*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.