Amazing Art Models

One of the perks of living in NYC is the high quality of art models around town, and one of the perks of teaching is that the best of them model for SVA. Planning this post, I discovered that I have so many great examples to show, I think I'll make this the first of a series.

Cacia Zoo is, deservedly, a social media rockstar. I was honored to have her pose for my Figure Drawing for Cartoonists class last spring. The feeling was apparently mutual. She thanked me on her Instagram, "Your ink drawing is amaaazing! Hope to model for you again some time."

Below are my drawings of Cacia from Drink and Draw NYC a few years ago. More of my Cacia drawings can be found here.

Greer Samuels brings an intense theatricality to his poses. When he saw these drawings I made in my Figure Drawing class this summer, he felt vindicated for his hard work. Life drawing is a truly collaborative process.

When model Ume saw my drawings of her at Drink and Draw NYC not long ago, she invited me to take part in her upcoming exhibition, 30 Bodies, which will be a pop-up show opening Thursday Sept 19 at 7pm and on view through Friday Sept 20 at Con Artist Collective, 329 Broome St. Work by 30 artists will be auctioned and proceeds donated to a charity that brings artists to Puerto Rico.

Below are some of my Ume drawings from Drink and Draw. I actually played with color for a change. More can be found here.

 

These and many more amazing models appear in my classes Figure Drawing for Cartoonists and Inking Comics. I'll post more examples soon, I hope. Classes are enrolling right now and begin in mid-September. The information session is, well, tonight (Aug 20).

Come draw with us!

Cartooning Camps for Kids

I'm teaching a couple of cartooning camps for kids this summer.

The first is a weeklong "mini camp" for grades 3-8 at Hootenanny Art House, afternoons in late July.

The second is a two week camp for grades 3-5 in the mornings at Parsons, early August.

Tell your kids and your friends and your friends' kids.

Thank you.

Demonstration Drawings

I asked a second grader to name the character for me.

Some of my most expressive work seems to happen when I'm lecturing and demonstrating techniques (as I've shown before).

a demo for kids at PS 372

Lessons I give in my Cartooning Basics course are usually, ahem, tested on children first. If kids can master an art concept, adults probably can too.

Whiteboard sketch done at Parsons Pre-College Academy

A similar lesson at SVA

This was to demonstrate ink wash.

This too.

 As you see below, many of the lectures veer well beyond the basics and into fairly esoteric territory.

a demo on the Lexicon of Comicana

Comic strip structure and cartooning from display letters

#8 in a series of Daredoodle warmup exercises 

Adult classes start next week at SVA. Sign up asap.

I'll also be teaching kids grades 5-8 at Hootenanny Art Annex in July and grades 3-5 at Parsons in August, and I'm available for lessons and such:

of course you would.

Student Spotlight: Spring Roundup #3

More artwork has come in from my students:
Howell Murray did a great job in the recent Figure Drawing for Cartoonists course.
Above is his take on the improv comic assignment, and here's the finished page from his final project:




Mrig Mehra's final page turned out pretty awesome, don't you think?

Charles Truett is kicking ass on his amazing new comic, Hank Van Brunt Delivers the Mail.




And Joe Wessely continues working away at his studies and cartooning practice. I run into Joe at area life drawing sessions which, as I teach, is the shortcut to mastering drawing skills.

Summer classes begin in about a week. Come cartoon with us!

Summer Cartooning

Time's running out. Sign up soon. 

Says Kyle Rose, "I've taken all 3 (even retaken a couple) and can attest to their quality. I can honestly say I wouldn't be the cartoonist I am today without Tom's influence."

Says Tim Ballard, "Tom's classes are where I first started my comic and I couldn't recommend them highly enough. If you have any interest in creating a comic of your own, take a look at his summer continuing ed classes at SVA starting soon - cartooning basics, inking, and figure drawing for cartoonists.

Student Spotlight: Spring Roundup #2

Continuing our roundup of recent work by my former students, Annalisa Wilde employs cartooning to vent her rage in organizing newsletters and Instagram. Keep up the righteous fight, Annalisa!

Josh Daniel, The Noir Guy, is posting the detective misadventures of Rickety Rat, Toon PI. Here's the teaser to the current episode.

While we're doing teasers, here's the opener to final chapter of Tim Ballard's horror tale, Icy Pete.

Nico Douillet is in DC working for the UN and plugging away at his comic about fighting the ebola epidemic. Here's a sad and gorgeous sample page. 

Kyle Rose is going great guns with The Working Stiff, his comic about office zombies. And he's completing the seventh issue of his anthology, Emanata. It looks to be another great one.

Some students try their hands at cartooning on the way to other things. Matt Young, whom I've featured before, has moved on to digital painting.

I can't claim to have taught these brilliant artists everything they know, but I sure am proud of their achievements and I'm sure I helped.

 Classes start in just a couple of weeks. The time to sign up is now! Inking Comics Tuesdays, Figure Drawing for Cartoonists Wednesdays, and Cartooning Basics Thursdays, begin the first week of June.

Student Spotlight: Spring 19 Roundup #1

I've been teaching adult cartooning courses at SVA for over a decade now, and so have gotten to see many students achieve amazing successes.

Maddie Dai cartoons regularly for The New Yorker.  She was included in a show at the Society of Illustrators and an article in Paste magazine. Maddie also contributes longer pieces to The New Yorker and other publishers. Really great stuff. But there's more:

Jeremy Fuscaldo continues to amaze as he pursues his MFA in Visual Arts. Come see Jeremy this weekend at East Coast Comic Con, booth 718.

Consuelo Terra's new graphic novel will be published this year from Random House in Chile. These pages from the book were produced for my Inking Comics course in 2016. "It was a great leap for my  inking and drawing techniques," Consuelo says.

 

Earl Holloway makes his living from comic book style beer labels and other products. Here's his cover to a video game which comes with his comic synopsis.

Anna Laytham contributed the comic above to the New York Times Kids' section recently. She tells me, "they specifically referenced the comic I made in your class when they reached out!"

It all starts with that first mini comic. That's how cartooning careers begin. Let's get started:
Inking Comics is on Tuesdays, Figure Drawing for Cartoonists Wednesdays, and Cartooning Basics Thursdays, beginning the first week of June.

Since putting out the call for news and updates, I've been hearing from a number of students. Look for another of these roundups in a couple of days. If you're one of those I missed, please check in and tell us how it's going. Meanwhile, come say Hi tonight, May 16, at the info session.