Aiden completed thumbnail sketches for the final two panels of his comic with strong composition. Though the assignment is meant to be simple, he is challenging himself by incorporating complex perspective. I gave a short demo on how to mirror a shape across a centerline to help him grasp fundamental perspective concepts.

I arrived late (25 min), but Cam was already hard at work. He completed his South Park-style portrait and made significant progress on a Simpsons-style portrait. He has decided to emulate the styles of Family Guy, Dragon Ball Z, and Big Mouth for his next portraits. He is wrapping up the Simpsons portrait and will begin the others in the next class.

Absent

Cam finished his 4-panel comic during the first half of class, choosing to keep it in lineart with one red accent (a heart). I introduced our new cartoon self-portrait assignment, and he selected South Park as his first style. I provided a demo on how to draw hair in that style and taught him how to use Procreate’s selection and fill tools. He stayed after class to continue refining his portrait. Homework: brainstorm four additional cartoons to mimic.

I offered Lucas a new assignment, but he chose to continue work on a colored pencil piece he's been developing with Mr. Marcus. I supported his decision and observed his focused progress.

David and I reviewed three final color variants of his current project. I demonstrated how converting the image to grayscale can clarify the effectiveness of highlights. We discussed color values—midtones, highlights, and shadows—and I introduced blending modes in Procreate to refine his color choices. David began experimenting with color, then transitioned to shape and proportion studies through a drawover exercise. He showed excellent understanding of layers and grouping. He continued applying these lessons during lunch, combining designs and implementing feedback.

Aiden is working diligently on his 4-panel comic assignment, which requires students to visually convey a complete story in just four images. His narrative is complex and text-heavy, but he has embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. His first panel is nearly finished, and the second is well-planned. He demonstrates a strong sense of perspective and is drawing inspiration from Minecraft, using simplified cube forms—a highly effective strategy for developing spatial awareness. He remained highly focused and engaged throughout class.

My goal for my first session with Sam was to get a better understanding of his goals so that we can plan our tutoring sessions around topics that would be most useful to him. When I’d first met Sam, he told me that he had a small business called “Printwave” where he and his peers work together to 3D print and sell various toys to their classmates. I was interested in learning more about this project because I think it would be a great starting point for us to learn essential graphic design and 3D prototyping skills. Sam gave me an excellent rundown of what his business does such as what toys they print, which ones are the bestsellers, which software they use to acquire models, and the logistics of managing a team with several different printers. Our first assignment is to design a catalogue so that his peers can make requests to order and to assess the demand from other grade levels and other schools.

Ben started the session by giving me a tour of his sketchbook, showcasing his strong graphic design skills and impressive logo work. He was assigned a world-building exercise focused on designing a "city in the sky" and immediately began sketching and planning the composition. His early sketches demonstrated strong attention to perspective and architectural details. For his next session, he will continue refining this concept by adding more intricate elements and researching real-world and fantasy cityscapes for inspiration. Ben’s natural ability in composition and branding could benefit from deeper exploration into architectural illustration and perspective drawing.

Draw a picture and use wacky colors to fill it in.