Course Prices
Inside UK
£400.00
Outside UK
£425.00
Instalments UK & International
£400.00 in 4 instalments at £100.00 each
International students will not be supplied with a paper copy
Cartooning Online Art Course
Tutored by John Byrne
The Cartooning Course is a Diploma Course.
Bring your cartoons to life! Whether you’re cartooning for fun or considering a career in humorous illustration, the Cartooning Diploma Course is the perfect starting point. From caricatures and comic strips to satirical cartoons, you’ll develop the creative and technical skills to bring your ideas to life.
With step-by-step exercises and personalised tutor feedback, you’ll gradually improve your skills and confidence. The course covers everything from basic drawing to colour, perspective, humour, and creating expressive characters.
What you will learn
- Basic techniques and getting started with cartooning
- Colour theory and perspective in cartoons
- Creating expressive faces, eyes, and character features
- Drawing children, animals, and birds in cartoon style
- Understanding humour and main joke formats for cartoons
- Strip cartoons and caricature techniques
- Tips on presenting and promoting your work to audiences or clients
The course includes 28 written units and 5 supporting videos to demonstrate key techniques. You will receive detailed tutor feedback on each assignment, helping you identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Meet your tutor
John Byrne is a professional cartoonist and illustrator with over 20 years of experience. He has helped thousands of students develop their cartooning skills, from complete beginners to aspiring professionals. His feedback is encouraging, practical, and designed to help you bring your creative ideas to life.
🖼️ Student Gallery
See the fantastic work created by our cartooning students: Visit the Cartooning Student Gallery →
❤️ Student Feedback
"This has been the most positive learning experience I've ever had. In just over a year, I have gone from barely being able to draw to executing four-panel strip cartoons and single panel cartoons in more detail than I imagined possible. John's guidance was positive and really allowed me to get the best out of myself."
— P Graham"The course was extremely good, well constructed and the whole experience more than exceeded my expectations. John Byrne’s comments were totally constructive, well thought out and always very helpful. A great course!"
— A Quinton"Lovely course and very helpful. I would use a course like this again."
— A Wood"Good course to lay down the base of your knowledge about cartooning. After that, you can keep improving through practice."
— P Singh"Just saying thank you very much, my tutor was really helpful and very kind. Thank you!"
— B Colina Attili
❓ FAQs
Do I need previous drawing experience?
No. This course is suitable for beginners, though basic drawing confidence is helpful. The course starts with fundamentals before moving on to advanced techniques.
How long will the course take to complete?
Most students complete the course in about 1 year, but you have up to 2 years to finish at your own pace.
Will I receive personal feedback?
Yes. Your tutor, John Byrne, will provide detailed and constructive feedback on your assignments to help you develop your cartooning skills.
Can I become a professional cartoonist after this course?
Many students use the course to develop a portfolio for personal or professional use. While the course teaches the skills, becoming a professional will depend on ongoing practice and self-promotion.
All our courses are written to be your comprehensive guide into
each of their subject matters. We understand that students appreciate
clarification about various aspects of their work from a course tutor, whom
provide reassurance that techniques are put into practice effectively.
Each courses has its own dedicated Tutor. The tutor keeps the
course up to date and relevant to today's students. They are available to the
individual student for advice and encouragement. Each course has regular
exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give the
student the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to
test themselves as they go along. Students are encouraged to submit the
assignment work to the college for the tutor to critique.
The student's work will be returned together with the tutor's
personal critique. On many courses the assignment work may be suitable for
inclusion in a student's Portfolio of Work that could be very useful later. The
college will use the assignments submitted as the basis for any award of a
letter, certificate or diploma.
All our courses are written to be your comprehensive guide into
each of their subject matters. We understand that students appreciate
clarification about various aspects of their work from a course tutor, whom
provide reassurance that techniques are put into practice effectively.
Each courses has its own dedicated Tutor. The tutor keeps the
course up to date and relevant to today's students. They are available to the
individual student for advice and encouragement. Each course has regular
exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give the
student the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to
test themselves as they go along. Students are encouraged to submit the
assignment work to the college for the tutor to critique.
Coursework can be submitted online, as digital photographs, in your individual art room account and the tutor will upload their critique for you to download and retain forever. On many courses the assignment work may be suitable for inclusion in a student's Portfolio of Work that could be very useful later. The college will use the assignments submitted as the basis for the award of your diploma.
On successful completion of this course you will have studied new skills and gained knowledge purely for your own enjoyment and development.
| Media: Equipment used | Subject: Areas covered | Techniques: Skills developed |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Click the download button below to view a pdf sample course page which will open in a new tab. Alternatively right click and save the file. Please be patient for it to load.
Below are a few images from the course itself illustrated by tutor and artist John Byrne.
Hope you are well. I just got published in the New Cartoonist! Thanks for all the feedback and encouragement.
Very good course, well structured and special thanks to John Byrne, for the professional and useful manner of tutoring!
I liked the course materials very much; that they came in a folder in print form allowed me to read and engage in a range of places. The online videos are good too and (personally) I'd like to see more video of John talking about and drawing cartoons - this would help give insight into cartooning as well as his philosophies and stories of his cartooning experiences which are important and engaging.
I think the course I did was great and really helped me improve. Also my tutor’s feedback was very helpful and will help me for when I draw in the future. Overall I think the course was educational and I really enjoyed doing it.
Overall a very informative and creative course that offered a great range of helpful knowledge and skills that have greatly developed my passion for cartooning.
This has been the most positive learning experience I've ever had. In just over a year, I have gone from barely being able to draw to executing four-panel strip cartoons and single panel cartoons in more detail than I imagined possible. John's guidance was positive and really allowed me to get the best out of myself. I can't recommend this course highly enough to people who are interested in humorous cartooning. Also, the price is very reasonable for the value that's on offer.
The course was extremely good, well constructed and the whole experience more than exceeded my expectations. The admin/tech support staff were excellent - Melanie was very helpful throughout. The tutor, John Byrne, was exceptional. His comments were totally constructive, well thought out and always very helpful. A great course!
Lovely course and very helpful. I would use a course like this again.
Good course to lay down the base of your knowledge about the specific course and after that you can by practising get improved.
Just saying thank you very much, my tutor was really helpful and very kind. Thank you :) :) :) :)