Visual Arts

Drawing Manga and Anime
Classroom Workshop

The popular art form of Japanese cartooning, known as manga and anime design, will be studied. Students will study basic manga drawing techniques for designing original manga/anime characters, learning to draw faces, bodies, and poses familiar to the media. Pencil, ink marker, and colored pencils will be used on white cardstock. These expressive, stylized drawings allow students to create authentic manga and anime characters, chibis (short, cute anime characters), and more. Note: This workshop is hand-drawn and not digital, age-appropriate, educational, and fun!

Grades: 4-8
Workshop Length: 45 mins. – 60 mins. (55 mins. preferably)
Participation Limit: 25 students per class
Connections: Visual Arts, Cultural Competency

Communicating with Cartooning
Classroom Workshop

Students create original one-panel cartoons similar to those in Gary Larson’s The Far Side, illustrating a selected caption after practicing cartoon drawing techniques.

Grades: 3-8
Workshop Length: 45-60 minutes
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Storytelling

Funny Faces: Creating Cartoon Characters
Classroom Workshop

Students learn basic drawing techniques and the elements of art, and then design an original cartoon character in close-up. Exaggerated and expressive drawings allow students to create original, funny faces. Note: This workshop’s subject is human cartoons; cartoons of animals and inanimate objects are available upon request.

Grades: 2-8
Workshop Length: 45-60 minutes
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Visual Arts

Illustrating Imaginary Fish
Classroom Workshop

Students first study and draw the anatomy of a fish. Line, shape, color, and texture are explored. Students use their imagination in creating colorful “schools of fish” in mixed media.

Grades: 3-8
Workshop Length: 45-60 minutes
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Science, Visual Art

The Art of Botany: Discovering and Drawing Nature
Classroom Residency

Students learn to draw leaves and flowering plants from direct observation of actual specimens. Basic drawing techniques will be taught using a variety of media.

Grades: 3-8
Residency Length: 2-3 days, 45 minutes per session
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Science, Visual Art

The Art of Zoology: Drawing Animals
Classroom Residency

Students draw selected animals using pencil, ink, and mixed media with attention to detail, color, patterns, and texture, capturing their anatomy. Teaching artist and former biologist Julio Suarez demonstrates the integration of art and science, capturing the beauty and variety of animals.

Grades: 3-8
Residency Length: 2-3 days, 45 minutes per session
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Science, Visual Art

Drawn to Flowers
Classroom Workshop

Drawing “what one sees” is the focus of this introduction to botanical illustration. The skills acquired in this workshop can be applied to nature journaling, field sketching, and studying science. Students learn basic drawing techniques in pencil to draw selected flower specimens from direct observation.

Grades: 1-6
Workshop Length: 45-60 minutes
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Science, Visual Arts

Let’s Face it: Facial Proportions
Classroom Workshop

Students learn how to draw the human face in proportion and make connections between math and art.

Grades: 4-8
Workshop Length: 45-60 minutes
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Math, Visual Art, Science

Math & Old Masters: Proportional Pastel Portraits
Classroom Workshop

Math and art are integral parts of famous portraits by da Vinci, Van Gogh, and now will be parts of portraits by your students! In this residency, visual artist and art educator Julio Suarez engages students in learning to draw the human face in proportion, copy a famous work of art, and use oil pastels to “paint” a portrait by an Old Master or a Modern Artist.

Grades: 3-8
Workshop Length: 2 or 3 days
Session Length: 45 minutes per class daily
Participant Limit: 25-30 per class
Connections: Math, Visual Art, History