DC Cartoonist Offers Needed Distraction For Coronavirus Shut-Ins

WASHINGTON, DC — Josh Kramer would be the first to admit that his job does not qualify him as an "essential" worker in these times of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

He does not work in healthcare. He's not a firefighter or police officer. He doesn't even work at a grocery store, although he has worked in restaurants and at a cheese shop in the past.

Kramer is a freelance cartoonist, which means, like a lot of people these days, he's stuck at home, trying to keep busy while social distancing.

Although many people might not consider Kramer's job to be "essential," he has proved to be just what many parents need right now — someone who can provide a distraction and a little bit of fun for their children.

Recently, Kramer started hosting drawing tutorials for kids and adults via Facebook Live, focusing on subjects kids love the most: trucks, dinosaurs and Pokémon.

"I got the idea from an artist I really admire, Wendy MacNaughton, who does a lot of editorial illustration and a lot of drawing from life, and has a really natural and amazing interaction with children," he said. "And I saw her doing some of these videos at 10 a.m., every day and just wondered if I had some sort of version of that to offer myself."

The response to the tutorials has been overwhelmingly positive.

"From parents I've heard stuff like, 'I can't believe my kids sat still for an hour,'" Kramer said. "From kids I've heard, I mean less from kids, more through their parents, but just that they are like really focused and really enthralled."

Katie Poe Bayes, who lives in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, found out about Kramer's tutorials through her Facebook feed. She and her daughter Lily enjoyed interacting with the artist and engaging on the live stream.

"I put it up on the screen and grabbed some paper and ran inside to grab my coffee. When I came back out, she was already riveted to the screen drawing the egg shapes along with him," she said. "Anyone working from home with their kids out of school is really struggling right now, and it’s nice to find things that entertain and get them interested that don’t feel like just watching a screen."

Yoonhyung Lee, of Falls Church, Virginia, had a similar experience with her child V. Mori. "It was easy to understand, because he used shapes we already know how to draw," Lee said.

Abby Garnett is a librarian in Brooklyn, New York, and a friend of Kramer's. "His lessons are really easy and fun for kids to follow and are a great resource that I’ve been sharing with our community of home bound families here in Brooklyn," she said.

The tutorials have given Kramer an opportunity to share skills that he's developed over many years. After earning a journalism degree from American University, he attended The Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, receiving an MFA in cartooning. Since then, he's worked both as a freelance journalist and artist doing pieces for the Washington City Paper, the Washington Post and The Atlantic.

"I do a lot of nonfiction documentary comics, but I also just do editorial illustration for places like NPR," he said.

Earlier this week, the City Paper published a story Kramer wrote about an app to help people find toilet paper and other essential items in Washington, D.C.

But for now, while Kramer practices social distancing, he's focusing on helping parents and kids let off a little steam.

"I can remember being like a little kid, and I can just imagine if something like this was happening, not understanding it," he said. "And trying to figure out why my parents were so scared. I like the idea of just providing an activity that kids can focus on and also I love encouraging kids to draw."

Kramer hosts his Facebook Live tutorials Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. EDT. Here are some of his upcoming classes:

• Thursday, March 26: Pokémon
• Tuesday, March 31: Trucks and construction vehicles
• Thursday, April 2: More Pokémon

Participants are invited to watch the videos live in order to interact with Kramer, but all the tutorials will be posted on his Facebook feed where they can be viewed later or shared with friends. To find the videos or participate live, follow Josh Kramer on Facebook.