Alum and faculty member Bob Kato’s new book explores The Drawing Club’s role as a hotbed of communal creative expression

You may not have heard of The Drawing Club, but for anyone who is serious about the art and craft of character drawing, this enduring Los Angeles institution is both a hands-on weekly workshop and a creative community hub.

Launched in 2002 by Illustration alumnus and faculty member Bob Kato, it’s a place where story and character can be observed and interpreted from life. Inspired by his popular drawing workshops for artists at places such as Disney and Universal Studios Creative, The Drawing Club brings master artists together with students who are fresh out of school.

Sketch by George Stokes (BFA Illustration 90)

A new book, The Drawing Club: Master the Art of Drawing Characters from Life (Quarry Books), celebrates the workshop’s storied history and approach: The Club provides characters in custom-built sets accompanied by a themed soundtrack specific to that character. The richly illustrated book delivers instruction on what makes a good drawing, ways to translate the world from 3D to 2D, how to tell a story and more. Many of the book’s contributors are Art Center-affiliated, including alumni Justine Limpus Parish, Mike Bertino BFA 07, Ronald Llanos BFA 03, Jeffrey Smith BFA 80 and Cameron Tiede BFA 01, each of whom has also taught at the College. The Drawing Club always welcomes new members and continues to meet every Thursday evening and one Sunday morning each month at its new location, Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra.

This story originally appeared in Art Center’s Spring 2015 Dot magazine, where you can read more about alumni and faculty achievements.