Donald Trump's False Hair - comics by kids

For my last Comic Art Masterclasses on the month I took a mini road trip through Northumberland, from Newcastle up to Alnwick, courtesy of the Hexham Book Festival who have had me back to the North East repeatedly, working with reluctant readers, on whom I seem to have some sort of effect. Trump has, again, reared his ugly head. And, in Northumberland CofE Academy, we see what rests on top of it.

And here we have the sort of good old fashioned fun titles you get when kids let their imaginations run free, and don't just make bloomin' Donald Trump gags. As always, all the kids in the class write a title down, then we choose the favourite. The covers get drawn, by me, very quickly, while the kids are designing their characters, then they add a small doodle to the cover while waiting for me to draw their faces. Lindisfarne Primary & John Calvert Spence College, how are those for cracking school names?

When I get the chance, by arriving in good time before the class starts, I get a drawing done on the flipchart. These are various mixed efforts from the past month. For the main image I usually work from reference from a popular comic, largely so that the kids will recognise the character and the style. Simple characters like Beano stars, Adventure Time, Doctor Who and the Simpsons I draw freehand, but to be honest kids seem to be equally impressed by me copying a drawing from reference on my phone as they are when I conjure the pictures up from nowhere. And I hope everyone appreciates how much effort I make to get as many female as male characters on each flipchart? You're welcome.

The celebrities these four classes chose for my demonstration strip were Neymar, Rowan Atkinson, Simon Cowell and Bill Gates.

Comic Art Masterclasses coming up in 2017:

April 5 - Rickmansworth Library
April 10 - Zion, Bristol
May 1 - Chiddingstone Castle Kent 
May 7 - Dorchester Festival
May 11 - Guernsey Literary Festival
Jun 4 - Martlets Hall Burgess Hill 

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries and art centres - email for details, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter. View the promo video here.