We’re offering a virtual PA Day camp on Friday, June 4th, for campers ages 8-12. Campers will dive into the history of animation, learn fundamentals in drawing cartoons and the different styles of animations and comic books. Facilitated by illustrator and 3D artist BritneyCoates, campers will feel excited and confident to explore the style they like best while continuing to develop their overall drawing ability!
Animation part 1: History & Technique
Morning 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
In this workshop, students will be introduced to a brief history of animation in North America; a demonstration of basic drawing techniques; and an exploration of different cartoon styles.
Animation part 2: Anime/Mange Style
Afternoon 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
In part two, students will start with an overview of animation in Japan (known as anime), as well as its comic-book counterpart: manga. Afterwards there will be a drawing demo of the anime/manga style, with a talk on how it differs from North American styles. By the end of the day, students will feel excited and confident to explore the style they like best, while continuing to develop their overall drawing ability.
Sketches by Britney Coates
Required Materials List (for participants to prepare in advance of the workshops):
Blank white paper (printer paper is great, so is a sketchbook. Avoid construction paper – the texture is too rough for drawing)
Pencils (preferably HB, mechanical pencils are also good, but a regular graphite-surrounded-by-wood pencil is best)
Pencil sharpener
Pencil crayons (whichever colours you like)
Pens (ballpoint pens and felt-tip pens are great, otherwise a fine-line marker)
Britney has been an artist since she was a toddler drawing on the walls (much to her mother’s dismay). She grew up playing video games, watching Disney movies and anime, and eventually graduated from two animation schools before beginning her career as a freelance artist, and then as an artist for video games. Britney works as a 3D Generalist at a children’s media production company in Toronto, a wonderful city where she indulges her other great love: food. Brit and her partner run a small design company, Kitchensink Creative, and live together with their little rescue dog, Whisky.
Annie Katsura Rollins (she/they) is a community arts worker, researcher, and puppetry artist. Finding a sense of much needed belonging in community theatre as a young person, she pursued understanding this feeling of connectedness through the arts with degrees in performance (BFA), theatre performance, direction, and puppetry (MFA) and finally a study in traditional lineages of folk puppetry in China (PhD). She concurrently tested this understanding through over 20 years of professional work in art education, facilitation, and community building.
Since moving to Toronto in 2017, Annie has worked in the community arts sector and co-founded and co-curates with Concrete Cabaret, Toronto’s only experimental puppet slam. Annie is a professor in the University of Connecticut graduate certificate program in puppetry arts. She believes that having the arts in our everyday lives is no longer a luxury but a necessity.
Steffi Ng
Sin Tung (Steffi) Ng (she/her) explores the complexities of Asian immigration experiences through curation, writing and photography. Interweaving these three artistic practices, Ng seeks to build site-specific exhibitions, public programs and installations that amplify marginalized voices and make space for joyful encounters across diverse cultures. Her works have been featured at the DesignTO 2025, Xpace Cultural Centre, Unit 270 and the Graduate Gallery.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Sin Tung/Steffi is currently based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her recent interests include AI image-making of demolished architectures, long-distance friendships and Japanese city boy fashion.
Andi Canales
Andi Canales (they/them) is an art lover, writer, producer and performer. In their free time, they enjoy supporting fellow 2SQTBIPOC artists by attending community events and performances. They also write sad sad poetry that sometimes gets published and occasionally create interesting experimental music with their pals.
Sherry Pom Foreman
Sherry Pom Foreman (she/her) is a creative with a passion for community engagement. She is dedicated to spaces like LSA that cultivate expression and make meaningful connections through art.
Revital Weiss
Revital Weiss is a queer Jewish arts worker who believes in the transformational power of the arts. Revital works with artists to develop socially-minded arts programming for marginalized communities. She also advocates for opportunities for emerging artists, particularly BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ folks, and incarcerated/formerly incarcerated people. Revital has co-curated and supported arts projects at Neilson Park Creative Centre, the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, FENTSTER Gallery, and King Heritage and Cultural Centre. Revital holds a Master of Museum Studies. In a past life, Revital was an urban planner.
May Yebuga
May studied Canadian communities, works with new immigrants to Canada and has been involved in the arts in her experiences in stylist work, TV and music. She has a new interest in Lakeshore Arts because of its commitment to improving availability of the arts.
MY REASON FOR SERVING ON THE BOARD…
I joined LSA to help give youth opportunities and a safe space which encourages self expression. I benefited from the Arts and would like the same for youth in need.
