Pink Panther artist to teach art classes to teens

[Clouseau]

www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060702-9999-m1m02tfsm.html

Youths can fine-tune art, computer skills

July 2, 2006

SAN MARCOS – It's a chance to learn new skills, explore new interests and glimpse college life.

This summer, California State University San Marcos Extended Studies will offer a series of youth enrichment workshops on campus.

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Well-known cartoonist and former school teacher Eric Teitelbaum, co-creator of the “Pink Panther” comic strip, will teach the art classes Aug. 7-9. The workshops are open to students 10 to 16.

In the cartooning class, Teitelbaum, who also coordinates the summer youth workshops, will show examples of his work.

“It's a big hoot. Kids love it,” he said.

He will talk about the three basic symbols in cartooning: the circle, the 'u' and the line.

“When used in correct fashion, you can craft a super hero or a caricature of Bush or Clinton,” Teitelbaum said.

Students will learn representational drawing and work on projects ranging from still life to collage in the fine art class. Teitelbaum will cover elements such as composition, line, balance and texture.

“They will develop the ability to observe and compose,” he said.

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[Clouseau]

got another article about this, for those interested...
www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/07/23/news/inland/21_06_077_22_06.txt

'Pink Panther' cartoonist to host Cal State workshops

By: NOELLE IBRAHIM - For the North County Times

SAN MARCOS ---- As a former substitute school teacher, internationally known cartoonist Eric Teitelbaum misses being in the classroom.

That's why Teitelbaum, co-creator of the new "Pink Panther" comic strip, is returning to his teaching roots to instruct young art enthusiasts in cartooning and realistic drawing in two workshops offered through Cal State San Marcos Extended Studies.

For the second consecutive year, youths ages 9 to 16 have the opportunity to explore their creative sides with point-by-point drawing instruction in each of the three-day art workshops that will be held on campus in August.


"Seeing the kids run up to their parents and say ëlook what I did' is really gratifying," said Teitelbaum, in an interview last week. "It's surprising how quickly they learn."

Teitelbaum, who has taught various classes for the Extended Studies program since 2002 and has lectured at other universities across the nation, said art education is especially important for young people.

"The goal is to allow kids to understand that there is a world of opportunity for professions in the arts," he said. "Even if they don't choose art as a profession, they'll have a way of expressing themselves and diffusing the pressure of the daily grind."

Teitelbaum chose to express himself through art at an early age. As a child, he grew up in a household where the business world and the comedy world merged, and often illustrated the comedic writings of his father.

He later joined forces with his brother Bill, an award-winning art director and graphic designer, to create "Bottom Liners," a nationally syndicated comic panel satirizing Wall Street, office politics and popular culture. Teitelbaum and his brother have produced the panel together for 12 years.

"The only problem is getting up in the morning and being funny when you don't feel funny," he said.

The Teitelbaum brothers teamed up again last year to launch the new "Pink Panther" comic strip in celebration of the iconic character's 40th birthday.

"We try to get in the head of this cat," Teitelbaum said, describing how he and Bill keep a 5-foot-tall puppet of the Pink Panther sitting near them during drawing sessions for inspiration.

Teitelbaum said he welcomes the chance to step away from his work at the drawing board and share his ideas with students.

In the first of the workshops, "Funny Pictures: A Cartooning Workshop for Kids," Teitelbaum will encourage children to develop their own original cartoon characters using the three basic shapes in cartooning: the circle, the 'u' and the line. Students will also learn the concepts of facial expression and movement, applying them to both human and animal characters.

In addition, they will learn the basics of a designing a cartoon gag and how to fill in word bubbles with humorous dialogue.

"The humorous bent and exaggeration of the picture are what makes it," Teitelbaum said. "Kids will have a great opportunity to merge writing and drawing." The cartooning workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Aug. 7-9.

While "Funny Faces" focuses on exaggeration, the "Fine Arts for Kids: Introduction to Realistic Drawing" workshop examines realistic representation of images while working with graphite, charcoal, ink wash and color pencil.

