Drawing Decoder: Premium Version
A drawing course that teaches you to copy and “decode” cartoons accurately so that you can learn anything, simply by copying the cartoonists you admire.
Cartoon Drawing Decoder
A drawing course that teaches you to copy and “decode” cartoons accurately so that you can learn anything, simply by copying the cartoonists you admire.
You want to learn to cartoon but you don’t know how to draw….
And you don’t know what to draw to help you learn how to draw… so that you can draw cartoons!
You’re like a pendulum — back and forth you swing — between the two questions of how to draw vs. what to draw.
What you need is a clear, systematic process to get you going
You need to know how to start. So that you can leave the frustration of the “how vs. what pendulum” behind and actually start making progress.
Introducing: the Cartoon Drawing Decoder
How to Decode any Cartoon to Draw Faster and More Instinctively
You start off by learning how to ‘decode’ and recreate any cartoon character you see, to build the concrete drawing skills you need to draw something right in front of you, or something that only exists inside your head).
You also discover what makes something “a character” so that you can use that knowledge to develop your own future cartoon characters.
And throughout you’ll be using the inspiration of cartoons you know and love to build the foundations of your own personal cartooning style.
What you’ll learn in this Cartoon Drawing Decoder course
A non-intimidating system to develop your drawing skills
You may think drawing is an inborn talent, but that’s not the case. “Talent” is skill and skill comes from knowing what to practice, and how. I give you detailed exercises and a system to build your drawing skill via classic cartoons.
How to troubleshoot when things ‘don’t look quite right”
Specific self-correction techniques that help you eyeball your own work to be able to fix it so that you keep your skills growing, step by step.
Add extra life and energy to every cartoon
Using the right starting point and basic technique sounds simple, and it is. You’ll find it makes all the difference in the world.
How to develop your own personal style
A cartooning style soon becomes as unique as your handwriting, as long as you keep feeding it with inspiration and let it develop naturally. You’ll learn how to keep it evolving.
But what if you can’t draw at all?
The most common question I get is, “Are you sure I don’t need to be able to draw to do this? And will I really be able to draw afterwards?”
Fear, not! This course was developed by an adult beginner, and designed to require ZERO drawing ability to succeed.
The exercises are designed to take you step-by-tiny-step from being unable to draw, to confidently tackling relatively complex cartoons… within a matter of weeks.
If you can hold a pencil, you can succeed with this course.
And what if you CAN draw already?
You’ll still learn valuable skills, and increase your confidence to draw at a level that pleases you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I don’t have experience drawing beyond basic art class in school, which was over 30 years ago. Is that OK for this course?
It is safe to say that you will need none of that basic art class skill! I couldn’t draw a thing when I started cartooning at the age of forty 😀
Q: I want to draw a “me”. And I want to draw a “critter” interacting with “me”. Will the course give me this skill, assuming I show up and do the homework?
The Decoder course will give you the tools to get you well on your way; there’s no way forward without a foundation. It’s offers the kickstart and ability to copy almost any existing cartoon with relative confidence, which then enables you to take what you love from any cartoon and splice everything together to keep evolving.
Q: I intend to use my iPad to draw, is that OK?
Excellent, I couldn’t be happier. Procreate is the best iPad drawing app out there for the sort of cartooning we do here. It does have a learning curve… I can give you the pointers that will get you off on the right foot.
Q: How much time do people usually put into the course?
You’ll need to carve out 30-60 minutes for cartooning, 3 days a week. If you can add 15-30 minutes to doodle around another 2 days in the week, you will be flying.
Q: How long will I need?
The content is designed for 15-20 minute sessions over 4 weeks (3-4 sessions a week), however you can set whatever pace you are comfortable with.
Q: Do I get any support or feedback?
This is a home-study course. You will be working by yourself. So you can go at your own pace. Only this Premium version offers email input from Alison.
I had a secret, unspoken fear that I’d be terrible, that it would become clear to me that I had no ability to draw whatsoever.
Instead, I learned valuable skills, and I've increased my confidence that I will learn to draw to a level that pleases me. (I'm not there yet, but I've made great progress).
The feature I liked best about the course
I liked the "decoding" aspect, how Alison taught us how to see circles and other shapes in familiar images (and in negative space as well).
I liked the specific homework assignments, though I sometimes struggled to do them daily.
About other benefits of the course:
- The videos allowed me to see [Alison] do the work [she] was asking me to attempt.
- Having both written and video instructions was helpful.
- The circley-circle pigs assignment created early success. And early success can be a big factor in helping people stay motivated, so that was terrific.
I'd recommend the course for anyone who'd like to improve their cartooning skills
The skills build upon each other, so you'll keep applying the insights from earlier lessons as you learn new concepts, but the guidelines are specific and clear so it doesn't feel like you have a million things you need to remember for every assignment.
Colleen Pelar, USA
What this course is NOT about
1) It’s not about learning to cartoon in a specific style
Cartooning styles are as unique as handwriting, everyone draws slightly differently even when drawing the same thing. This course is about helping you draw well enough to develop your own cartoon style over time.
2) It’s not about “gag” cartoons and side-splitting humour
Yes, cartoons are meant to be entertaining, but figuring out humour is a skill for further down the line. This course is about enabling you to draw well enough to create scenes for your humorous future stories
3) It’s not about drawing accurate anatomy
If you want to draw Manga characters or superheroes with hyper-realistic human anatomy, this is not the place for that.
4) It’s not about mastering cartooning software
While you will see me using digital tools (and you are also welcome to do so) the course doesn’t cover Procreate or anything similar. It is focused 100% on the nitty-gritty of drawing skills and character decoding which can then be applied in any medium, digital or analogue.
After doing her great stickman course, I had totally trust in the course and in Alison.
I learned a lot. Things like this:
- "In cartoonland is everything possible"
- Out of mess you get the most beautiful drawings. When I not think before what I wanna draw exact, it just coming out of your pencil.
- Directly drawing on the iPad.
What I liked best about the course
The last week, I was so surprised about the things coming out of my pencil. Before I would look to my white paper, look again… and take a lot of time before starting. Now, all over the day, idea’s popping up in my head and sometimes just sitting on the bank with the iPad or with a piece of paper, [ideas] just coming out of my pencil.
I would recommend the course for ...
...everybody who wants to build up more drawing skills.
Esther van der Linden, The Netherlands
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What’s unique about this cartooning drawing course?
Most drawing courses are broad, dry and technical. Like art classes at school, they make you feel utterly hopeless with pens, pencils, paint or anything else “arty”.
This course will have you doodling little pigs from the first moment (and giggling out loud because what comes out of the pencil will be far better than you expected). It will give you confidence to tackle far more complex cartoon characters than you imagined you’d be able to.
Ali’s No-Questions-Asked Guarantee
If for any reason you don’t like this course, email me within 30 days and I’ll refund you in full — no questions asked.
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Your Instructor
Alison Beere has been the Da Vinci cartooning trainer since 2014. She has tutored more than 185 adult beginners day by day from their first pencil strokes to creating full-on cartoon characters.
Her strength is that she was an adult beginner herself, learning cartooning at the age of 40 having never been able to draw. She had the blessing of a great mentor, and that's why she now teaches — to help people like you also tap into the lighthearted superpower of being a cartoonist.
She still remembers the challenges of an adult beginner (and how to overcome them).