Young Artists, ages 8 to 12, characters
Cartoon Critters
The illustrator’s way: light shapes, a confident ink line, then colour. Animal characters to start your sketchbook.
- Level
- Easy
- Lessons
- 13 in 4 units
- Time
- 3.5 hours of lessons
- Pace
- About four weeks
Already drawing with Lapis? Open the course in the app
The goal
What you’ll be able to draw
The illustrator’s way (light pencil shapes, a confident ink line, erase, colour) for animal characters; construction shapes, overlap and a line of action.
How you’ll see the progress
A cat at the start and again at the end.
Skills
- Characters
- Shapes
- Lines
-
Cartoon Cat -
Baby Dinosaur -
Cartoon Fox -
Happy Whale -
Friendly Monster - Critter Remix
4 units, 13 lessons
The syllabus
The whole course is free.
- 5 watch and draw
- 3 checkpoint
- 2 then and now
- 1 concept
- 1 drill
- 1 project
- Free
Unit 1
Circles, pears and beans
Animal characters built from a few light shapes, then inked.
- 01 Then: A Cat Then and now, 10 min Then and now 10 min
- 02 Cartoon Cat Watch and draw, 25 min Watch and draw 25 min
- 03 Baby Dinosaur Watch and draw, 25 min Watch and draw 25 min
- 04 Cartoon Fox Watch and draw, 20 min Watch and draw 20 min
- 05 Show What You Learned Checkpoint, 10 min Checkpoint 10 min
- Free
Unit 2
Tails, fins and feathers
Bodies that curve, flukes that turn, feathers in layers.
- 01 Happy Whale Watch and draw, 25 min Watch and draw 25 min
- 02 Show What You Learned Checkpoint, 10 min Checkpoint 10 min
- Free
Unit 3
On the move
One curved line holds the whole pose.
- 01 The Line of Action Concept, 4 min Concept 4 min
- 02 Show What You Learned Checkpoint, 10 min Checkpoint 10 min
- Free
Unit 4
Your critters
Shapes that feel friendly or scary, confident inking, and a critter of your own.
- 01 Friendly Monster Watch and draw, 25 min Watch and draw 25 min
- 02 Ink with Confidence Drill, 5 min Drill 5 min
- 03 Critter Remix Project, 40 min Project 40 min
- 04 Now: A Cat Then and now, 10 min Then and now 10 min
When you finish
A certificate for the fridge
Finish every lesson and Lapis makes a certificate to print or download, with the nickname, the course, the date and a drawing from it. Children get one too.
Lapis certificate
Cartoon Critters
finished by
your nickname
and the date you finish
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