Candy Land do what Candy Can

We had a great time drawing Candy Land for my Cartoon and Comics free trial last week. This class is for children ages 7 to 12. I remember the appeal of the witche’s house in Hansel and Gretel when I was little or how awesome it felt creating colorful ginger bread houses over the holiday season. I figured that this appealing theme would be a great source of inspiration for the kids. Let’s talk a bit about what they created. The names that I will be using will be fictitious to protect their identity.

Bart really impressed me with this one Because it is a powerful display of cubist perpective. He shows keen intuition in how he conveys one point perspective. There are layers to the colorful outline that keep you guessing when looking at the shape of the house. The horizon line is oblique, creating such a dynamic composition that the house looks like it is actually moving.

Fish person, that is how we call her, also has a strong sense of composition. I had told everyone to bring the horizon line higher than the bottom of the page. You can see here that the land in front of the buildings is inviting and gives you a space to stand in front of the buildings. As a result, the viewer feels included in the action. I do wish that she outlined the frozen yogourt building with a broader line.

Am I the only one getting an Attack on Titan feel with the scale of Natsuki’s work? Can you imagine an invasion of plushies like that. Maybe that would be even creepier than the ecstatic and deranged figures from the anime.

I wanted to teach her to layer the colored pencils in the land and she was very receptive.

The top left one has movement and the colors are well saturated making, the drawing quite lush.

The middle left drawing made the cut thanks to the donought floating in the sky and the marshmallow cat which both help the drawing be lively and fashion foward.

The lower left one is well executed but also terrifying. I think it’s important not to censor the darker side of childhood. The gory subject of the butcher is after all what Alphonso was exploring and he shouldn’t have to be ashamed. Art is an important way for children to make sense of the world around them and so I am relieved when I see violence. They take in a lot of violence so it makes sense that it would become a part of what they have to express. This was a follow up drawing when my pupils were done drawing Candy Land. The subject is a person doing their job.

Mina, born the same day as me, is a huge Applejack fan. I did the rough drawing for her, using an reference from the web, and she cleaned it up and colored it. It was a great collaboration. The pupils could be darker but otherwise it is excellent. I did have to ask to layer the orange a bit more on the coat as it is common for me to push my artists a little at the end. I think a part of them just wants to be done.

I had to break it to Natsuki that Princess is not a job. I just wanted to work on a more empowered femininity so I told her that I would allow a hobbyist princess instead. She loved my idea of a gardening princess.

Here, Catherine is working on an artist, I also really like the tree that she drew.

I used whatever spare time I had to make this drawing, inspired by all the conversations about candy which were frankly making us hungry indeed.

My class is very successful these days and if some artists were not showcased, it is only to make the sweets more digestible. I respect where everyone is at and they all made a beautiful effort.

It is clear to me that I am where I belong. I am really beginning to believe it! I am super proud of the progress I see in those returning for many terms, some for many years like Bart or Fish person. A parent wanted to stay in the corner of the room but I refused. I want this to be a community where children are amongst themselves, it is much cooler.

Join Steemit Dreamit on Discord!