"It's a hoot because the kids really get energized about making a drawing that looks so realistic," Teitelbaum said.

The fine arts workshop, which will be held from 1to 4 p.m., Aug. 7-9, will teach students how to create "illusionist space" by taking a two-dimensional surface and making the object on it appear three-dimensional.

"It's magical to make an object appear like it's coming off the paper," he said.

Teitelbaum said the classes will differ from last year by offering students more individual instruction. He said he wants to help each student develop his or her personal style.

Overall, his hope is that younger students will be aware of the learning programs available at universities in their neighborhood.

Assistant Dean of Extended Studies Suzanne Lingold said that is precisely the goal of the program.

"We want to reduce any fear kids might have about coming to a university," Lingold said. "This gives them the opportunity to see the campus and feel more comfortable, while doing something fun at the same time."

Each workshop costs $149 and will provide students with all drawing materials necessary for in-class use. Both will be held in Room 104 of the Foundation Classroom Building on campus.

For more information, or to register, contact Extended Studies at [phone] or visit www.csusm-es.org on the Web.

[Clouseau]

here's another...
www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20060729-9999-m1m29clastxt.html

Cartoonist aims to draw out students' talent

By Amy Carson
UNION-TRIBUNE COMMUNITY NEWS WRITER
July 29, 2006

SAN MARCOS – Who says that doodling in class doesn't pay?

Eric Teitelbaum began his career doing exactly that, and now his cartoons appear in The New Yorker and newspapers across the country. He and his brother Bill write and draw the “Pink Panther” cartoon strips, as well as “Bottom Liners.” Teitelbaum will teach two classes at Cal State San Marcos Extended Studies in August: “Funny Pictures,” Aug. 7-9, for kids ages 10 to 16, and “Blackboard Cartooning for Teachers,” Aug. 5 and 12.

Teitelbaum and his brother began submitting their work to publications in New York when they were still in high school. It was largely their father, he said, who encouraged them to pursue careers as artists.

“My father was a frustrated lawyer who had always wanted to be a comedy writer,” Teitelbaum said. “He saw facility for myself and my brother in drawing, and we're very lucky that he encouraged that.”

Now Teitelbaum freelances from his home in Los Angeles and teaches art and cartooning workshops across the country. One of his classes, “Blackboard Cartooning,” gained him a television series on PBS in the 1980s.

“Many teachers do not come from an artistic background, but are often charged with responsibility of doing a creative lesson,” Teitelbaum said. “Blackboard cartooning brings novelty into the classroom, and it's a great attention-getter. Rather than use a search engine, you can put pencil to paper and instantly create a picture to make written language understood.”

Teitelbaum begins his classes by explaining that all cartoon characters are composed of three basic symbols: an “O,” a “U,” and a line. Using those three shapes, artists can create hundreds of pictures, he said.

He then discusses the importance of space, perspective and movement. A two-dimensional picture can appear 3-D through the use of shading, for example, but different types of paper and drawing implements can also create depth and variety of visual effects.

In the kids' cartooning class, students have the opportunity to create a cartoon strip from start to finish.
Teitelbaum teaches not only how to draw cartoon figures, but also how to develop believable characters and dialogue.

“If I want to write for a character, I need to understand him,” he says to his students. “What he eats, how he spends his days, to know how he would act in different situations.”

Techniques for writing humor are also covered, including figurative language, sight gags and surprise endings.

“Kids come up with the best captions,” Teitelbaum said. “One that comes to mind was a sketch that a kid drew of guy in a park holding a daisy. He was picking the petals, and everyone expected him to say, 'She loves me, she loves me not.' But instead it was, 'She loves me, she's only out for my money.' ”

What: “Blackboard Cartooning for Teachers” and “Funny Pictures: Cartooning Workshop for Kids”
Where: Cal State San Marcos, 333 Twin Oaks Valley Road
When: Blackboard Cartooning, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 5 and 12; Funny Pictures, 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 7-9
Cost: Blackboard Cartooning: $99; Funny Pictures: $149
To register: [phone] or www.csusm-es.org