Love to make comics?  Join my weekly comics class for learners who already understand the basics of creating comics and want to be part of a community of young comic creators as they continue to build new skills.  

This class works well for learners who can start a comic independently, enjoy sharing their ideas or like seeing examples of comics made by other students their age.  

If your learner is just getting started or wants more direct instruction, please take a look at the other comic classes I teach at the bottom of this description.

In this class, learners use ideas from their imagination, inspiration from favorite comics/graphic novels or events in their own lives to create their own comic strips or comic books.  Learners are welcome to bring comics in progress to work on in class or can start a new comic every week. Every class includes a brief discussion of a comic topic as well as time for independent work.  We often look at examples from popular comics/graphic novels and make connections between those examples and our own comics, helping us develop new skills and deepen our thinking. This class is a great way to be a part of a community of young comic creators!

Class format:
Quick share (optional): Learners share a story idea, character, page or panel
Brief discussion of a comic topic (see list below)
Time to work independently on creating comic strips/comic books
Opportunities to share as we work and support for anyone who gets stuck

The goal is not to complete a finished product by the end of the class, but for learners to get started on this process together and to ignite an interest in creating comics outside of class.  Learners are welcome to bring work in progress to add to and share in class.

This is an ongoing class
New learners are welcome to join anytime!

This class is offered on the following days/times:
Mondays 4:30pm (Pacific time)
Tuesday 2pm (Pacific time)
Thursdays 1pm (Pacific time)

Each week we briefly discuss one aspect of creating comic strips/comic books: 
Week of February 26th: Styles of lettering
Week of March 4th: Including humor
Week of March 11th: 3-D Letters
Week of March 18th: Story endings
Week of March 25th: Collaborative comics 
Week of April 1st: Warm up – turn a joke into a mini comic
Week of April 8th: Emanata – another way to show how a character feels 
Week of April 15th: Zooming in & zooming out
Week of April 22nd: Action sequences
Week of April 29th: The cover and titles ** No Thursday class this week**
Week of May 6th: Beyond happy and sad – drawing character’s emotions
Week of May 13th: Plot twist
Week of May 20th: Publishing party and other ideas of what to do when you finish a comic
Week of May 27th: *** No Monday Class ** "Fan fiction"
Week of June 3rd: ** No Thursday Class ** Non-fiction & comics inspired by real life
Week of June 10th: Different ways of drawing characters
Week of June 17th: What makes a good villain/bad guy?
Week of June 24th: Story sequence with a twist - the backwards comic
*** No classes week of July 1st ***
Week of July 8th: Experimenting with color
*** No classes week of July 15th ***
Week of July 22nd: Flashbacks / Fast Forward – using captions to help keep track of time
Week of July 29th: A few ways to draw a character's eyes
Week of August 5th: Settings for our comics - Start with the setting warm-up
Week of August 12th: "Flip-a-rama" adding movement to the story ** No Tuesday Class **
Week of August 19th: 3-D basics
Week of August 26th: Quick character sketches  ** No Thursday Class **
Week of September 2nd: Character development  ** No Monday Class **
Week of September 9th: Thought bubbles
Week of September 16th: Sound effects
Week of September 23rd: Drawing warm-ups 
Week of September 30th: Zooming in & zooming out
Week of October 7th: Planning a story & thumbnails
Week of October 14th: Simple cartoon hands
Week of October 21st: Story pacing 
Week of October 28th: Adding suspense ** No Thursday Class **
Week of November 4th: Sharing favorite graphic novels ** No Monday class **
Week of November 18th: Action Sequences
Week of November 25th: Story warm ups ** Monday only this week **

** Stay tuned - new topics will be added soon  **

We occasionally revisit important topics, but always with new examples to deepen our understanding.  Learners are also welcome to request topics they want covered in future classes.

Both reluctant and enthusiastic writers are welcome! This class is designed for children with a range of literacy skills. I strive to provide an inclusive learning environment and celebrate all levels of literacy development.  Sharing is always optional in my classes.

Not sure if this is the right comics class for your learner? I offer several comic classes, here is a brief overview along with class links to make sure you find the best fit for your learner.  

Comic Strip Stories: Ages 5-7: Weekly Workshop
A class for the youngest comic creators - beginning to turn drawings into very short comic strip-style stories. No prior experience is necessary. 30 minutes long.
https://outschool.com/classes/comic-strip-stories-weekly-workshop-3dlkfdjc?sectionUid=e5793660-64aa-4b9c-ba2e-39f92d610e75&usid=3CuwGyJY&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Creating Comics Level 1 Ages 7-9: Weekly Workshop
Learners who getting started with creating comics or those who would benefit from a review of the basics.  Also a great class for learners who understand the basics, but need a little extra support/encouragement as they work on their comics. No prior experience is necessary, but it is helpful if the child enjoys looking at or reading comics or graphic novels. 40 minutes long.
https://outschool.com/classes/creating-comics-level-1-weekly-workshop-FDCt5rK8?sectionUid=76291834-4f3a-45f5-ba5d-494a0997d2a4&usid=3CuwGyJY&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

Creating Comics Level 2 Ages 7-10: Weekly Workshop
For learners who have already mastered the basics of creating comics and want to be part of a community of young comic creators as they continue to build new skills.  This class works well for learners who can start a comic independently, enjoy sharing their ideas or like seeing examples of comics made by other students their age. 40 minutes long.
-- THIS CLASS -- 

Still not sure, feel free to send me a message to ask questions about any of my comic classes.