Drawing For Kids: Framing, Feathers and Faces

Mini wooden mannequin posed on a sketchbook, demonstrating basic human proportions

Drawing for Kids

Character Issues Academy's Character Art class provides guided drawing and sketching instruction for homeschool and after-school students, focusing on skill-building, confidence, and creative growth rather than rushed or random drawing.

In drawing for kids focused studio sessions, students develop real drawing skills that apply to character design, illustration, cartooning, and visual storytelling.

If your student enjoys drawing and wants to grow in sketching, cartooning, and character art, our classes are designed to meet them where they are and help them move forward with purpose.

Framing, Feathers and Faces

Art instructor's live demo sketch of a miniature wooden mannequin

Art instructor's live demo sketch of a miniature wooden mannequin

Wooden Mannequin Sketch

Recently, students worked from a small wooden mannequin to practice gesture, balance, and proportion. We posed it in a standing position to help learn about framing the body and limb proportion.

Using the mannequin removes distracting details and allows students to focus on how the underlying structure of the body is put together.

Art instructor's live demo sketch of a bird on a branch

Student sketches next to instructor's guided drawing demo sketch

Student drawing a bird following the live guided drawing session

Student drawing a bird following the live guided drawing session

Bird Sketch with Shading

Using a bird image as our subject, we practiced observing light and shadow. I demonstrated laying out the basic shapes first with what I call, "scribbly drawing" so that students would learn to break away from hard pressing with single-line contouring.

Birds are excellent for learning shading because they combine rounded forms, overlapping shapes, and subtle value changes.

Cartoon sketching live demo instructor's sketch

Cartoon sketching live demo instructor's sketch

Cartoon sketching of character face in early stage

Cartoon Head: Front and Profile

Using exercises from The Master Guide to Drawing Cartoons, I guided students in drawing a cartoon-styled head from the front view and the side view. This teaches how faces are constructed and how features align when a head turns—an essential skill for any character artist.

Each exercise was limited in scope on purpose. By narrowing the focus, students can concentrate on one challenge at a time instead of becoming overwhelmed.

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The Struggle: Where Real Learning Happens

Such exercises are not always easy at first.

Students struggled with proportions on the mannequin and found shading challenging when their drawings didn’t immediately look “right.” Drawing the same cartoon head from two angles was especially challenging, as it exposes gaps in understanding how faces actually work in three dimensions.

This kind of struggle is normal—and necessary.

When students hit these moments, it usually means they’re no longer guessing or copying but that they’re learning to see.

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The Strengthening

These drawing for kids exercises strengthened:

• Observation and attention to detail

• Patience and perseverance

• Problem-solving

• Confidence earned through effort

~ Fin ~

Character art, drawing, sketching, and cartooning classes for homeschool and after-school students