Graphic Novels: A Flex Course in Drawing & Digitizing One's Own Comic Book
Learn how to draw various types of cartoons, create a storyboard for a comic book, and digitize your art to create a graphic novel.
Jenny Miller
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(621)
What's included
0 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will have an entire week for each of the following tasks: drawing a cartoon character in four styles and learning about the history of drawn animation creating a storyboard of their comic book while learning about storyboards in cinematography drawing the panels of their graphic novel as they learn about the history of superhero comics finalizing their comic book on paper or digitally with Pixlr.com as they learn about the graphic novel production processAssessment
After finishing their cartoon styles sketch and creating their story, students will post their sketches and describe their story to the class page to encourage and inspire all participating in the course. Sketches each week will also be sent to the teacher through Outschool messaging for feedback and any needed help. After completing their comic books, students will post their final digital copies on the class page and participate in an art critique. They will list one thing they liked about one another’s art and one thing they could use in their own comic books.Class Experience
In this four-week flex course, students will first learn how to draw cartoons in various styles, create a storyboard, draw a final design, and make a digital comic book using Pixlr.com. While creating their comic books, students will also learn about the history of superhero comics from the 1930s to modern day. During week one of the course, students will learn how to draw cartoons in various styles and learn about the progression of drawn animation from the 1930s to modern day. During week two students will learn how to brainstorm using a sketchbook and how to create a storyboard and will learn how film makers hire and use storyboard artists to plan out how a movie is filmed. In week three, students will focus on completing all the drawings for their graphic novel as they learn about this history of super heroes in comics. During the last week, students will finish up any needed drawings and focus on the digital portion of their books by editing their drawings on Pixlr (COPPA-compliant), adding outlines and color, and completing the book also on Pixlr or the software of their choice such as Canva, PowerPoint, and Google slides as they learn about how contemporary graphic novels are produced. For students who do not wish to make their comics digital but all paper-based, additional instructions on the instructional video will be provided; so students will know how to create both a digital and a paper graphic novel by the end of the course. Students will learn drawing and sketchbook techniques, how to use Pixlr to edit their drawings digitally, and make their comic books digital on Pixlr as I demonstrate each step on instructional vidoes. A video on the history of super hero comics and drawn animation, the graphic novel production process, and how film makers use story boards will also be provided along with Kahoots on each of the topics to review the learned material. In addition, they will also receive sketch and final drawing examples and PDFs instructions that contain photos of each sketch, drawing, and digital step and written instructions for those steps. Students will share their sketches and drawings at the end of each week with me through messaging to receive feedback and any additional help. Students will post their sketches of the cartoon styles and final drawings to the class page, listing their favorite cartoon style and explaining their comic story when posting their cartoon styles sketches and final drawings. They must also post one thing they like about each other's sketches and stories to encourage and inspire one another. Once the course in complete, students will be able to continue to make more graphic novels and even make an entire series if they so choose! (A live, multi-day version of this course is also available upon request).
Learning Goals
Students will learn how to generally Pixlr.com (a free online, COPPA-complian graphic design software similar to Photoshop) to edit their drawings and digitize their comic books, will learn how to draw cartoons in various styles, and will gain a general history of drawn animation and comic books, how film makers use storyboards, and the process of graphic novel production.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Pixlr.com is a COPPA-compliant website that features photo editing software like Photoshop which will be used to edit their drawings and make their comic book digital. However, there is no need to download any program or even create an account on the website at all. One simply uploads their image and uses the photo editing software tools to edit that image. Students can choose to use a different software such as Canva, PowerPoint, or Google slides or software on their own devices, but no instructions will be given regarding alternative software programs.
When learning out the history of superhero comics, images of comic covers that feature anti-heroes like Deadpool, Spawn, and Venom will be displayed but with no blood, guns, or graphic imagery. There will also be comic covers that feature the death of a character with a tombstone on the comic cover. When learning about storyboards, movie posters and storyboard sketches from various movies, both live action and animated will be shown but none from any movies rated R or higher, and no graphic imagery, blood, or guns will be displayed. Various comic book/ graphic novel examples such as Dogman and the Wings of Fire series will be shown during the graphic novel production process video but none featuring inappropriate imagery, nor will Captain Underpants be featured.
Supply List
8.5x11” or 9x12” white paper (copy paper or sketchbook paper works, not lined paper) #2 wooden pencils and a white plastic eraser (mechanical pencils make scratches in the paper) A black pen or ultra-fine tipped black marker Colored pencils, crayons, and or colored markers (optional) Access to a device with internet and a digital camera
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2020
4.9
621reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Indiana Teaching Certificate in Music/Theater/Arts
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Northwestern College of St. Paul, MN
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts Education and am licensed by the State of Indiana to teach art for grades pre-k through 12. I have worked as a professional education every year since 2008, have been on Outschool since 2020, and have taught several variations of this specific course as an art project at several certified schools as a licensed art teacher. Reviews
Self-Paced Class
$10
weekly or $40 for all content1 pre-recorded lesson
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 20 learners
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Ages: 9-13
