Cartoon Academy is a free twelve week course that will livestream to TikTok and Youtube starting Thursday June 2nd at 3:30 pm pacific time. From there the classes will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:00 with a few minutes before and after for questions and drawing requests. The purpose of this course is for you to develop foundational cartoon drawing skills from the most basic to more challenging and philosophical pursuits. Each week will take a specific theme beginning simple and building in complexity.
The course is not graded and there are no expectations for attendance or assignments. Students who choose to complete 75% of the assignments to any degree will qualify for a personalized digital certificate - that will mean nothing to anybody except myself and the student. Still, it will be a nice thing to print and put on the wall. There will be a class Dropbox where students can upload completed assignments with the filename format StudentName-Assignment0X.JPG
The course will be taught by me, CartoonRay. I have been drawing cartoons for 32 years and have had my work featured on Adult Swim, at New York Comic Con and on Laughing Squid. I am an art school graduate who practices drawing, writing and music daily. I have thought a lot about how to best learn new skills and I am zealous about cartooning.
I believe that drawing is an amazing practice in which anyone can participate. It is calming, focusing and generates self-esteem. It’s one place in life where you can make all the decisions. I focus on positive self-talk and artists head game. If my teaching is effective you won’t be embarrassed to make mistakes - you’ll be happily learning from them.
You can absolutely learn everything in this class on your own but I have found it very helpful to have a teacher and it can be really nice to know others are doing the work along side you. If you have a friend who is also interested in art, tell them about this class. It’s nice to have a buddy to check in with about your art - especially after the class is over.
You’ll need something to draw with. Lined paper and generic pencil are fine, mechaincal pencil is fine, printer paper is fine, a fancy sketchbook is fine. pen is fine but it will force you to live with your mistakes - a good thing, but challenging. Digital drawing is fine, dragging a stick in the dirt is fine! As long as you’re having fun! If you want to pursue the certificate (which is, again, meaningless) - you’ll need a way to document your work (a phone camera is great) and a way to upload it (any web browser will do.
All classes will be recorded and posted to youtube for review or in case you couldn’t make the class.
Thanks for your interest. I’m excited to get started. It is extremely meaningful for me to be able to encourage and empower other artists and it is my honor to work with you over the next twelve weeks.