$16
weeklyDraw People as Characters That Tell a Story
Completed by 134 learners
Ages 9-14
Live Group Class
Live video meetings
1x per week
1-12 learners per class
45 min
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
Suggestions to practise, refine or expand on a lesson are optional.Assessment
Informal assessment at the end of each class; students will show their drawing for constructive feedback. The group will assess if the drawing communicates 1) Action of the character 2) Emotion 3) Specific character ie: toddler 4) Activity, if applicable. The challenge is to see if you can communicate at least 3 to the class without having to tell them.Class Experience
*New section now available on Saturdays Drawing people is a practise we humans have done since the beginning of our recorded history. They appear as characters in the stories we tell. This Ongoing course aims to discover new characters and situations they find themselves in. Learn how to develop multiple characters and tell stories about them for future use in an illustrated book, graphic novel, story board, or just for your own amusement! We begin each week by looking at slides of existing illustrations (for inspiration and ideas) and sometimes with an easy drawing exercise to help build drawing confidence . Sometimes we will loosely draw various shapes and lines that help describe the human form and action. No prior drawing experience needed, as this class can accommodate a range of skill level. As an Ongoing class, each week does not build on knowledge or skills learned from a previous week. Each lesson is planned as a single learning unit complete on its own. The goal in this class is not high realism, but creating a simple, unique character that communicates enough to describe the type, action, emotion, and personality of the specific character. I describe it as anywhere between realism and stick figures. Learners are welcome to join any week that interests them, or stay the entire duration to gain a more expansive drawing knowledge. This class is structured but informal with social time as we draw. The class content will repeat beginning in the new year. The class routine (loosely) follows: Classroom Expectations and Introduction - 3-5 min Discussion and Demonstration - 10 min Active drawing and social time for students - 10 min Show work and discuss - 5 min Q & A about this week's drawing - 5 min Suggestions to practise, refine or expand on this week's lesson - 5 min Each week we will draw the following: Week of December 31: Girl characters (variety of 5) Week of January 7: Boy characters Week of January 14: Babies & toddlers Week of January 21 : Teens Week of January 28: Adults Week of February 4: Old timers/grandparents Week of February 11: New girl character activities / emotions Week of February 18: New boy character activities / emotions Week of February 25: New baby character activities / emotions Week of March 3: New teen girl character activities / emotions Week of March 10: New teen boy character activities / emotions Week of March 17: New woman character activities / emotions Week of March 24: New man character activities / emotions Week of March 31: Outdoor occupations Week of April 7: Indoor occupations Week of April 14: Old timer/grandparent activities Week of April 21: Design a family of characters/activity Week of April 28: New character from infant to senior Week of May 5: Mother characters / mother's day theme (include things mom's often say). Week of May 19: New boy and girl character playing musical instruments theme Week of May 26: New boy and girl character Sports Day theme Week of May 28: Characters that look like their pets Week of June 2: Family of characters on a vacation / Something unusual happens (or is about to happen) Week of June 9: Father characters / father's day special / include "Dad-isms" (things that father's often say) Week of June 16: Characters dancing / focus on gesture & movement Week of June 23: Family (or couple) of characters hiking / What they encounter Week of June 30: Drawing crowds; design single main character and add a crowd (story-telling: show a reason for the crowd) Week of July 7: Odd couples (any age category). Draw couples dinning, walking and talking. Week of July 14: Exploring character stereotypes / Draw five "mad scientists" (must all be different) Week of July 21: Design 4 characters from the book; The Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe (by C.S. Lewis) Week of July 28: Design more characters/scenes from same book Week of August 4: Science fiction theme; family gets zapped down to mico-size - explore multiple ways to show them as micro-size. Week of August 11: Science fiction theme; same family now become giants. How to show them as giants (besides the obvious). Week of August 18: Strange occupations that don't exist anymore / new character Week of August 25: Characters driving unusual cars / transportation (ie: Senior driving hamburger car). Week of September 8 Silly chefs bake silly cakes Week of September 15: Various fall activities (jumping into leaf pile, harvesting pumpkins) Week of September 22: Playground activities Week of September 29: Draw scenes from book Prince Caspian (by C.S. Lewis) Week of October 6: All About Hair - learn how to draw various hairstyles for different characters Week of October 13: Characters who resemble their home in some way (messy, modern, tall, quaint, etc). Week of October 20: Haunted house theme (kids avoiding strange house on hill) Week of October 27 Seasonal Clothing or Halloween costumes for kids Week of November 3: Fables and stories: The Emperor's New Clothes Week of November 10: "Misfit" characters who end up the hero because of their uniqueness: invent your own. Week of November 17: Slumber party: draw funny pj's on kids up late watching a movie (pillow fight)? Week of November 24: Sharing a meal at Cafe with multiple characters / Storytelling Week of December 1: Sleep, slumber, naps; draw the whole family sleeping (even the dog). Week of December 8: Kids being naughty, not nice Week of December 15: Santa and kids Week December 22: New Year's theme: Old year leaving (old man) / new year arriving (baby) Week of December 29: Unusual pets (teen walking pet grizzly bear and more) Cancellations and Refunds: A recording will be available for viewing after the session has been completed. Please allow time to log in early in order to give yourself time to do a technical check. While no refunds will be issued for a missed class, arrangements can be made to transfer student to another section. *To keep our online “studio” time together as professional as possible, please refrain from eating during our class time. This is standard policy for any studio practice, and will ensure better outcomes for everyone. Thanks in advance.
Learning Goals
Students will learn how to draw their own characters that may be used in their own future story (illustrated book, graphic novel, story board for video, etc). Students will discover that it is incorrect thinking that all the “good ideas” for characters have already been taken. New ideas are as unique as the individual artist. They will learn simple drawing techniques each week to help visually describe a new character.
Other Details
Supply List
Supplies needed are: pencil, sharpener, eraser, loose blank paper or sketch book
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
Greetings parents and learners!
My name is Sandy Nichols. After receiving my diploma in Visual Communications at a Canadian art college many years ago, I began my 35 year career as an illustrator. My work has appeared in a variety of publications, including five children’s books. I was beyond thrilled to win a nation wide competition to illustrate Dennis Lee’s “Alligator Pie” (40th anniversary board book). I credit perseverance for this achievement, which is a quality I encourage all art students to foster.
I taught illustration and Design Drawing for seven years at a Canadian art university. Now, I am delighted to invite learners to my drawing classes.
My teaching philosophy is to honour how each mind views the world uniquely. Additionally, building confidence in young artists and encouraging them to try a new way of seeing to enhance their art. I believe there's no such thing as a bad drawing as long as you can learn from it and be willing to try again.
Fun fact about me: Sometimes I draw our family pet, my children, or their toys in my illustrations. When I'm not drawing, I like to try and grow all kinds of vegetables.
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