Student Spotlight

 

The spring semester of Figure Drawing for Cartoonists starts soon. Check it out.


I’ve been teaching continuing ed courses at SVA for almost 18 years and I’ve remained in touch with many students who’ve gone on to do incredible work. Here are some recent examples.

Alessandro King is shopping around Frank and Al, a play inspired by the work from Figure Drawing for Cartoonists class. These sketches are from model sheets he used to “cartoonify” Al Smith and FDR for a comic version.
 

Maya Wang is a freshman at San Jose State University in the Digital Media Arts major. She has a strong interest in animation, with an emphasis on character design and storytelling, as you see here.

Felix Quinonez recently exhibited 3 pieces in a group exhibition at the Atlantic Gallery, one of which sold. He also recently finished a comic, excerpted below.

Paula Sutor has a new four page autobiographical story on her website. She took my Cartooning Basics class in the summer of 2024, and after that spent some time studying at SAW. Read the comic here.

I’m always happy to hear from students. If you’ve been through one of my classes, drop a line and let me know what you’ve been doing.

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.

Student Spotlight: Francis Wang

 

We begin the Figure Drawing for Cartoonists course with the study of skeletons and clothing, and how we move. 

Francis Wang is an outstanding student I had the pleasure of working with this past fall in the Figure Drawing for Cartoonists course. Francis brought a surprising level of skill and originality to all the challenges.

One of the assignments I call Disfigure Drawing, sketching individual body parts in space and connecting them in surprising ways.

We spend some time studying photos of animals fighting, tuning in to their flexible shapes in action.

Soon, we’re applying our skills to character design

The final project is a page of comics narrative.

Francis also attended my recent Daredoodles workshop and brought the house down with her dramatic take on the Crisscross challenge.

Spring courses are enrolling now. Figures runs on Wednesdays in Manhattan. We’ll have a model every second week. Comics Inventions runs Tuesdays via Zoom. We’ll play with daredoodles, crisscross comics, and many other creative games. Cartooning Basics meets in Manhattan on Thursdays and online Fridays. Let’s draw!

Online CE Student Spotlight

Here's the Kirby-inspired cover to the comic made in Cartooning Basics by long-time student, Howell Murray. Howell's getting very comfortable with the medium and having a great time.

and here's page one!

Let's begin with some ACTION ITEMS. If you're seeing this the day it posts, January 13, 2022, please hop over to the New Media Writing competition and cast a vote for one of my GOAT students, Laura Brown, and her Avon Lady webcomic. You're free to browse the other works, of course, but you'll see that Laura's is the best. It's nice to see a competition like this happening.

And maybe also there's still time to sign up for my newest Daredoodling session.

Another long time student, Kate Brehm, is fundraising for a puppet show, The Eye Which We Do Not Have, which will be awesome.

You'll want this new book by Christy Strauch, the money coach. It's helping me! I coached Christy through the process of making the illustrations.

There was an astonishing amount of wonderful work produced in my SVA classes last fall. I'm confining myself to examples of those students who explicitly gave me permission to share. I'll be happy to show more as I hear back from folks. Anyway, check this out: 

Jenna Del Vigna created this excellent comic strip in Cartooning Basics

The goal of the Figure Drawing for Cartoonists course is to complete one finished page of comics.  Here's a page by Lynn Bernstein. You can read more at her Instagram.

And here's a gorgeous page by Tom Hughes.

this minicomic cover was made by Jenn Robinson in the Thinking In Ink course.

and a number of students have posted their homework on Instagram. here are a few gems by Georgia, Demi, Carmen, Pauline, Paul, Dave, Katharine, Beverley, Jennifer, ...

Spring semester courses are enrolling now and starting soon. I'm offering Cartooning Basics both online and live. Figure Drawing for Cartoonists will be live in Manhattan, with models every second week. It'll be great to do some life drawing again. And I'm offering a new online course, Short Form Comics, where you'll be tasked with writing/sketching a rough draft for a different type of comic every week. You'll end with a backlog of ideas and material to develop at your leisure. Come join us!