches. Pencils, pens, ink, and paint all suit hand-rendered practice; these exercises translate the reported visual characteristics into manageable studies:
- Reduce a character to flat shapes. Sketch a simple figure, then rebuild it from a few large shapes. Try a bright, optimistic palette and check whether the pose reads without small details.
- Exaggerate one feature at a time. Make an expression, limb, or proportion deliberately improbable, then compare how the change affects the character’s mood.
- Try a retro comic finish. Draw a clear outline and test halftone dots in a shaded area. Keep the treatment purposeful so it supports the image rather than obscuring it.
- Make a texture study. Combine a clean shape with a few visible marks from pencil, ink, or paint, or imitate those marks digitally. Compare the result with an entirely crisp version.
Illustration and animation software may also suit a digital workflow, but the cited trend coverage does not compare software features, prices, or device compatibility.
What the 2024 trend reports can—and cannot—tell you
The evidence comes from sources with different scopes: IllustrationX’s agency observations and enquiry data, Creative Bloq’s interviews and predictions, Adobe’s company-published trend categories, and Freepik’s company announcement. Together, they offer examples of styles and expectations reported around 2024. They do not establish a definitive global ranking, current 2026 popularity, artist rates, or commissioning availability.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
