Cartoon and Anime

Cartoon and Anime for Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2

Young students love cartoons and animation, so why not bring that excitement into the art room? In this playful unit, children will learn the basics of cartooning – drawing fun characters with exaggerated features and rounded forms, then bringing them to life with vibrant colour using pencils, watercolours, edicol dye or alcohol ink markers.

They’ll explore expressive styles through projects like Crazy Cats and Friendly Dogs, sketching unique characters and adding imaginative details. The unit also introduces the popular Japanese “Kawaii” style, featuring adorable creatures like axolotls, narwhals and llamas. Students will learn to build characters from simple shapes, then design their own Kawaii scene using harmonious and contrasting colours.

A perfect way to boost creativity and confidence through drawing!

Anime for Grades 3 and Grade 4

Get ready for cuteness overload! Students in Grades 3 and 4 will explore the world of Chibi and Kawaii drawing—popular Japanese-inspired drawing styles known for their sweet, playful charm.

Students will learn how to draw Chibi animals with oversized heads, expressive faces, and simple, rounded forms. They’ll create an adorable cast of characters including a penguin, koala, cat, rabbit, panda, or llama.

Next, we head into the kitchen! Students will design a fun-filled scene featuring Kawaii foods like smiling avocados, cheeky peas, cupcakes, and colourful donuts. They’ll develop their drawings using basic shapes and sketching techniques to bring their scenes to life. A great way to build drawing confidence, storytelling skills, and creative expression—while having loads of fun!

Cartoon and Anime for Grade 5 and Grade 6

This creative unit combines humour, character design, and bold colour! Students will draw cartoon vegetables on sports day – think racing carrots, victorious broccoli, and bystander leek – using dynamic poses and expressive faces.

Chibis are a kid friendly version of Japanese anime or manga, with big heads and small bodies. Students will design their own flowerpot Chibi characters, blending pot plant features with playful plant based personalities. Kids can develop their illustrations with alcohol ink markers, learning layering, blending, and shading techniques to enhance depth and vibrancy. A fun way to grow storytelling, drawing skills, and creative flair!

When kids gain confidence they can create their own Chibi characters as well. There is a drawing guide to use for proportions and each one takes around an hour to draw.  We use alcohol ink markers and marker paper for this project.