An architecture student from the Phillipines wrote recently asking what we thought the optimum set-up would be for a comics classroom/workspace. It occurred to us that there’s no real standard, primarily since such a beast is practically non-existent. As teachers at the School of Visual Arts we have managed to get a pretty good set-up for cartooning with the help of our co-faculty and our department head but there is plenty of room for improvement, especially in the realm of technology. As visiting teachers, lecturers, and workshop leaders we have an opportunity to compare set-ups at a lot of different institutions, from fine arts studio programs to museums and libraries. We have seen a lot of cool stuff but we can’t say that we have come across the Ultimate Comics Teaching Studio Environment.
So in the interest of throwing out some ideas at the beginning of this schoolyear and in the confidence that some of you will chime in with additions, adjustments, or criticism we offer a quick list of essential class/studio items based our experience as teachers:
IN THE CLASSROOM
ideally also:
IN A SEPARATE STUDIO/WORKROOM
ideally also:
Teachers and students out there, what would you add to this list? What would you prioritize? What do you think is overdoing it?
Comments
3 Comments to Crowdsourcing: build a better comics classroom
by Dan Berry
On September 2, 2011 at 12:53 pm
I’d add that I have found using a visualiser in the class particularly helpful, especially if wall-space is at a premium. We use something like this; http://www.wedgwood-group.com/samsung_uf-80stp_visualiser.htm
by Matt
On September 2, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Cool, Dan, thanks. That’s basically what I meant by the “opaque projector”. I know one teacher who in desperation rigs up a video camera to a projector and mounts it to a tripod on top of a table to achieve this obviously useful effect.
Visualizers are a right, not a privilege!^MM
by Sean
On October 29, 2011 at 3:52 pm
I just bought your book and I will start using it and your website with various groups over the next few months. They give me one of the most necessary elements for a comics workshop, structure with a clear progression and achievable goals. I find that if I can meet a group with a good idea of where I want them to get to, then I can handle most situations. Materially I try to have as much wall space as possible so that everybody can be involved in the work in progress. Projectors, Wacoms, Macs would all be lovely but I work in a world of limited budgets and resources.
Keep up the good work.