Cartooning Basics

Learn how to draw anything in a simple style. Over the week, Meg will show you how to draw for animation, character design, and game design.

Pencil in hand, you’ll be doing line drawings to get all the fundamentals – shape, volume, texture, proportions, expression and action.

From there, you’ll be drawing objects, characters and backgrounds to copy or from imagination.

Meg will teach you how to draw your objects and characters to give them expression and life – making them look like they are moving or reacting to their environment – and how to bring this into your storytelling. You’ll learn about line art and then how to write your own cartoon strip.

Enrol

Course Info

You won’t only learn HOW to draw. You’ll also learn WHY to do it a certain way – so when you go home, you can analyse and check your work for yourself to become an independent artist. They’re the same tips and tricks used by real artists.

 
There will be worksheets every day to help you learn the different techniques, but also lots of time with blank pages to create your own masterpieces!

Day One

Basics

  • Basic shapes
  • Observations
  • Top-down and bottom up construction
  • Animals and basic objects
  • 2-D vs 3-D shapes
  • Stretch

Day Two

Characters

  • Basic proportions
  • Skeletons
  • Clothing
  • Cute characters and Kawaii

Day Three

Expression & Action

  • Expressions and emotions
  • Body language
  • Action lines
  • Weight
  • Basic walk cycle

Day Four

Scenes

  • Scenes
  • Overlap
  • Point of view
  • Object rotation
  • Reference material

Day Five

Story

  • Story arcs
  • Three panel comic
  • Inking basics (lettering)
  • Completed cartoon

For beginners and all levels of drawing experience

TO BE SUPPLIED BY PARTICIPANT

2B pencils

Erasers and sharpeners

One medium 0.6 Artline

One finepoint Sharpie
Meg English
Course Tutor

Meg English

Meg English has worked as an artist and illustrator across a wide variety of mediums, as well as teaching art to kids, teens and adults. Meg runs her own art classes through her business Blueberry Beetle, as well as for Serendipity Learning. She has also run classes at The Bunker National Cartoon Gallery and for various community groups, youth festivals and schools. Meg won a Mentorship with the Australian Society of Authors for Children’s Book Illustration and an NSW government grant to teach courses for children online.