![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7biKlXWDQYo82c7QE3CNgyLYBO2I4TeEMuf2EIdA-6_8uPUlvA7pPLsSTARgbCEQCraV7JHhBd36Xfc40TMnema6XXUlZG_Si5Zd50IsfBF_af9HAkv9AzUA9alz5MDJul6Nx/s400/TommyBeforeAfter.jpg)
I was shopping for meat one day and I noticed a tall lanky youth following close behind me. I assumed he could tell I knew my meats and wanted to copy my selections, but after a few minutes he walked up to me, clamped his hand onto my skull and addressed me. He said "Are you........him?" I said "I am one of him." He then queried: "John K.?" Then he hailed his sister over. "Hey sis, it's John K.!" I was about to call security when he explained that he came all the way across country to learn to be a cartoonist in my school. Unfortunately I didn't have a school, but I asked him to send me some of his drawings and I would consider personally tutoring him. The picture above has the first sketch he sent me and then a couple he did after a few lessons.
I didn't have a completely figured out curriculum but I've been following along the general lines of my theoretical ideal cartoon college
CARTOON COLLEGE YEAR 1
I have adapted the lessons somewhat according to Tommy's actual progress. Each week I draw over his previous week's exercises and then sketch out some new concepts. here are just a few of the sketches and concepts from the lessons.
Line of Action:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNfXU8_WWb4zQWenQlFuhfan8_KMmMC-FVPD2bL5mPJN53uSQQgI3-vEULk5rIf9gUZt0qhGmE2-P3RV27bCOohA4uaq3EDMYDmY6CML4fAa20gHcgUXU8ZyBN5iPB5a2_KRX/s320/line+of+action+1.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rZnBZUshdYCtBWlm9kBgvqbbVXd0h8F3XAdE1CFNjjUALvrxXeyK9NkIrNyyPL3sRU6cGcpQSahG5Z5mS3YRNGvDyhUVv2f_Nz9YdU_jJlYJPw9Qg5LvLq54T8bQxQsxWSqj/s320/lines+do+not+exist.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFruMssQEVXeN0JOu86WeYGKhCP81qWz-cLlfjCQYynjHUe1oHG9JUZL58x0gbQ47TA5L41abCoi5L9YfSW5X9iRhpcz-sXH4MMK77A2OgvXJHGPT92MtPLhsPnCjlh9LZ14m/s320/contrast.jpg)
Construction: I explained that a 3/4 view of a face is not a flattened skewed mirror of the front view as so many modern cartoonists think.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoKkC9U8Rw3HjvGfGCF41Q-w9e4cpniZ8sp-W5gk7VwNpyqlQrZcFWq6UQuQPgYpPrit7Kwqy5U-xA3n6NY4H4uOe4Z7zcUnU9fSsI-LvT7GWehqHldk9ZU27oY-nNgShzFGy5/s320/vieww.jpg)
Construction: studying toys - on this sheet I was explaining the difference between simple and complex curves.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuatb7eC8oSeaxbnCu20qY1cVHqAi-oAMeGeWZsrraYV76ZGRehNcsUGu9Jbd6ik7kuXjmiISIHVsAym8lxLvxWcDPJSCh5E_Zjk7gx8pVXo42YU1xK2PzLgPtV3ial2_27rU/s400/complex+curves.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-R98COiGUnJY5CvmUf16VxjkfYb5-v-Qr7ZlJQUBMnDpVGUG0qjgc3P-MJLe1UWZ1FGWoTQdB9MNkq7OydACHMWwo-vRcsCuLvg2pTr1Apndg6LclWyJnWIusKFx1rKG6Y4q1/s320/feet2.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NUgRSEJV-18IOOmgvliEfg_yD9LoGvzdquSiUgKQgmSvCzMoJ8mL2WyCOO1icoY4lJRy-c5JVSa02YaMmxWc98HOSXMHNmNguIubRCVAaRoRKIeVzt7giFlkSQmaheJW9NIM/s320/flow.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjxGN4PnHiH2OYKEOTikvbRBJlnycICou6CF-_JoQ6_Pi17ZOr6zP_K-SyC2cuwnZkZj42d2RAqU0giVbDlV4pmmEn89d5yIjSoIYM2V8-OiJydqmGfa7RkujgalpB6BjBTg8/s320/layout.jpg)
As Tommy got more confident with basics like construction and line of action I introduced staging characters within backgrounds using hierarchy.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG2_C5GqUed2anoFD7gQ_CV8G6fF_7J8xppvLPi5lqbUx1EsCMoDqppqVGFMpU_z-9jG2heouZZaKiAkmlrl9KBOZJz1cRCWWrdVXd2O3yNswarhyphenhyphenDotUuL_gLVJ1UXTS73eA/s320/comp3.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EeaXHO0mLoVTXJhw8JHdHyY9kghOeb4IrFqnSfT95kd_6g9nSGyj54tBb9v_-g3qXhr-po39R9x0OriHwNRFF0Tg99whI8FjtMtwwIwSn9ZRturzs5qCTX9mzH2TnsX2BfJI/s320/weaving2.jpg)
Stiff studies VS confident knowledge. I showed how all artists hate the stiff drawings they do while leaning anything new and suggested that after doing a stiff study to redraw the same picture faster to see if the knowledge sunk in. When it does, your drawings become looser and more appealing.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzz6x2tMPWsfcfQgSJtSLY1rXqCP-A12ImyDLRPIGWSb1uN8dJRrt9fZ61ol9uHSjD9NpbSHqbEK22YhD43eRHxmFK5Cg5vb23BDB92DGqhCgwc_LKMd15pTKibvZNKg0cFPP/s320/caricture.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3_DafR2M6fzYfiB4DRajFVUdea1x4YXyX9lpjMBSqBGrPuL2nKSqAY0i00vPQcpDH3nxRwsBqKXQhVdeCHFh78G8GIaTiGXK1r1p3Zf6mZMLKDrG9NNRmZrhQjRJR3x_PT5U/s320/comp.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDpXWoirhclK_y2F18y1zKXcn_TzLA6MmOTpiXvZPfAS0yYmhbnwgpLyRmKviJAuannMWoKmIWGp6l3NWk9m1GD_CQKPilhVGKyTiAseyIiB4oKJMvbS-fjnpgb1BZh2xWLAS/s320/emotion.jpg)
I may put his lessons up on my college blog 1 by 1 if anyone is interested in following along.