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Cartooning camps near you

As cartooning increases in popularity, the list of cartooning camps is growing across the country. Below, find your city and options close to you.

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More than just summer camp

For those deeply interested in cartooning, there are other ways to learn and develop this skill, beyond summer camp, which may dominate the list above. Programs run year round and overnight camps offer some deep immersion in this art form. Use our site to find different options below.

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Other camps you might look at

Cartooning is one among a rapidly growing list of arts-focused camps. If your child is interested in cartooning, you might also look into the following.

Animation camps: Offer curriculum and teaching in specialized animation programs, software, techniques, and topics.

Visual arts camps: Focus on the fine arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and fashion.

Graphic design camps and programs: teach kids basics in real-world design and presentation including design for logos, flyers, and more.

Writing and journalism camps: teach and develop various writing skills, for both fiction and non-fiction, such as grammar, punctuation, clarity, creativity, stylistics, and engagement.

Video game design camps: Kids learn different types of design and function, creation of 3-D characters, lighting, sound effects, and programming with the best tools and technologies available today.

Skills learned at cartooning camps

Cartooning camps enable kids to acquire critical knowledge and skills. This can be useful during childhood, the teen years, and throughout one’s life. It can also open up interesting career opportunities. 

Here are some skills and knowledge your child may acquire at a cartooning camp:

• Drawing fundamentals such as perspective, linework, and colouring techniques
• Caricature
• Character and design
• Visual storytelling
• Storyboarding
• Pencilling
• Cartooning media

Depending on the level and focus of the camp, your child may also learn some other important stuff: 

• Digital animation
• Writing basics
• Comic book writing
• Inking with a brush
• Thumbnailing layouts
• The history of cartooning
• Visual storytelling in cinema

Benefits of cartooning camps

As mentioned, cartooning camps help kids acquire pivotal knowledge and skills. This can inspire your child, open up creative outlets, and shape their educational and personal development.

Beyond these, there are numerous other potential perks of these camps. They include:

• Cultivating creativity
• Pursuing a passion
• Learning with like-minded peers
• Having fun while learning
• Opening up learning and career pathways
• Making friends

Possible career trajectories of cartooning camps

Most cartooning camps have an eye to the present and future. They provide kids with flexible learning options to pursue current interests. But they also often give them specific pathways to pursue educational opportunities.

Many cartooning camps also open the door to potential career paths. Here is a list of possibilities provided by Raise Me - Careers:

Common careers for cartoonists

• Book illustrator
• Caricature artist
• Comic book artist
• Comic illustrator
• Editorial cartoonist
• Illustrator
• Political cartoonist
• Sketch artist
• Tattoo artist

Less common careers for cartoonists

• Fashion illustrator
• Medical and science illustrator
• Video artist
• Multimedia artist and animator
• Digital animator
• Graphic designer
• Creative director
• Industrial designer
• Videographer
• Video game designer
• Concept artist
• VFX artist

Choosing the right cartooning camp for your child

What’s the best way to choose the right cartooning camp for your child? First, think more seriously about them: their age, experience, interests, and goals. 

• Is your child aiming to just learn the basics of cartooning? Or are they looking to take an important step towards a career in this field? 
• Do they want to focus on a specific area of cartooning, such as comic book illustration? Or are they looking to acquire a more general background?

Then, of course, you should look closely at the camps themselves. Talk to directors and staff, and visit camps whenever possible. Learn as much as you can about each camp to gauge whether it’s the right fit for your child.

Here are some key questions to get you started:

• What courses/programs do you offer?
• What level (e.g., introductory, intermediate, advanced) are they at?
• What exactly do they cover?
• What’s your teaching/instructional approach?
• Do children work more independently or collaboratively?
• What skills can I expect my child to come away with?
• What qualifications do the instructors have?
• What facilities and equipment do you use?

You may then need to delve deeper. For instance, if it’s a camp focusing on visual storytelling, you may ask the following questions:

• How do you teach visual storytelling?
• Is there a specific approach you use?
• Does my child need any specific background in this area?
• How might this skill help my child?
• What careers might this skill provide the basis for?

For further guidance on choosing the right camp for your child, check out the following resources:

Looking to do more research?

Camp might seem like an easy decision, but it’s not. There are many types of camps—in fact, there are many types of cartooning camps! It’s best to get a sense of the landscape before you make your decision. A great place to start is the Our Kids camp expo, held each winter in Toronto. You’ll find many camps there, including cartooning camps, and you can speak with directors, staff, and campers. We also offer valuable information sessions at the expo.

Finally, to learn more about cartooning, check out the following sources:

CoolCartooning.com: What is cartooning?
Norman Rockwell Museum: Cartooning
Making Comics: Introduction to cartooning