More Student Highlights

 

Comics is a medium that welcomes every style and level. It benefits from casualness, whimsy, and economy. The point is to convey your imaginings. 

In the continuing ed classes at SVA, we cover a lot of information on style, theory, and technique, but always while having a good time. 

Doug Keljikian crystallizes the essence of cartooning.

Here’s a teaser for Jeffrey Johnson’s first minicomic under his pseudonym.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find this in a local shop.

Paul Centrone is working on a story about a young man’s experience in Berlin when the wall came down.

We often pass constraint-based jam pages around. Over the years, some get finished.

Doug K. was in my basics course last semester and also assists my afterschool classes at P.S. 154.
Sometimes when the kids are busy, we pass drawings back and forth.

Summer classes are enrolling now. The figure course is offered online on Tuesdays and live on Wednesdays. Cartooning Basics is offered on Thursdays.

Let’s play.

Student Spotlight: Earl Holloway

On week 3, we create new poses for characters from old Max Fleischer model sheets.

 

One of my GOAT students, Earl Holloway, retook Figure Drawing for Cartoonists last semester to hone his chops. 

On week 5, we agree on a joke to tell in the form of a comic

The work he produced was typically stunning. Earl’s examples help show the range one can achieve with the assignments.

On week 6, we improvise comics from narrative poses wth a costumed model

These are just a few of the many figure drawing activities we explore to develop an understanding of the human figure in the cartooning context.

On week 9, we practice free doodling with brush, ink, and lettering guide.

Summer classes are enrolling now. The figure course is offered online on Tuesdays and live on Wednesdays. Cartooning Basics is offered on Thursdays. Let’s make comics!

Student Spotlight: Jonah Newman

 

One of my GOAT students, Jonah Newman, has a graphic novel about to hit bookstores. It’s a beautifully illustrated and emotionally moving story of mastering baseball and coming out in high school. It’s already notching rave reviews.

When Jonah took my figure drawing for cartoonists class at SVA, he had already completed a graphic novel set in Napoleonic Europe. So I can’t pretend to have taught him much of what he knows. But I was able to coach him on figures holding baseball bats and twisting as they swing ‘n stuff like that. I’ll pat myself on the back for that one piece of it. Below are some of Jonah's other assignments:

character turnarounds and sample poses

cafe and subway observational sketching

drawing from life models

Check out Out of Left Field, coming from Andrews McMeel Kids imprint in March and join Jonah for the Launch event at Bluestockings, 116 Suffolk St., New York, NY. March 26 @ 7:30 pm ET. 

Meanwhile, my spring classes start soon. Let me help you draw figures in action and put them in comics.

Figure Drawing for Cartoonists: Improv Comics

 

My perennial favorite challenge in Figure Drawing for Cartoonists is when we have a model improvise a narrative from pose to pose while we improvise comic panels. 

It's one thing to draw figures effectively. It's quite another to draw them effectively on comic pages, composed in relation to the graphic elements, staged in appropriate camera angles, and finished in ink. Do all that on the fly, improvising dialog off the top of your head, allowed five minutes per panel, and I can't think of many challenges that are more fun.

Here are some recent examples of mine: 

More examples are here and here and here. 

It’s so great having models to study from. In this class, we tackle each topic from reference and imagination one week and from the model the next. It’s the best way to learn. 

Classes are slated to start February 1. Let’s draw figures!

@svacontinued