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| Anthony Raimondo with one of his cartoon creations (courtesy photo) |
Anthony Raimondo is the kind of kid that will only launch
into new projects unless it’s something he is truly excited about. So when the 15-year-old
Dover resident started buying comic books and plastering his room with cartoon
posters, his parents knew they should take it seriously.
And that is when Tony Raimondo, Anthony’s dad, heard about a local cartoon camp taught by a nationally-published cartoonist. The week at Seacoast Specialty Camp was exactly what Anthony’s parents hoped for, and more.
“When he started, Anthony was still drawing stick figures,” said Debbie Caritos, Anthony’s mom. “Then he started drawing characters he was really interested in. Now, he sits for hours in his room and draws. His work is much improved and he’s drawing people who look like people.”
This summer, Anthony will attend Seacoast Specialty Camps’ cartoon class for the third season. And the difference between his artwork in 2010 and now is notable, said cartoonist and teacher John Klossner of South Berwick.
“Anthony is very passionate and hard-working, and we've seen results,” said Klossner, a freelance cartoonist whose work is in several national publications, including the New Yorker.
Camp director Jayne Morell said Anthony was just the kind of teenager she wanted to reach when she started Seacoast Specialty Camps in 2010.
“I wanted to create an opportunity for kids who want to evolve as individuals and to offer opportunities that enrich the creative and artistic spirit,” said Morell, who has started several different camping programs over the years.
In the past two years, Morell has run CSI crime investigation camp, fashion design camp and screen writing camp, as well as the cartoon class. All of them were based in Portsmouth and have filled. Morell recently moved from South Berwick to Portland so for 2012 the camp will only include Klossner’s “Cartooning and Comic Book Design” camp. Hopes are to expand programs to the Portland area as well.
This year the program has moved to Washington Center in Dover, where it will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The facility changed to a more central location for the campers who come from towns ranging from Newburyport, Massachusetts to York and North Berwick Maine.
“One of the things I love about these programs is that students usually attend on their own, because they are motivated to participate. They develop brand new friendships, as well as to bond with kids of similar interests.”
Caritos credits Klossner’s impressive ability to match his teaching style to the needs of a variety of young artists. For instance, Raimondo was improving his craft but still having difficulty drawing from his own imagination. Klossner tailored a second set of classes in part to help Raimondo do that. He had students draw a few lines then fold the paper over and pass it on for the next student to continue.
“This got Anthony to learn how to use his imagination,” Caritos said.”He’s still struggling with it, but doing much better and he’s really happy he is in this camp. He can’t wait till the next session.”
For more information on Seacoast Specialty Camps, go to http://www.seacoastspecialtycamps.com/ or write seacoastspecialtycamps@gmail.com. Seacoast Specialty Camps offers scholarships and partners with local nonprofits to offer tuition assistance.
And that is when Tony Raimondo, Anthony’s dad, heard about a local cartoon camp taught by a nationally-published cartoonist. The week at Seacoast Specialty Camp was exactly what Anthony’s parents hoped for, and more.
“When he started, Anthony was still drawing stick figures,” said Debbie Caritos, Anthony’s mom. “Then he started drawing characters he was really interested in. Now, he sits for hours in his room and draws. His work is much improved and he’s drawing people who look like people.”
This summer, Anthony will attend Seacoast Specialty Camps’ cartoon class for the third season. And the difference between his artwork in 2010 and now is notable, said cartoonist and teacher John Klossner of South Berwick.
“Anthony is very passionate and hard-working, and we've seen results,” said Klossner, a freelance cartoonist whose work is in several national publications, including the New Yorker.
Camp director Jayne Morell said Anthony was just the kind of teenager she wanted to reach when she started Seacoast Specialty Camps in 2010.
“I wanted to create an opportunity for kids who want to evolve as individuals and to offer opportunities that enrich the creative and artistic spirit,” said Morell, who has started several different camping programs over the years.
In the past two years, Morell has run CSI crime investigation camp, fashion design camp and screen writing camp, as well as the cartoon class. All of them were based in Portsmouth and have filled. Morell recently moved from South Berwick to Portland so for 2012 the camp will only include Klossner’s “Cartooning and Comic Book Design” camp. Hopes are to expand programs to the Portland area as well.
This year the program has moved to Washington Center in Dover, where it will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The facility changed to a more central location for the campers who come from towns ranging from Newburyport, Massachusetts to York and North Berwick Maine.
“One of the things I love about these programs is that students usually attend on their own, because they are motivated to participate. They develop brand new friendships, as well as to bond with kids of similar interests.”
Caritos credits Klossner’s impressive ability to match his teaching style to the needs of a variety of young artists. For instance, Raimondo was improving his craft but still having difficulty drawing from his own imagination. Klossner tailored a second set of classes in part to help Raimondo do that. He had students draw a few lines then fold the paper over and pass it on for the next student to continue.
“This got Anthony to learn how to use his imagination,” Caritos said.”He’s still struggling with it, but doing much better and he’s really happy he is in this camp. He can’t wait till the next session.”
For more information on Seacoast Specialty Camps, go to http://www.seacoastspecialtycamps.com/ or write seacoastspecialtycamps@gmail.com. Seacoast Specialty Camps offers scholarships and partners with local nonprofits to offer tuition assistance.
