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Graphic Novels and Comic Book Art Short Course

Course description

Graphic Novels and Comic Book Art is an engaging introduction to the process of creating graphic novel-style sequential art. Course topics will include story development, storyboarding, page layout design, inking, lettering and colouring.

You will explore a range of visual languages, styles and creative techniques; including an introduction to efficient, high-quality digital methods using Adobe Photoshop. At the course finale, you will receive a colour A3 print of your work. Teaching takes the form of class and individual exercises, class critiques and one-on-one discussion with the tutor.

Course outcomes
Students will gain creative skills in scene composition, page design and character creation for comic books. Students will leave the course with a finished page strip of comic book art, together with a full set of handouts on all topics discussed. This will provide a firm foundation for application to further illustration courses, self-publishing your own webcomic or developing a portfolio for work in related industries such as video games.

Who should attend
Anyone who wants to learn about the process of creating comics while developing their creative practice, or is looking to build a portfolio of sequential artwork to apply for a longer cartooning course. The general principles of this course apply to manga as much as a superhero, funny animal or underground comics.

Level
Beginner

Clear, easy to understand lessons:

  • Our tutors will explain things in easy to understand, accessible English. If they need to use any special terminology they will make sure they explain what they mean.
  • New methods will be shown to students through live demonstrations, in a way thats crystal clear and easy to understand.

All our on campus courses include:

  • Network and share ideas with students from across the globe
  • Access the technology and materials relevant to your discipline
  • Shop in our college shops for any materials you might need
  • Ask questions to your tutor in real time
  • Receive feedback and critique on your assignments
  • Experience the many sights of London on your down time

All our online short courses include:

  • Live and interactive online lessons with classmates from around the world
  • The same course content and learning outcomes as our face to face courses
  • Lesson recordings, for review, so you never have to miss a class
  • Access to the virtual learning environment with course content
  • Forums for support
  • 2 weeks online access to the recordings of the live classroom sessions
  • Ask questions to your tutor in real time

A certificate of completion:

  • You've put the work in so we want to make sure you have something to show for it!
  • As long as you attend a minimum of 80% of your classes, we will provide you with a certificate of attendance.
  • However we always recommend you attend all of the classes so that you get the most out of the experience!
  • Certificates are a great addition to your CV

Please note: This course is for students aged 18 and older.

Booking:

Your course place is confirmed once you have booked online using a credit or debit card. There is no deadline for booking. Places are offered on a first come, first served basis, and all courses have a maximum number of students. We suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.

Available dates

It can take a few moments for our course dates to load - if there are no available dates, please contact our customer service team who will help you find a course or email you when new dates become available.
Make an enquiry or call us on 0207 514 7015.

Details

Topics covered

  • Life drawing
  • Creative writing 
  • Storyboarding 
  • Character design presentation 
  • Page layout 
  • Develop your own story
  • Sketching story panels 
  • Inking
  • Colouring scanned work digitally
  • Adding borders, balloons and lettering digitally

Materials

Onsite short course materials

To take part in the Online sessions you will need:

  • An up-to-date web browser (we recommend Chrome)
  • Microphone and headphones (a headset with a microphone function is recommended. The built-in microphone in your device would also be fine)
  • Webcam
  • Strong Internet connection - we recommend a minimum of 2 Mbps download, and 1 Mbps upload, faster if possible. You can test your network speed here - https://www.speedtest.net

Please arrange the following materials for your first lesson:

  • Notebook and Pen
  • Laptop, iPad or tablet
  • Adobe Photoshop – if you do not have access – click here to download a free 7 day trial.
  • A scanner, or camera to upload images, unless you ae working 100% digitally.
  • Three objects, each about 20-30 cm tall, that you can use for a life drawing exercise. Try to find a mix from simple to more complex.
  • Bristol Board, at a size suitable for your scanner (typically A4)
  • “Non-photo blue” pencils (e.g. Prismacolor Col-Erase)
  • Black fineliner pens, in selection of sizes. Alternatively, you could use a dip pen (e.g. Speedball 102 crow quill) and black India Ink.

Please bring the following materials with you on the first day:

  • 2 - 3 examples of your previous work, which may help to inform your development
  • Sketchbook (no larger than A3)
  • Selection of drawing pencils (H/HB/2B)
  • Any other drawing materials you are comfortable working with, such as charcoal
  • Colour materials you are comfortable using (e.g. coloured pencils, felt tips, watercolours etc)
  • Eraser and pencil sharpener
  • Clear plastic ruler 30cm
  • 1GB USB memory stick
  • Laptop, iPad or tablet for research and reference

If you have a graphics tablet, you may also wish to bring this on the last day of the course


Onsite Short Course Materials

Please bring the following materials with you on the first day:

  • 2-3 examples of your previous work, which may help to inform your development
  • Sketchbook (no larger than A3)
  • Selection of drawing pencils (H/HB/2B)
  • Any other drawing materials you are comfortable working with, such as charcoal
  • Colour materials you are comfortable using (e.g. coloured pencils, felt tips, watercolours etc)
  • Eraser and pencil sharpener
  • Clear plastic ruler 30cm
  • 1GB USB memory stick
  • A Laptop, or iPad / tablet is required to participate in all elements of the course. If bringing a laptop, please note that it would be an advantage to have Adobe Creative Cloud installed. If you do not already have Adobe Creative Cloud, you can sign up for a free 7 day trial of Adobe Creative Cloud. Please note a credit card is required to register for a free trial. The subscription must be cancelled on the date provided by Adobe if you do not wish to continue onto a paid account. The free software Krita or GMIP may be appropriate as a backup. If you are bringing an iPad, you may wish to install Procreate..
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Graphic Novels and Comic Book Art is an engaging introduction to the process of creating graphic novel-style sequential art. Course topics will include story development, storyboarding, page layout design, inking, lettering and colouring.

£
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