Cartooning Basics for Kids

A free workshop for kids ages 6-12 to learn about cartooning and have fun drawing with peers!

We will explore:

• What “cartooning” actually means – and how it differs from other kinds of art
• How to use basic shapes (like circles, squares, and triangles) to draw characters
• How to change character faces and body language to show different emotions
• Tips for drawing humans, animals, and fantasy creatures

What to bring:

• Something to draw on (paper, a sketchbook, or notebook)
• Something to draw with (1-2 pencils with erasers)

Venue & reserving seats:

This workshop will take place inside Crescent Beach Community Gallery at 12160 Beecher St, Surrey, BC. Parking around the gallery can be a challenge, so please leave yourself plenty of time to find a spot or use public transit (you can map out your trip using TransLink’s Trip Planner).

We have 10 seats available for workshop attendees and kindly require RSVPs to make sure we don't run out of chairs or supplies. (If the workshop fills up, you'll be prompted to join a waiting list if you'd like to be notified if someone else cancels. The facilitator is open to scheduling additional workshops if there's interest!)

• Younger children (ages 6-9) MUST be accompanied by a parent/guardian. If you’d like to take the workshop with your child(ren), please factor yourself into the number of seats you reserve. If you prefer to hang out nearby (in the adjoining room, just outside the gallery, or in your car), you only need to reserve seats for your kid(s). Please let the facilitator know your plans when you arrive.
• Older children (10-12) may be accompanied by a parent/guardian or dropped off (with permission). If you’d like to take the workshop with your child(ren), please factor yourself into the number of seats you reserve. If your older child is comfortable taking the workshop alone and you will drop them off/pick them up, please arrive 10-15 minutes early to check in with the facilitator to provide written consent and emergency contact information.

Questions / contact:

Please email ArtAllAlong@gmail.com if you have any questions or accessibility requests.

Meet the facilitator

Danielle Mijo-Burch (www.mijoburch.com) is a cartoonist and graphic designer based in S'ólh Téméxw (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) who creates art rooted in nerddom, community care, and justice. She holds a BA in Ethnic, Gender, and Labour Studies from the University of Washington, and has spent the bulk of her 13-year career designing for non-profits and higher education. In 2021, she transitioned to freelancing to take on illustrative projects that indulge her love of fantasy, inclusive character design, and comedic storytelling. Some of her biggest influences include Over the Garden Wall, Studio Ghibli, Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant), and Abby Howard (The Last Halloween, Scarlet Hollow).

Danielle has created art for the McElroy Brothers (of the hit comedy podcast My Brother, My Brother, and Me), Jam in Jubilee 2022–2024 (a summer arts/music festival hosted by the Abbotsford Arts Council), Tabletop Weekend 2024 at Capital Mall Olympia, and a variety of other causes that focus on nerdery and community connection. She also designed and illustrated Emails to Emily Dickinson (2022), a visual memoir by Amelia Glebocki about the 'invisible lives' of grocery store workers at the outbreak of COVID-19, which earned a nod online from award-winning author and McArthur fellow Kiese Laymon.

Danielle is one of six BC-based artists showing work at Crescent Beach Community Gallery from Nov. 21–Dec. 14, 2025, in a free art exhibition and workshop series titled ‘It’s Been Art All Along: Women Making Sense/Cents Through Art in a World on Fire.' You can read more about the show at bit.ly/ArtAllAlong.