Blog

May

10

2012

This is one of several features we had to drop from Mastering Comics for length, and will be posting here. For more like this, and better, check out the book! (For another sample of the kind of stuff that we just couldn’t shoehorn into our giant book, check out our guide to laying out bleeds.) ... ...read more

activity, details, drawing, mastering comics, research

Activities, Blog, Cartoonists, Drawing Comics, Educators, Making Comics, Students, Tools and techniques

Mastering Comics is on sale today, May 8!

3 Comments

May

08

2012

Today Mastering Comics: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures Continued is officially released into the world! ...read more

mastering comics, news

Blog, Links, Mastering Comics, News

Teaching comics to teens day 3: Learning basic cartooning techniques

Derek Mainhart

May

07

2012

As you know, cartooning is primarily about storytelling. However, for some students a big motivation for taking the class is to learn how to draw. But, as any artist knows, the best way to learn how to draw is simply to do it. Over and over again. ...read more

activity, comics teaching, lesson plan, student work, syllabus, teaching

Activities, Blog, Educators, Guest posts, Lesson plans

Teaching comics to teens day 2: Creating an exquisite corpse

3 Comments

Derek Mainhart

Apr

30

2012

The second day will be about them getting to know each other. I like to have the class play a game called The Exquisite Corpse. Originally conceived by Andre Breton and the Surrealists, the game encourages group creativity through random chance (in my experience, kids love all things random). ...read more

activity, comics teaching, lesson plan, student work, syllabus, teaching

Activities, Blog, Educators, Guest posts, Lesson plans

Teaching comics to teens day 1: Using comics to tell your story

4 Comments

Derek Mainhart

Apr

23

2012

We inaugurate a fantastic new series by Derek Mainhart, who is setting out to write up an entire year’s curriculum for a comics class at the secondary level: middle school and high school. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s going to be entertaining, well-planned, and incredibly useful. ...read more

#comicsedu, activity, comics teaching, creative constraint, lesson plan, student work, syllabus, teaching

Activities, Blog, Demos and tutorials, Educators, Guest posts, Lesson plans, Tools and techniques

Mastering Comics pre-release giveaway online and at MoCCA Fest!

16 Comments

giveaways, mastering comics

Apr

16

2012

an example of the kinds of doodles you could develop into a comic

Our new textbook, Mastering Comics, releases officially on May 8 and to celebrate we will be giving away four copies, two here on the website and two in person at our table at the MoCCA Fest 2012! ...read more

Activities, Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Events, Making Comics, Students

Mastering Comics: it’s finally here!

4 Comments

book release, mastering comics

Apr

07

2012

After years of labor, we are happy to announce that we hold an actual, printed copy of Mastering Comics, our follow up to Drawing Words & Writing Pictures in our hands. Official release date is May 8! ...read more

Blog, News

Book group transcription #1: “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel

Alison Bechdel, book club

Feb

28

2012

Back in the fall, Matt and I ran a graphic novel book club at the Brooklyn Public Library. These were really great discussions, and we’re going to try to post complete transcripts. ...read more

Activities, Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Students

What’s in Mastering Comics?

7 Comments

mastering comics, table of contents

Feb

24

2012

Wondering what’s coming in our upcoming new textbook Mastering Comics? We’ve posted our table of contents in the Resources section, and will link items in it to posts here as we make them. Can’t wait to share this with you! ...read more

Blog, Cartoonists, Comics library, Comics readers, Drawing Comics, Educators, How to use, Making Comics, Students, Writing Comics

Announcing Mastering Comics

7 Comments

Feb

20

2012

We are excited to announce that Mastering Comics will go on sale May 8th, 2012. ...read more

mastering comics

Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Students

Guest post: Cartooning and Confianza

1 Comment

Jarod Rosello

Jan

03

2012

As a teacher, having confianza with my students has always been of the utmost importance. In fact, it’s always been my main priority: I just figured the content-learning would come if I could get my students to trust me. Teaching, I think, is about managing human relationships. ...read more

autobio comics, writing

Activities, Blog, Cartoonists, Educators, Guest posts, Lesson plans, Making Comics

Best American Recap: Notable Comics of 2010

27 Comments

Best American Comics, Notables

Dec

12

2011

This week we are going to give away a set of about 10 comics and graphic novels that were featured in the Best American Comics 2010 List of Notable Comics! Just comment on this post between now and Tuesday December 13 at 5 pm, and you will be entered in a drawing to win the pile. ...read more

Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Reviews, Students

Panels, pages and balloons book club: a few notes on Asterios Polyp

book club, David Mazzucchelli, discussion questions

Dec

09

2011

This Saturday, December 17, we’ll be hosting a final live book club meeting at the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. This time we’ll be discussing Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzucchelli. ...read more

Activities, Blog, Comics library, Comics readers, Educators

Best American Comics: the Notable Comics of 2011

85 Comments

Best American Comics, Notables

Dec

07

2011

This week we are going to give away a set of about 25 mincomics and self-published books that were featured in the Best American Comics 2011 List of Notable Comics! Just comment on this post between now and Friday December 9 at 5 pm, and you will be entered in a drawing to win the pile. ...read more

Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Students

A holiday gift idea: the beginning cartoonist’s starter kit

Dec

05

2011

The Holidays are coming! And we have a great gift idea for you: a beginning cartoonist’s starter kit! To get your special person started in comics, just use our checklist to buy him or her the basic tools of the trade. ...read more

supplies

Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Making Comics, Students, Tools and techniques

Panels, pages, and balloons book club: a few notes on Lucille

book clubs, discussion questions, disucssion questions, Ludovic Debeurme

Nov

17

2011

This Saturday, November 19, we’ll be hosting another live book club meeting at the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. This time we’ll be discussing the recently translated French comic Lucille, by Ludovic Debeurme. ...read more

Activities, Blog, Comics library, Comics readers, Educators

Guest post: Chinese calligraphy—Shu fa

Mark Siegel

Nov

16

2011

Our editor on Drawing Words & Writing Pictures is the multi-talented Mark Siegel. He’s the creator of Sailor Twain, and often posts interesting observations on art and craft. A few months back he posted a couple of times on the art of Chinese calligraphy, and as Matt and I were recently thinking about sumi ink ... ...read more

brush inking, inking, sumi

Blog, Cartoonists, Drawing Comics, Guest posts, Tools and techniques

Drawing comics live demo: report

Oct

28

2011

At a recent conference at the University of Iowa, I drew a six-panel comic in front of six 25-minute sessions of middle- and high-school kids, one panel at a time. It was a chance to talk naturally about the order of work, the materials needed, and to show all the behind-the-scenes action. ...read more

brush inking, inking, lettering, nib pen, page layout, penciling

Blog, Demos and tutorials, Drawing Comics, Educators, Making Comics

Guest post: About teaching comics, part 3

Mari Ahokoivu

Oct

27

2011

Mari Ahokoivu on getting unstuck, teaching comics

Mari Ahokoivu is back with the much-anticipated third part of her visual essay on teaching comics. This time out: getting unstuck. ...read more

Mari Ahokoivu, teaching

Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Guest posts

Panels, pages, and balloons book club: a few notes on Ice Haven

book clubs, Daniel Clowes, reading comics

Oct

23

2011

Next Saturday, October 29, we’ll be hosting our second live book club meeting. This time, we’ll be discussing Ice Haven, by Daniel Clowes. ...read more

Activities, Blog, Comics readers, Educators, Lesson plans

“What Is a ‘Graphic Novel?’” slideshow

Lior Zaltzman

Oct

19

2011

Librarians and comics educators, here’s a great and simple tool for introducing the basics of comics! We’ve put together a Powerpoint/PDF presentation of Jessica’s 2002 strip, “What is a ‘Graphic Novel?’”, also available as a PDF poster or handout. Feel free to use it, whether for a book club or in a classroom, or in any way you think up. ...read more

book club, comics education, slideshows, what is a gn

Activities, Blog, Comics library, Comics readers, Downloads, Educators

Panels, pages, and balloons book club: a few notes on Fun Home

Alison Bechdel, book clubs, reading comics

Oct

15

2011

Pay attention to how Bechdel uses words in this page (153) from Fun Home; also observe the parallel visual narrative.

This afternoon, we’ll be hosting a live book club meeting on Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel. Our plan is to talk a little bit and show some slides at the beginning and show and then open up the floor for all of you to share your thoughts, questions and observations about Fun Home and reading ... ...read more

Activities, Blog, Cartoonists, Comics readers, Educators, Students

Let’s talk comics: Panels, Pages & Balloons: The Graphic Novel Book Club at the Brooklyn Public Library

1 Comment

Oct

12

2011

This Saturday we will be inaugurating our new book club at the Brooklyn Public Library, Panels, Pages & Balloons: The Graphic Novel Book Club. It’ll be a great forum for discussing comics, especially if you’re new to the medium. ...read more

book clubs, news, NYC, reading comics

Activities, Blog, Cartoonists, Comics library, Comics readers, Educators, Students

Social Media for Young Cartoonists: Wrap-Up

1 Comment

Hilary Allison

Oct

10

2011

Hoo boy. Social Media for Young Cartoonists. We kept it up for nine articles… and nine intense weeks of researching, experimenting, goal-setting, (goal-missing and goal-reaching), coding, uploading, updating, tweeting, commenting,and collaborating. Then what? ...read more

social media

Blog, Cartoonists, Educators, Professional practice, Students

Welcome to our revamped site!

Oct

07

2011

Like most websites, dw-wp.com is a perpetual work-in-progress and we are always fiddling around behind the scenes, adding and changing features, strategizing our content, and so on. However, over this past summer we have put in a whole mess of updates and are proud to announce what amounts to a relaunch of this site. ...read more

news

Blog

24-hour comics day present, future & past

5 Comments

activity, chapter 15, creative constraint

Sep

29

2011

This Saturday, October 1, is 24-hour Comics Day, and Matt takes the opportunity to reminisce about the repercussions of his 24-hour comic experience, many moons ago. ...read more

Activities, Blog

September Twitter round-up

Comments Off

Sep

23

2011

Our September tweets, in one convenient post. ...read more

#comicsedu

Blog

Crowdsourcing: build a better comics classroom

3 Comments