Student Guide

Chapter 15 closes out the book with a fun creative challenge: the 24-hour comic. Prep questions What comes into your mind when we say the phrase “24-hour comic?” Supplies & prep penciling tools inking tools office paper bristol board 24 consecutive hours Activities 24-hour comic (or 3-hour comic) To make your 24-hour comic even more…

Learn a straightforward scanning technique for high-quality line art, as well how to use the mysterious proportion wheel. Prep questions What do you know about how comics go from an original page to printed books? Why do we talk about reproduction so much? Supplies & prep a scanner and a computer equipped with Photoshop black…

Chapter 13 introduces inking with brush, another classic tool for inking comics. Prep questions Can you identify a drawing made with ink and brush? How can you tell? What do you like or dislike about the brush drawing you’ve seen Supplies & prep inking tools plus round watercolor brush for drawing, bristol board light box…

Chapter 12 is a two-part chapter covering backgrounds and world-building as well as the basics of drawing hands and heads. Prep questions Have you read comics that take place in very convincing locations? Have you felt like you really entered that world, sometimes? How about the opposite, comics that don’t feel concretely located? Have you…

Chapter 11 explores panel composition and also includes a tutorial on designing titles. Prep questions 1. What are some of the things that go into deciding how to draw a given panel? Pick a panel in your homework to focus on in order to work this out. 2. What kind of effect can “camera angle”…

Chapter 10 discusses creating characters, thinking about their personalities, and designing them visually. Prep questions Can you name a character who doesn’t change? How about one who does? What’s backstory? What’s an antagonist? How does a spark depend on a character, and vice versa? Supplies & prep office paper pencils and pens Activities Play your…

Chapter 9 explains concepts of classic storytelling. Prep questions What makes a story interesting to you? What is one of your favorite stories? Novels, films, comics, whatever… Can you identify the protagonist of that story? Think about what the protagonist needs to do in the story in order to get to the end. Supplies &…

Chapter 8 introduces nib pens, the classic tool for inking comics. Prep questions How essential is the look of inked drawings to your idea of what comics is? Have you seen comics that are drawn in other media? Do you have favorite artists who work in ink? What techniques do you think they might use?…

Chapter 7 shows you how to letter your comics and argues for the importance of hand-lettering in comics. In this section you’ll find student examples of the activities and the homework. Prep questions What’s the difference between hand lettering and computer lettering? Why might an artist choose to hand letter? Whose lettering do you especially…

Chapter 6 looks at the page as a unit in comics, both in the context of a book and as a stand-alone form. In this section you’ll find student examples of the homework. Prep questions What comics have you seen that take place entirely on one page? What kinds of stories can utilize a single…

In Chapter 5 we get into penciling comics. It’s the first of several chapters devoted at least in part to the myriad technical skills used in making comics. In this section you’ll find student examples of the homework. Prep questions How does a “pencil” (a penciled page) differ from a thumbnail? What are some of…

Chapter 4 explores the concept of closure between panels that was proposed by Scott McCloud in his seminal book, Understanding Comics. In this section you’ll find student examples of the homework and a link to McCloud’s explanation of his comics game, 5 Card Nancy. Prep questions Look at a few pages of various kinds of…

Chapter 3 explains the basics of the daily comic strip. Once you’re into multi-panel storytelling, there’s no turning back: you’re a cartoonist! In this section you’ll find versions of “The wrong planet” that you can print out and use if you’re working alone or in a small group. You’ll also find examples of the homework.…

Chapter 2 uses gag cartoons to show how image and text interact in comics. In this section you’ll find student gag cartoons for you to print out and add funny captions to. You’ll also find examples of the homework as well as a link to a gag cartoon contest. Prep questions What are some of…

Chapter 1 introduces the basic terminology of comics and starts you off with a few activities designed to get you thinking about how drawings can tell stories. Prep questions In one sentence, what is your definition of a comic? Beyond words and pictures, what are some of the parts of a comic? What are some…