Creating a Comic Book SP 2022 (LALW-415-01)
Monday evening summative elective liberal arts class for Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Course description
Session One: Orientation, First Assignment
Class time
- Attendance
- Orientation
-
Demos
- Tools: Pens, brushes, Ames Lettering Guide
- Technique: Straight lines, thumbnails
- Pencilling a 10 x 15 inch art area on 14 x 17 inch paper (video demo)
-
Studio
- Work with this week's Tools: Pens, brushes, freehand and straight lines
- Life drawing: draw someone in class
- Start thumbnails for "Slice of Life"
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Lecture
- History: Windsor McCay, George Herriman, Hal Foster
- Technology Triangle
- Essential Elements: Title, credits & page numbers
Homework
- Email to Instructor
- One page of ink practice
- One page of inked straight lines with pen and brush
- Two blank bristol pages with the classic comics art dimensions 10 by 15 inch art area in pencil for "Slice of Life"
Session Two: "Slice of Life" Story Development
Due today
- Email to Instructor
- One sheet of ink practice
- One sheet of inked straight lines with pen and brush
- Two blank bristol pages with the classic comics art dimensions 10 by 15 inch art area in pencil for "Slice of Life"
Homework
- Two sheets of lettering practice
- Straight lines with pen and brush
- Continue developing "Slice of Life"
Class time
-
Demos
- Advanced lettering: tiles, sound effects, blurbs, logos, word balloon placement
- Technique: page bordering with ruling pen
-
Studio
- Practice lettering
- First round of one-on-one story meetings for "Slice of Life"
-
Lecture
- Storytelling: Staging, camera angles, page design, copy placement
- Thumbnailing: Storytelling Processes
- History: Walt Kelly, Roy Crane, Will Eisner
Session Three: "Slice of Life" Story Development
Due today
- 2-4 of Lettering A
- 1-2 Straight Lines with Ink
- Continue developing "Slice of Life"
Class time
-
Demos
- Ink techniques with brush and pen
- Art of the Comic Book media videos
-
Studio
- Second round of one-on-one story conferences and writing development for "Slice of Life"
-
Lecture
- Importance of solid-black inking
- History: R. Crumb, Jason (Iron Wagon), Jaime Hernandez
Homework
- Continue practice sheets
- 2-4 of Lettering A
- 1-2 Straight Lines with Ink
- Continue developing "Slice of Life"
- Finish thumbnail process
- Make 10 x 15 inch pages on 14 x 17 inch bristol paper
- Finish pencilling 3 pages on live size art
- Be prepared to work on this in class
Session Four: "Slice of Life" Art Development
Due today
- Continue practice sheets
- 2-4 of Lettering A
- 1-2 Straight Lines with Ink
- Continue developing "Slice of Life"
- Finish thumbnail process
- Make 10 x 15 inch pages on 14 x 17 inch bristol paper
- Finish pencilling 3 pages on live size art
- Be prepared to work on this in class
Class time
-
Studio
- Explain syllabus change
- Point to Coda, Folk Tale, and Genre, Line, Character, Prop
- Continue work on "Slice of Life"
- Practice sheets
Homework (two week's worth)
- Continue practice sheets
- 2-4 of Lettering A
- 2-4 of Lettering B
- 1-2 Straight Lines with Ink
- Finish original art for "Slice of Life"
Resources
Hand lettering technique: Lettering Comics by Hand, Hand Lettering with Ames Guide, Ames Guide (video), Dialog Word Balloons (video), Ink Basics (video)
Lettering history and best practices: Lettering Roundtable: Thought Balloons, and Other Abandoned Storytelling Techniques, Comicraft Glossary of Lettering Terms
Session Five: "Quick Comic" Introduction
Due today
- Continue practice sheets
- 2-4 of Lettering A
- 2-4 of Lettering B
- 1-2 Straight Lines with Ink
- Finish original art for "Slice of Life"
Class time
-
Studio
- Wrap up original art for Slice of Life"
- Start "Quick Comic"
Homework
- Start researching your Artist Presenation
- Scan and format Slice of Life"
- Continue working on "Quick Comic"
Recommended Reading
History: Alex Toth Critiques Steve Rude, Comic Art Reduction Act of 1967
Session Six: "Quick Comic" Development
Due today
- Start researching your Artist Presenation
- Scan and format Slice of Life"
- Continue working on "Quick Comic"
Class time
-
Demos
- TBA
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- Continue working on "Quick Comic"
Homework
- Continue working on "Quick Comic"
Resources
Art Process: Chris Samnee (Page Process), Chris Sprouse
Session Seven: "Quick Comic" Finale
Due today
- Continue working on "Quick Comic"
Class time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- Finish original art of "Quick Comic"
Homework
- Finish original art of "Quick Comic"
- Create "Coda" original art using modern comics art dimensions of 10.5" by 16"
Resources
TBA:
Session Eight: "Coda" Introduction
Due today
- Finish original art of "Quick Comic"
- Create "Coda" original art using modern comics art dimensions of 10.5" by 16"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- One-on-one pitch meeting with your instructor/editor
- Plot and thumbnail
- If time allows, work on revisions for second draft
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Homework
- Continue work on "Coda"
Resources
TBA:
Session Nine: "Coda" Story Development
Due today
- Continue work on "Coda"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- Continue story development of "Coda"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Homework
- Continue developing story and art for "Coda"
Resources
TBA:
Session Ten: "Coda" Art Development
Due today
- Continue developing story and art for "Coda"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- Begin developing thumbnail layouts for "Coda"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Homework (two week's worth)
- Continue developing thumbnail layouts for "Coda"
Resources
TBA:
Session Eleven: "Coda" Art Development
Due today
- Continue developing thumbnail layouts for "Coda"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- Continue developing art for "Coda"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Homework
- Continue progress of "Coda"
Resources
TBA:
Session Twelve: "Coda" Art Development
Due today
- Continue progress of "Coda"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Artist presentations
- Continue progress of "Coda"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Homework
- Finish, scan, and format "Coda"
- Any remaining assignments
Resources
TBA:
Session Thirteen: "Coda" Finale, Wrapup
Due today
- Finish, scan, and format "Coda"
- Any remaining assignments
Class Time
-
Demos, Studio, Lecture
- Artist presentations
- By need or request
Homework
- None