Danny Cohen and his brother Martin head up Cartoon Kingdom, Australia’s largest cartooning company specialising in entertainment and children’s educational programs.

The cartoon camps operate in eight counties around the world including the UK, USA, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia.

The Sunshine Coast cartoon camp will take place from Monday 3rd April to Thursday, April 6th in Twin Waters. To book, email [email protected] or visit Illustratingman.com.au

Danny writes about his organisation and what led him to create these opportunities for students:

“I am a professional cartoonist living in Sydney and I am married with three children. My brother Martin also lives in Sydney, working with radio stations.

“I spend my time travelling Australia and overseas running my camps. The children are taught step-by-step how to draw fun cartoons. No previous drawing skills are required. Children just need to be shown how to curve a line, and connect one point to another and before they know it – they have created a picture!

“I was always drawing as a child and I enjoyed the fact I could create on paper whatever I could imagine. I loved all things creative and wanted to be a cartoonist from a very young age. I loved reading Garfield comics and all the Disney cartoons. Mickey Mouse became an obsession and my home and office is decorated with paraphernalia relating to Mickey that I have collected.

“My brother Martin is a few years younger than me. When we were children, we use to fight like most siblings but in recent years we have become closer. We live close to one another and meet every week. Martin is the sensible and serious one and he tends to ground me. I am the big kid – a Peter Pan that never really grew up. I am the ideas man and Martin is the practical one. Martin comes from a creative classical musical background and has worked in radio media advertising for many years. I come from a creative visual background. Our skills complement each other. When my business was starting out, he would assist me with running the bigger camps across Australia. When I first launched our UK camps, Martin came with me and directed the Wimbledon and Manchester camps.

“Our capital city camps are very well established. I wanted to try a new location and we seem to do well in smaller communities. I’ve been to the Sunshine Coast several times and I’ve heard wonderful things about the community.

“The camps are not just for children that like to draw. Many of our loyal, long-term customers love all the fun, inclusive, challenging and exciting games.

“Children are very imaginative. I love to watch their creative process as they express themselves in so many ways. I like to encourage children to make friends and it is wonderful to hear stories of friendships that have grown beyond the camps, long after I have returned to Australia. In Singapore, the children have formed a large chat group to keep in contact with one another. Children also need to play. I enjoy taking them to the local parks for treasure hunts, safe water play fights, have a picnic lunch and just running around. Children today spend too much time on their devices or sitting at a computer. My policy is to take them out to enjoy nature, have fun and to rediscover the meaning of playing outdoors!

“For beginners, It’s always good to draw things that you are familiar with. I like to start with animals, pets, landscapes. When the children feel more confident, I do specific characters. As a part of my job, I keep up to date with the latest movies, books, computer games and comics and take an active interest in what is current with the children. For example, Pokémon came back into fashion again recently. I think I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get to draw for a living, travel the world, interact with children, meet new people and have fun every day. I love what I do and have made a career out of my hobby.”

Danny Cohen
Cartoon Kingdom
The Illustrating Man Designs Pty Ltd
Suite 2, 29 Newland Street,
Bondi Junction NSW 2022
www.illustrating-man.com.au
[email protected]
Tel: 02 9343 0833 (From Australia)
Tel: 0011 612 9343 0833 (From Overseas)