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).