Creating a Comic Book FA 2021 (LALW-415-02)
Tuesday morning summative elective liberal arts class for Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Course description
Session One: Orientation, First Assignment
Class time
- Attendance
- Orientation
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Demos
- Tools: Pens, brushes, Ames Lettering Guide
- Technique: Straight lines, thumbnails
- Pencilling: Measure off 10" x 15" live area
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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 pages of practice lettering
- Two blank bristol pages with 10" x 15" art area in pencil for "Slice of Life"
Session Two: "My Day" Progress
Due today
- Email to Instructor
- One page of ink practice
- One page of inked straight lines with pen and brush
- Two pages of practice lettering
- Two blank bristol pages with 10" x 15" art area in pencil for "Slice of Life"
Homework
- Two life drawings in sketchbook
- Two pages of advanced lettering practice
- Straight lines with pen and brush
- Finish bordering and lettering "Slice of Life"
- Begin inking "Slice of Life"
Class time
-
Demos
- Advanced lettering: tiles, sound effects, blurbs, logos, word balloon placement
- Production: Scanning basics, Photoshop cleanup, 60% reduction template
- Technique: page bordering with ruling pen
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Studio
- Practice lettering
- Start pencilling for "Slice of Life"
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Lecture
- Storytelling: Staging, camera angles, page design, copy placement
- Thumbnailing: Storytelling Processes
- History: Walt Kelly, Roy Crane, Will Eisner
Session Three: "My Day" Finale
Due today
- Two life drawings in sketchbook
- Two pages of advanced lettering practice
- Straight lines with pen and brush
- Finish bordering and lettering "Slice of Life"
- Begin inking "Slice of Life"
Homework
- Three life drawings in sketchbook
- Finish Finish inking "Slice of Life"
- Three blank bristol pages with 10.5" x 16" art area in pencil for "Marvel Method"
Class time
-
Demos
- Ink techniques with brush and pen
- Perspective
- Digital Production: Scanning basics, Photoshop cleanup, 60% reduction template
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Studio
- Practice bordering and lettering
- Finish inking "Slice of Life"
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Lecture
- Importance of solid-black inking
- History: R. Crumb, Jason (Iron Wagon), Jaime Hernandez
Session Four: "Marvel Method" Story Conference
Due today
- Three life drawings in sketchbook
- Finish inking "Slice of Life"
- Three blank bristol pages with 10.5" x 16" art area in pencil for "Marvel Method"
Class time
-
Demos
- Perspective
- As needed
- Marvel Method
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Lecture
- History: Marvel Method, Jack Kirby (Marvel Method), character design, world building
Homework
- Artists: tighten pencil art for clarity. Use margin notes as needed. Send finsihed pencil pages to your writer.
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Writers: based on your Artist's pencils, type up a letterer's script. No lavish panel descriptions, just dialog, captions and sound effects:
- Label each element with a CAPITAL LETTER.
- On scans of pencil art, draw indications of where the lettering should go, using the CAPITAL LETTER as a guide.
- Email pencilled pages (with your lettering indications) and script to your letterer.
Studio
- Begin working on Marvel Method:
- Marvel Method breakout groups. Each student will be the writer of one story and artist of another. In 30-minute story conferences (Zoom breakout group), teams will discuss their ideas for this three-page story. At the end of the first story conference, students will reverse roles for a second meeting. Every student should ultimately be responsible for the art of one team, the story of another, and letterer of another!
- Character design and loose pencil art for "Marvel Method"
Session Five: "Marvel Method" Development
Due today
- Artists: tighten pencil art for clarity. Use margin notes as needed. Send finsihed pencil pages to your writer.
- Writers: based on your Artist's pencils, type up a letterer's script. No lavish panel descriptions, just dialog, captions and sound effects. Label each element with a CAPITAL LETTER. On scans of pencil art, draw indications of where the lettering should go, using the CAPITAL LETTER as a guide. Email pencilled pages (with your lettering indications) and script to your letterer.
Homework
- Finish lettering "Marvel Method"
- Send "Marvel Method" pages to inker
Class time
-
Studio
- Practice bordering and lettering
- Letter Marvel Method
- Lecture
Session Six: "Marvel Method" Refinement
Due today
- Finish lettering "Marvel Method"
- Send "Marvel Method" pages to inker
Homework
- Three life drawings in sketchbook
- Continue inking "Marvel Method"
Class time
-
Demos
- By request
-
Studio
- Finish tightening pencils
- Switch pages with another artist
- Start inking "Marvel Method"
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Lecture
- History: Stan Lee, Chris Samnee (Page Process), Chris Sprouse
Session Seven: "Marvel Method" Finale
Due today
- Three life drawings in sketchbook
- Continue inking "Marvel Method"
Homework
- Finish inking "Marvel Method"
Class time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Continue inking "Marvel Method"
- Lecture
Session Eight: Catch Up
Due today
- Finish inking "Marvel Method"
Homework
- Finish inking "Marvel Method"
- Scan and format Slice of Life" and "Marvel Method"
Class time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- TBA
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Session Nine: "Your Story" Script
Due today
- Finish inking "Marvel Method"
- Scan and format Slice of Life" and "Marvel Method"
Homework
- First draft of "Your Story" script complete
- Second draft of "Your Story" script in progress
- Three blank bristol pages with 10" x 15" art area in pencil for "Your Story"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Plot and thumbnail three pages of comic book continuity
- Submit first draft to instructor
- If time allows, work on revisions for second draft
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Lecture
- By need or request
Session Ten: "Your Story" Script Revisions
Due today
- First draft of "Your Story" script complete
- Second draft of "Your Story" script in progress
- Three blank bristol pages with 10" x 15" art area in pencil for "Your Story"
Homework
- Get sign-off on second round script
- Start/continue pencilling approved script
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Revise first draft of "Your Story" script for second round
- Get sign-off on second round "Your Story" script
- Start pencilling "Your Story" approved script
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Lecture
- By need or request
Session Eleven: "Your Story" Art Development
Due today
- Revise first draft of "Your Story" script for second round
- Get sign-off on second round "Your Story" script
- Start pencilling "Your Story" approved script
Homework
- Continue pencil art from approved script
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Start/continue "Your Story" pencil art from approved script
- Show instructor "Your Story" pencil art for approval
- If needed, make revisions to "Your Story"
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Lecture
- By need or request
Session Twelve: "Your Story" Art Revisions
Due today
- Continue pencil art from approved script
Homework
- Continue inking "Your Story"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Get pencil art appproval of entire "Your Story"
- Start inking and lettering "Your Story"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Session Thirteen: "Your Story" Continued
Due today
- Continue progress "Your Story"
Homework
- Continue progress "Your Story"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Continue progress "Your Story"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Session Fourteen: "Your Story" Finale
Due today
- Continue progress "Your Story"
Homework
- Continue progress "Your Story"
Class Time
-
Demos
- By need or request
-
Studio
- Continue progress "Your Story"
-
Lecture
- By need or request
Session Fifteen: Wrapup
Due today
- Finish, scan, and format "Your Story"
- Any remaining assignments
Homework
- None
Class time
-
Demos
- By request
-
Studio
- By request
-
Lecture
- By request