Spring 2012

Week One: Orientation, Introduction to Supplies, Essential Elements

Week Two: Ames Lettering Guide, Storytelling, Thumbnails, First Assignment

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Lettering: Ames Lettering Guide | Demo
• Studio
  • Practice lettering
  • Start pencilling for "Slice of Life"
• Lecture
  • Storytelling: Staging, camera angles, page design, copy placement
  • Thumbnailing: Storytelling Processes
  • History: Walt Kelly, Roy Crane, Will Eisner

Week Three: Lettering 2, Pencilling Basics, Splash Page

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Lettering: Level 2
  • Pencilling: Loose and Tight
  • Digital Production: Scanning basics, Photoshop cleanup, 60% reduction template
• Studio
  • Practice bordering and lettering
  • Letter "Slice of Life"
• Lecture
  • Elements: Story title, credits and page numbers
  • Splash page
  • History: Tom Orzechowski, John Workman, Will Eisner, Todd Klein - Word Balloon Placement

Week Four: Inking Techniques, 1-Point Perspective

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Ink techniques with brush and pen
  • Perspective 1 (1-point perspective)
• Studio
  • Practice techniques with brush and pen
  • Inking "Slice of Life"
• Lecture
  • Importance of solid-black inking
  • History: R. Crumb, Jason (Iron Wagon), Jaime Hernandez

Week Five: Working with Scripts, Character Design, 2-Point Perspective, Research

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Microsoft Word: Using styles for comic book scripts
  • Character Design
  • Perspective 2 (2-point perspective)
  • Word balloon placement
  • Digital Production 1: Scan + Retouch
• Studio
  • Thumbnails + pencils for "Zip's Last Day"
  • Character Design for "Zip's Last Day"
• Lecture
  • Research Methods
  • History: Dave Gibbons (Script, thumbnails to finished art), Harvey Kurtzman (Frontline Combat), Wally Wood (22 Panels), Alex Toth

Week Six: Pencil Techniques, Storytelling, 3-Point Perspective

Class time

• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Pencilling cleanliness: Eraser shield, smudge prevention
  • Perspective 3 (3-point perspective)
• Studio
  • Discuss Scan + Retouch for "Slice of Life"
  • Tight pencil art for "Zip's Last Day"
• Lecture
  • History: Marshall Rogers (Detectives Inc.), Steve Rude, Alex Toth vs. Steve Rude

Week Seven: Perspective 4, Lettering Design

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Perspective 4 (Moving objects for scale)
• Studio
  • Lettering for "Zip's Last Day"
• Lecture
  • History: Todd Klein (Balloon Placement), Dan DeCarlo, Trina Robbins

Week Eight: Perspective 5, History

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Perspective 5 (Tiles, round objects)
• Studio
  • Inking for "Zip's Last Day"
• Lecture
  • History: Wally Wood, Mike Mignola, John Paul Leon

Week Nine: Marvel Method - Story Conference

Studio

• Begin working on Marvel Method:
  • Team A Session: Divide into Artist/Writer teams. In 30 minutes, plot + thumbnail a 3-page story using the Marvel Method.
  • Team B Session: Like the previous session, split into two different teams. Repeat.
  • Each student should now be responsible for the Art of one team and the Story of another.
  • Character Design + loose pencil art for all 3 pages of "Marvel Method"
• Lecture
  • History: Dale Messick (Brenda Starr), Marvel Method, Jack Kirby (Marvel Method)

Week Ten (Remote): Marvel Method - Lettering

Studio

• Letter Marvel Method:
• Lecture
  • History: Dale Messick (Brenda Starr), Marvel Method, Jack Kirby (Marvel Method)

Week Eleven: Marvel Method - Finished Pencils

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • By request
• Studio
  • Finish tightening pencils
  • Switch pages with another artist
  • Start inking "Marvel Method"
• Lecture
  • History: Stan Lee, Chris Samnee (Page Process), Chris Sprouse

Week Twelve: Marvel Method - Lettering

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • By need or request
• Studio
  • Letter your pages
• Lecture
  • History: Lettering Roundtable: Thought Balloons, and Other Abandoned Storytelling Techniques, The Comicraft Glossary of Lettering Terms, Fan tribute to Marvel letterer Artie Simek

Week Thirteen: Marvel Method - Inking

Class time

• FOO
• FOO

Week Fourteen: Marvel Method - Finish Inking

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • By request
• Studio
  • Continue inking "Marvel Method"
• Lecture
  • History: Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Guy Davis

Week Fifteen: Catch Up

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • Digital Production (Refresher): Scanning basics, Photoshop cleanup, 60% reduction template
• Studio
  • Finish inking "Marvel Method"
  • Scan Your Work
• Lecture
  • History: Kyle Baker, Dylan Horrocks, Dori Seda

Week Sixteen: Wrapup

Class time

• Attendance
• Last week's homework
• Demos
  • As needed or requested
• Studio
  • As needed or requested
  • Scan Your Work
• Lecture
  • As needed or requested