Cartoon Art for Children (Ages 8-12)
Instructor: Bill LaRocque

Objectives: To channel children’s natural interest and enjoyment in cartoons into greater confidence in their abilities to express themselves through the graphic arts. Art and drawing fundamentals are covered, but more emphasis is given to communicating feelings and imagination instead if achieving likeness. Cartoons are a powerful form of communication where the message is more important than the drawing.

Method: Demonstration and encouragement to “draw along.” We learn how to draw simple and more complicated facial expressions and body English (poses.) We practice drawing various eyes, eyebrows, mouths, big noses and hair that communicate different feelings. Then, those examples are transferred to inanimate objects and animals: a sad book, suspicious worm, a hungry dog, a bored board, etc. Finally, we cartoon simple clichés: reaching a conclusion, catching a cold, a running nose, raining cats and dogs, Three’s company, etc.

Outline: (1.5 or 4 hours, ideal class size <8 students)

Introductions – all students introduce themselves, the cartoon or comic strip they most enjoy and what they would they would like to learn or improve in this class.

History – first drawings and development of picture language. Early ‘cartuns’ informal under drawings for frescos. Different uses of cartoons are discussed and shown: graphic story telling, illustrating science concepts, and instruction pamphlets, greeting cards, editorial (current events) animation, advertisements, comic strips, etc.

Discussion – which is more important the drawing or the idea? Where do ideas come from? How do you remember good ideas?

Exercises – simplified facial elements are demonstrated. exaggerated and drawn. If time permits, we demonstrate the correct proportions for an average face.

Drawing bodies in exaggerated poses and drawing average bodies and how proportions change with age.

Depending on the ages and interests of the students, sometime we talk about and demonstrate caricature.

Drawing simple animals like cats and dogs.
Discussion and demonstration – of some unique cartoon techniques. Cartoons must tell a larger story, location, identity of the characters: their mood, age, gender, occupation, role and the sounds, words, thoughts of the characters and the artist (captions.) Demonstration of tricks for showing action, stress, time passing, and pacing.

Exercises: Students copy and adapt a cartoon. They can then draw a cartoon of something funny that happened to them recently or invent a cartoon character they would like to be.

Assessment: This class has evolved over six years, largely from feedback from the students. At the end of the class, students complete a comment card to indicate what they liked best, what they think should be changed and what they would add.

Materials Required - Students: white paper pads 5”x 9” pencils with erasers. Teacher: white board with black dry erase markers and eraser.