STUDY LEVEL
Undergraduate
EXPERIENCE
Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct
TUITION
USD $699
DURATION
8 weeks
INTAKES
Jan/April/Jul/Oct
DELIVERY MODE
Online
School Video
The Creating Comics and Graphic Novels course aims to give artists a solid foundation for creating their visual narrative, irrespective of style. The different storytelling approaches taught (from comics to manga) will effectively polish and hone their skills in storytelling and composition for maximum emotional engagement and impact.
The course will focus on understanding the difference between Eastern and Western storytelling (3-act structure vs. 4-act structure, ‘Ki shou ten ketsu’), exploring silent storytelling and the “show, don’t tell” principle, and adapting and editing manuscripts and storyboards for maximum emotional impact.

Develop your original ideas into a visual story
Learn visual storytelling between comics and manga

One year of free access to the full course
Enjoy one year of full course access, including lectures, feedback, and live Q&A recordings.

Earn a Certificate of Completion
Earn a Certificate of Completion when you complete and turn in 80% of course assignments.

Personalized expert feedback and live Q&A.
Receive personal individual feedback on all submitted assignments from the industry’s best artists.
What will you learn?
- Introduction to different types of visual storytelling examples from Manga, graphic novels and comics and why they work-
- Your main job as a storyteller is to make your reader FEEL
- Going back to the basics of story and theme – choosing the story and themes to maximize emotional impact of your own storytelling
- Importance of logline
- Themes?
- Difference between story and plot
- What makes successful compelling character(s)
- Analyzing characters from array of western and manga works and why they’re effective
- Giving goals and motivations to your main character-
- Different types of protagonists/ antagonists-
- How to write a character sheet-
- Developing a visual character turnaround
- Body language, expressions and emoting
- Developing and world-building. Where and when
- How: how do we get our protagonist to his goal (plot)
- Three-act structure vs. Four Act “Ki shou ten ketsu”
- Yonkoma or ‘four-panel comic.’
- Show, don’t tell – the art of the silent comic
- The emotional arc variation
- Analyzing different examples of both western and Japanese works in terms of plot structure
- How to effectively plan and map out a plot to your pages (utilization of serifu-dashi)
- Importance of planning per double-page spread
- Comic Page components: panels, tiers, page, spread
- The Five Choices: moment, Frame, