Class is in session!

Join Joe for a vibrant new season, where you'll learn to draw an array of delightful creatures and blossoms, bringing the beauty of nature, spring, and summer gardens to life.

Draw a Cockroach

Learn how to draw a creepy, crawly cockroach, step-by-step, and discover fascinating facts about the world’s oldest living insect.

Draw a Daisy and a Ladybug

Learn how to draw a lovely ladybug and darling daisy, step-by-step, and discover fascinating facts about these garden favorites!

How to Draw a Grasshopper

Learn how to draw a lively grasshopper, step-by-step, and discover fun facts about these amazing insects.

Draw a Frog and a Dragonfly

Learn how to draw a friendly frog and a beautiful dragonfly, step-by-step, and discover fun facts about these amazing creatures.

Draw a Dandelion

Learn how to draw a beautiful dandelion in its flower and seed-bearing forms, step-by-step, and discover fun facts about Joe’s favorite flower.

Draw a Butterfly

Learn how to draw a beautiful butterfly, step-by-step, and learn just how fast they can fly!

Draw a Rose & a Bumblebee

Learn how to draw a beautiful rose and a bumbling bumblebee, step-by-step, and discover fun facts about their prickly relationship.

Season 4

  • The Everglades

    A flamingo, turtle, and manatee co-exist in Florida’s tropical wetlands. Joe emphasizes the beauty and diversity of Florida’s wildlife, while sharing artistic advice on the three planes of art.

  • Rainforest of Costa Rica

    A sloth, toucan, and tree frog ā€œhangā€ out among a lush canopy of trees. Students will also learn the importance of protecting habitats they may never visit. Composition and design are the creative lessons.

  • Sky Islands

    A coyote, a rattlesnake and a hummingbird co-exist high atop the Sky Islands of the American Southwest. Joe explains how stylistic choices can be influenced by a region’s artists and culture.

  • Diversity and Acceptance

    ā€œFlorpsā€ – a group of imaginary creatures with different body shapes, sizes and other variables — teach an important lesson in social and emotional learning. Artistically, Joe teaches how variations in basic design can create new characters.

  • Emotions

    Joe shows how we express our feelings through facial expressions. Viewers will also learn how emotion is used to help define a character’s personality.

  • Relationships

    Helping one another is ā€œstep oneā€ to building good friendships. This is shown by the symbiotic relationship between a rhinoceros and bird – two very different species who depend on each other. Joe discusses using size and scale to create a balanced scene.

Cartoon Academy Quick Draws

Enjoy these mini episodes of Cartoon Academy. In little more than a minute, Joe shares fun tips on everything from character personality - to practice!


Season 3

  • Lunar Friends

    Travel along as we blast off to the moon and learn how to draw an astronaut and his robotic friend. In this episode, Joe teaches us how to use our imagination in our drawings.

  • Alien Encounter

    In this episode, Joe Wos draws us into a close encounter of the alien kind! Follow along as Joe utilizes a rocket, some spacecraft, and an interplanetary friend to demonstrate motion and movement.

  • A Passion for the Planets

    Join Joe as he shares his passion for drawing planets such as Saturn, Pluto and a few that have yet to be discovered! Learn how to fill the cosmos with emotion by giving human traits to our neighboring planets.

  • Welcome to the Ocean Floor

    Dive deep with Joe Wos by drawing an octopus, blobfish, and anglerfish. Learn about the importance of depth and dimension.

  • A Work of Aarght

    Joe Wos immerses us in the world of pirates and sea monsters. Learn about the use of costumes, symbols, and texture as tools for bringing your drawings to life.

  • Can a Shark Have Friends?

    With the help of a shark, seahorse, and crab, Joe Wos shows the importance of developing a personal drawing style. He also shares some of his early influences.

  • T. Rex Territory

    We take on drawing the King of Dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and learn about the importance of creating a setting by using foreground, middle-ground and background.

  • Try Try Triceratops

    Take a trip into the past and learn how to draw the mighty Triceratops! In this episode, we will learn how the use of texture and shading can help to bring your drawings to life.

  • Jurassic Pals

    Joe shows the importance of scale by drawing an Apatosaurus and a Pterodactyl. Learn why composition is key when drawing these two dinosaur pals.

Season 2

Season 1

  • Kangaroo and Joey, Too

    Draw one of ā€œDown Under’sā€ most popular denizens – a kangaroo and its baby, commonly known as a Joey. Students will also learn about adding background to an illustration.

    Download coloring sheet

  • Koala and a Kooky Kookaburra

    Take to the trees of Australia where we learn to draw a Koala and Kookaburra. Students will also learn about using line to create the illusion of texture.

    Download coloring sheet

  • Platypus and Crocodile

    Learn to draw one of the world’s most unusual animals, the platypus and another Australian water creature, the crocodile. Students will also learn how similar features can be used to create completely different characters.

    Download coloring sheet

  • Playful Pig and Delightful Duck

    Learn how to draw a pig and duck using easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Students will be familiarized with art terms such as ā€œsetting,ā€ ā€œsymmetryā€ and ā€œprofile.ā€

    Download coloring sheet

  • Rooster on the Roof

    Learn how to draw that barnyard alarm clock commonly called the rooster. Students will also learn about conveying emotions through facial expression.

    Download coloring sheet

  • Cow

    Students will create a real scene at the farm. Incorporating a cow character, barn, and scenery. Students will also learn the basics of art composition.

    Download coloring sheet

Cartoon Academy was recognized with two regional EmmyĀ® Awards in 2022 by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-Atlantic Chapter in the categories of Education/Schools Short Form Content and Talent/Host.

About Joe Wos
Joe Wos is an award-winning, internationally syndicated cartoonist based in Pittsburgh. He has been working professionally as a cartoonist since the age of 14 and teaching cartooning for more than 30 years. Mr. Wos has performed with symphony orchestras, established a world record, and performed live at over 1,000 venues worldwide, including visits as the guest cartoonist of the Charles M. Schulz Museum for nearly 20 years. His educational drawing series “Cartoon Academy” premiered on WQED in 2021.

 

Additional Resources

PAĀ Academic Standards forĀ the Arts and Humanities (highlighted)

Vocabulary Definitions and Resources

Symmetry Handout

Emotions Worksheet

Composition and View Handout

Setting Handout

 

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