Over the 8 weeks of this course, we will look at work by authors and illustrators of graphic novels. This class focuses on the drawing but we will also begin by planning our story as this is an important part of a graphic novel. Each week we will focus on a particular section of the plan or on a technique. 

Lessons will begin with a closer look at the work of others, followed by modelling of a technique by the teacher. Students will then have an opportunity to work independently with check-ins, and opportunities to share their work with others. When I am teaching, I am firm but kind. I encourage students to be persistent with their work, and keep improving.

Week 1: What is a graphic novel? Looking at different examples and planning our stories. We will write out our plans in detail.
Week 2: Character Development: We will think about both the social and emotional characteristics of our characters, as well as how they appear. Looking at various ways characters are shown, we will draw our own character(s).
Week 3: Setting the Scene: we will practise drawing different settings, and discuss how the setting contributes to the story.
Week 4: Speech and Text design: Thinking about different formats, we will experiment with fonts, and discuss how to use speech to move the story forward
Week 5:  Title page: building on our work in weeks 2- 4 we will look at title pages and design an exciting page for our readers!
Week 6: Page Layout: What layout works best for your story type? We will look at examples and begin laying out the design
Week 7: Pen and Ink: Let's have a look at the different ways we can create depth using line, tonal values and colour
Week 8: Sharing our Work: let's share what we've created so far, and give constructive feedback to our peers. We will continue with our pen and ink drawing, with focus on particular needs of students.