Cartooning &
Character Design
A 6-Week Live Online Course
with Eddie Pittman
September 1- October 13, 2026
(Class will not meet September 22)
Learn to Create Characters
That Tell Stories
Great cartoon characters are more than funny drawings.
They’re characters with personality. Characters that feel alive. Characters that make us laugh, care, and believe they have lives beyond the page.
In this six-week live online course, you’ll learn the same principles professional cartoonists, animators, and illustrators use to build memorable characters from the ground up.
We’ll start with simple shapes and construction, then gradually build toward expression, gesture, acting, color, and visual storytelling. Each lesson builds on the previous one, giving you a practical framework you can apply to your own drawings long after the course is over.
Whether your goal is comics, animation, illustration, children’s books, or simply becoming a stronger artist, this course will help you see your work in a new way.
This Is a Live Class!
This isn’t a collection of prerecorded videos!
Each week we’ll meet live on ZOOM for instruction, drawing demonstrations, discussion, and critique. You’ll receive weekly assignments designed to reinforce each lesson, along with instructor feedback to help you continue improving throughout the course.
Who Is This Class For?
This course is designed for adults 18 years of age and older who want to strengthen their drawing and storytelling skills.
Whether you’re interested in comics, animation, illustration, character design, or simply enjoy drawing cartoons, you’ll learn timeless principles that apply to every style.
Some drawing experience is helpful, but you don’t need to be a professional. If you can draw basic forms and are eager to improve, you’ll fit right in.
Week 1 — Building the Character
Shape • Form • Construction
Every strong character begins with a solid foundation. Learn how professional cartoonists simplify reality using basic forms, geometric construction, shape language, and silhouette to build believable characters instead of simply copying what they see.
Week 2 — Personality Through Design
Faces • Features • Expression
We’ll explore head construction, facial expressions, exaggeration, caricature principles, and how subtle changes to the eyes, mouth, eyebrows, and proportions can completely change how a character is perceived.
Week 3 — Bringing Characters to Life
Gesture • Rhythm • Appeal
Why do some drawings feel alive while others feel stiff?
We’ll study gesture, rhythm, line quality, straight-against-curve design, Contrast & Affinity, and the principles of appeal used by great cartoonists and animators.
Week 4 — Acting for Cartoonists
Acting • Behavior • Storytelling
Great cartoonists don’t just draw poses—they create performances.
Learn the difference between internal and external acting, how body language communicates emotion, and how behavioral qualities, story verbs, and posing can tell a story before a single word is spoken.
Week 5 — Color and Design
Value • Saturation • Temperature
Color is one of an artist’s most powerful tools. Learn how professionals use value, saturation, color harmony, temperature, shadows, highlights, Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color, and Contrast & Affinity to create stronger color choices.
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Week 6 — Visual Storytelling
Composition • Staging • Story
Now everything comes together. Learn how composition, staging, camera angles, and character relationships work together to guide the viewer’s eye and create illustrations that communicate a clear, engaging visual story.
Meet Your Instructor
Eddie Pittman
For more than 35 years, I’ve worked as a professional cartoonist, Disney animation artist, comic creator, caricaturist, and university instructor.
During my career I’ve contributed to animated productions including Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, and Phineas and Ferb, while also creating my own graphic novel series, Red’s Planet.
But teaching has always been one of my favorite parts of the job.
I began teaching figure drawing for aspiring animators in 1998, and over the years I’ve discovered that the biggest breakthrough for most artists isn’t learning another trick or technique.
It’s learning to see.
That’s the philosophy behind The Cartoonist’s Studio.
I’m not interested in teaching students to copy my style. My goal is to help you understand the principles behind strong drawing so you can develop your own voice and create characters that are solid, expressive, and full of life.
What my students are saying!
One of the best instructors I’ve had at the Academy.
Eddie Pittman has been the best storyboard instructor I have had here at AAU thus far. He has current industry knowledge/experience and a very warm and approachable personality which creates an environment ideal for learning. He was constantly involved in our online class and available for any questions. He also was open to all ideas and styles and gave constructive critiques on all work.Loved the class, really added a lot to my knowledge.
You are an excellent instructor and the Academy is very lucky to have you on board!
Full Live 6 Week Course
$399
$299
Introductory Launch Price
Invest in six weeks that will change the way you see drawing. Through live instruction, demonstrations, weekly assignments, and personal feedback, you’ll build a solid foundation for creating characters with personality, life, and story.