July 03, 2013

Creative Cartooning with Julian Lawrence

Over the Canada Day long weekend, happy families joined award winning artist, illustrator and cartoonist Julian Lawrence for inspiring hands-on workshops titled My Community and Me. On Saturday, Julian held sessions at the ArtStarts Gallery in downtown Vancouver, and on Sunday he was at River Market in New Westminster.

To warm things up, Julian provided step by step instructions for how to sketch some of the world's most iconic cartoons: Mickey Mouse and The Pink Panther. Using paper, pencils, erasers and ink, young art enthusiasts learned cartooning tips and tricks to uncover their own creative potential.

As the workshop progressed, participants were ready to start piecing together characters and mini comic books based on themselves and their community. The space suddenly transformed into what appeared to be a real animation studio filled with busy illustrators sketching away!

Julian encouraged participants to keep things “light, sketchy and simple” and to add their own personal touches and expressions to their cartoons. To bring their cartoons to life, the enthusiastic crowd used simple geometric shapes to create an illusion of roundness, create shiny noses, and add depth to their cartoon character’s eyes.

Julian's enthusiasm for comic books and his love for the organic quality of pencil to paper was truly infectious! As the lively 45-minute cartooning workshop came to a close, participants were proudly sharing their new drawings and their personal stories about their cartoons and their community.

Julian's hands-on workshop was a fun opportunity for families to engage in the art of cartooning. Participants left with a newfound confidence and got their mini comic books to bring home and share.

Check out lots more photos on Facebook from ArtStarts on Saturdays and at ArtStarts at River Market.

Thanks to Julian for the fun workshops!

Stay tuned for the next month's events with puppeteer and ventriloquist Kellie Haines, along with her friends Magrau the bird and Kamilla the frog, at ArtStarts on Saturdays in Vancouver on Saturday July 27 and ArtStarts at River Market in New Westminster on Sunday July 28.

ArtStarts thanks Boeing for their generous support of the ArtStarts on Saturday series. ArtStarts thanks River Market at New Westminster Quay and Donald's Market ONE prize for making the ArtStarts at River Market series possible.

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