Crazy Creatures! - Using Art to Improvise Spontaneous Creature Designs

Class Activities

In this one-time class, the teacher will demonstrate the craft of spontaneous character generation and rapid cartoon illustration.  Students develop unique characters which are randomly generated from a large and growing list of creature parts.  They visually interpret these parts in their own way, then test their imagination using improvisational, idea-generating techniques to draw surprising creature conglomerations.


"Creature Cuisinart":

The majority of class activities revolve around the spontaneous illustration of unique characters and creatures.  Diverse creature parts are randomly generated from a long list of interchangeable items that the teacher and students select. 

After collecting four of these random "parts", each student will learn to draw a purely unique cartoon or artistic creation.  The results are always unique expressions of each student's creativity and emerging illustration abilities.


We will engage in these specific exercises:

- Through brainstorming sessions, students provide verbal and illustrated responses which form the basis of new characters, names, and supporting environments

- Students create unique, original cartoon creature illustrations using randomization and improvisational techniques demonstrated by the teacher

- Methods for quickly illustrating many kinds of creature "parts" are imparted to students, which they learn to combine into unique and surprising creations 


NOTE:  this is a live class and the instructor uses a 2-camera system to feature specific illustration styles and techniques.  Students are encouraged (within reason!) to spontaneously engage with the instructor and others during most exercises, and our interactions  can be very interactive and lively.