There is really no right or wrong way to draw an emo cartoon, so feel free to use whatever style you want, whether it be crisp and clean or smudgy and messy or comic book-esque.

The really important part of any cartoon being emo is what the characters are wearing, and the situations that they’re in. Making sure that the character is wearing the appropriate emo attire, clothing and emo hair is a definite, so in that regard try to make sure the characters have hoodies, baggy pants or skinny jeans, skulls, piercings and weird hair - if the character is human or to have human qualities.

If you’re wanting to make an emo cartoon like Pon and Zi, shading is everything. Dark shadows under the eyes or casting on the ground are especially effective at capturing the darker nature of the emo world. But drawing an emo cartoon doesn’t necessarily have to be all dark and poetic; it can also be sweet and light-hearted, as long as it’s packed with emotion-provoking graphics. Hair and eyes are a big part of any emo cartoon, so spend as much time as is justified getting those the way you think best brings out the ever-imitable style of emo and emo scene kid cartoons.

Eyes are usually depicted as dark and brooding, or wide-eyed and without eyelashes. Hair is usually drawn as long on one side and short on the other, or short all over with long bands over the eyes, or sometimes even long all over with spiky bangs that dangle into the line of vision. Eyebrows are usually drawn in a straight line or sloping dow to the inside of the eyes, to depict thought or sadness. As far as situations go, shorter is better. A lot of common emo themes are about sadness, love that was lost or not quite reached, or proving how emo someone is, so a one or two frame cartoon is often the best way to go. You can show the character crying, holding a broken heart, with dark shadowing under their eyes or feet. The character can be sitting in a corner, crying, wearing striped tights or fingerless gloves, with a caption about love. A character saying something witty about emo music as they are wearing an emo outfit is also a good way to go, if you want to inject some humor into the situation.

Just as long as the characters are experiencing emo feelings and wearing emo clothing outfits, your cartoon should accurately reflect emo situations that are found in real life and for the emo scene kid. There are several emo websites out there that promote the emo scene kid’s subculture through emo cartoons, which can be witty and thought-provoking, or just reflective of the nature of the emo trend. Emobucket.com lets users upload their own cartoons and drawings to be seen and commented on by others, which is a necessity in a world where people are wanting to hear feedback on their work to let them know how they should feel. Ponandzi.com is a cute little cartoon about two emo creatures name Pon and Zi that were created by Azuzephre, who is an artist that randomly posted Pon and Zi around the internet before discontinuing doing so.

Ponandzi.com is the biggest collection of this emo music cartoon around, and features the characters in numerous emo settings, such as unrequited love and trying to prove how hardcore emo they are. Newgrounds.com also started an emo section, which is a collection of emo cartoons and games meant to lighten the emo mood and poke a little fun at the whole subculture emo genre.

To be emo scene is, in essence, to embody everything that a subculture offers, from emo music to the hair to the clothes to the emotions. Scene kids, as they’re called, are usually very involved with the music scene and are savvy about the local music in their area, being avid supporters of the indie bands, or local bands that haven’t been signed to a label. Being scene also means being into the types of culture that come with the music, like art, photography, tattoos, piercings, hairstyling, going to emo music shows to see emo bands, shows,being an emo scene kid, drawing emo cartoons etc.