Artist Jin An Wong will lead artists young and old in two classes this October at Donkey Mill Art Center.
Artist Jin An Wong will lead artists young and old in two classes this October at Donkey Mill Art Center.
The first is the six-week class, “Drawing the Human Form,” which will take place 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Oct. 5 and the second is a four-day Comic Book Workshop for youth that will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 11-14.
Wong is also a surfer and tai chi/chi gong instructor, so coming to the Big Island was like responding to nature calling. His accolades include a Clio (for the TV commercial for Sunkist Orange) and an Emmy for his animated short film called “Bean Sprouts” but his teaching will be focused on his dedication to bring attention to the fundamentals of art “not letting a machine think for you or substitute for meaningful self-expression.”
The “Drawing the Human Form” class is $216 for Donkey Mill members and $256 for nonmembers. That’s in addition to a $50 model and $20 supply fee.
In this class, students will work from books, a skeleton and live models. Artists across time have shared the belief that understanding the human form is essential to all aspects of the fine arts. Wong is a big proponent of that school of thought and credits his professional success to a strong grounding in his grasp of the human form. The course will teach how to construct the human figure from the skeleton, understand body proportions, and work from live models. Students will work in graphite and charcoal.
The Comic Book Workshop is $192 for members and $220 for nonmembers, in addition to a $10 supply fee.
During the workshop, students will be presented with a strong introduction to character design and storytelling for comics. They will learn how to construct a cartoon character, formulate its personality, and understand story structure using the three-act play method. They will incorporate their character(s) into a storyline that will be made into a five-page comic book.
Info: donkeymillartcenter.org, 322-3362.