Creating Comic Books
In recent years, comics and graphic novels have received a lot of attention as a "new" vehicle for telling stories - not just superhero stories, bur memoirs, slice-of-life fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, kids' stories, even surrealist stoires have all receive popular acclaim while allowing a new generation of creators to tell stories in a novel and engaging way. A lot goes into making a comic book, and in this class we'll learn how to do it all - we'll learn to tell stories, and then we'll write and draw our own.
During the first half o the class, we will learn the basics of story structure (plot, character, conflict, resolution) and how to write a story for comics. We will also study how to tell stories using pictures, looking at concepts of composition, figure drawing, perspective, and caricature, as well as those elements of visual art unique to comics, like panel transitions, page composition and pacing. Students will learn about the tools used for drawing comics, how to prepare artwork for reproduction, and will make short comics to be shared with the class.
During the second half of the class, students will focus on making their own mini-comic: a 6+ page story which they will write, draw, copy and bind into a complete booklet for distribution to their peers and beyond! As we go, we'll learn how to plan a booklet for printing and how to reproduce our artwork.
We'll be working with artists of all levels of ability - no prior drawing experience is required. Our goal is to help you get your stories on paper and have fun doing it.
Required Text is Make a World by Ed Emberly, available at major bookstores or online.
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