Peter Sloan Teaches How to Draw Cartoons: The Face - Practical Drawing

In this review of Peter Sloan Teaches How to Draw Cartoons: The Face the bottom line is simple: it is a pragmatic, experience-driven guide for aspiring cartoonists who want clear, hands-on instruction in drawing facial features. Drawn from the authors decades of art study and teaching, the book reads like a teacher at your shoulder, emphasizing practice over theory and offering steady guidance for beginners and intermediate artists. This review finds it most valuable to students who prefer methodical steps and real-world classroom wisdom rather than abstract art theory.

Key Features

• Author experience: The instructional voice reflects Peter Sloans long training from museum classes through conservatory study, which gives the lessons practical credibility.
• Classroom approach: Exercises and explanations follow a teacherly progression that helps learners build facial drawing skills one step at a time.
• Accessible for beginners: The writing and examples are approachable for those with below average grades but strong willingness to practice and learn.
• Real-world perspective: Anecdotes about the authors path through art school and teaching make the guidance feel grounded rather than academic.
• Focused subject matter: Concentrating on the face keeps the material compact and useful for artists who want to improve character and cartoon portraiture.

Who It's For

The book is best for beginners and intermediate hobbyists who want a structured, teacher-led path to drawing cartoon faces. Readers who respond well to stepwise instruction, classroom anecdotes, and exercises will find the pace and tone familiar and encouraging.

It is less suited to artists seeking advanced figure theory, academic critique, or a comprehensive textbook covering full figure anatomy. Those who want highly technical anatomy references or a wide survey of styles should look elsewhere.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear, classroom-style guidance that helps learners practice and improve facial features.
• Author credibility stemming from years of formal study and teaching experience.
• Concise focus on faces makes it easy to apply lessons directly to cartooning projects.

Cons

• Not a comprehensive anatomy reference for advanced figure work, so some readers may want supplementary resources.

Specifications

Title	Peter Sloan Teaches How to Draw Cartoons: The Face
Author	Peter Julius Sloan, Anda Aravena
Subject focus	Cartoon faces and facial features
Teaching background	Author trained at Brooklyn Museum classes, High School of Art & Design, Cooper Union, and S.U.N.Y. Purchase Conservatory
Target reader	Beginners and intermediate cartoonists
Approach	Classroom-style instruction with practical exercises

Our Verdict

Peter Sloan Teaches How to Draw Cartoons: The Face is a worthwhile, teacher-forward guide for artists focused on developing cartoon facial skills. Its greatest value is the authors practical experience and structured exercises, which make it good value for students who want hands-on improvement rather than deep academic anatomy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book suitable for absolute beginners?
Yes. The instruction is presented in a stepwise, classroom style designed to help beginners build skills through practice.

Does it cover full figure drawing?
No. The book concentrates on cartoon faces and is not a comprehensive full figure or advanced anatomy reference.

Who are the authors?
Peter Julius Sloan and Anda Aravena bring the perspective of formal art training and teaching experience to the lessons.