Animal Character Design with Mariah

Description

Lions and Tigers and Bears- oh my! All animals real and imagined will be explored as illustrated characters in this beginner level illustration class. Kids will learn how to build an animal character from scratch. We will explore not only the classical drawing skills of how to draw various common animals and their classical realism anatomy, we will learn to bring life to their faces, heads, and bodies to showcase their personality and emphasize a narrative in a more comic, graphic style. We will have a lot of fun with the concept of “squash and stretch” used in cartoon sequential art. “Squash and Stretch” is an illustrative skill where a character’s proportions are drawn with certain parts exaggerated to express an emotion, action, or create narrative tension in the story. By the end of the session, the kids will complete their own poster-board presentation on their animal character to share with friends and family. Teacher Bio: Mariah P Sotelino is a naturalist, an educator, and an environmentalist. Mariah studied Conservation Biology at Swarthmore College and is obsessed with the intersection of science and art. Mariah has a Masters in Illustration from Maryland Institute College of Art. Mariah is a member of The Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, and The Society of Illustrators. Mariah’s goal as an art teacher is to motivate artists to find their own “voice”. With a nurturing personality and a contagious smile, Mariah will encourage you to gather specific, repeatable tools for your own artistic toolbox to express yourself. Supplies included in tuition fee. Class cancellation due to inclement weather, teacher illness, or school closure will be rescheduled for May 22nd. Photo credit: Mariah P. Sotelino, after E.H.Shephard's Winnie the Pooh.