ART IMITATES POLITICAL LIFE IN COLLEGE DRAWING COURSE : EDITORIAL CARTOONS REFLECT OUTLOOKS ON WHITE HOUSE RACE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

If her political cartoon is any indication, college art student Tracy Brehm doesn't think much of this year's presidential candidates and their campaigns.

In ``Nightmare of November 5th,'' a couple is awakened in bed by pajama-clad Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. Ross Perot is a gremlin-like character chased around the bedroom by White House pet Socks the cat and Dole's miniature schnauzer Leader.

``I tried to keep it as unbiased as possible,'' said Brehm, 19, of Quartz Hills. ``At times they come off so idiotic. They keep on clouding the truth. They all start acting very childish. My feeling is if they are supposed to be political candidates, they should be more responsible and act like adults.''

Brehm is among more than 20 students in Antelope Valley College art instructor Frank Dixon's class whose assignment was to do a presidential political cartoon.

Dixon got the idea from an instructor of his who gave the same assignment 12 years ago. Dixon drew a cartoon about the 1984 presidential race between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan.

Dixon's class meets once a week in the evenings, and students range from recent high school graduates to older adults. Most are art students and computer graphics majors.

``The assignment was to do a Clinton vs. Dole political illustration, and that was it,'' Dixon said. ``I wanted some sort of commentary on the political race. Clinton and Dole could be in it or not.''

While Brehm may consider the presidential candidates' behavior childish, other student artists used childhood stories from which to draw inspiration.

Melody Mokres of Antelope Acres, who admits to being over 50, drew a Pinocchio-style caricature of Clinton with a long wooden nose, a breast pocket full of playing cards and money, and gusts of hot air coming out his ears.

``I'm vitally interested in the presidential campaign. It affects us all so dramatically,'' said Mokres, a massage technician who hopes one day to illustrate children's books. She has been studying art at Antelope Valley College for five years in pursuit of a fine arts degree.

Not surprisingly, Mokres said she will vote for Dole. But, she said, ``I'm really not that happy with either candidate. I don't vote the party. I vote the man.''

Angela Redmon, 18, of Quartz Hill did a take-off on the tortoise and the hare fable.

Redmon drew Clinton in a purple bunny suit, sitting against a tree playing a saxophone, while Dole with a tortoise body is behind on the trail.

The irony here, Redmon said, is that a children's tale is peaceful and calm.

``The political arena is far away from that,'' Redmon said. ``Politics is like attacking. Everybody's at each other.''

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Photo: (color) Instructor Frank Dixon shows his evening art class a political cartoon about the 1996 presidential elections, which a student drew for an assignment.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News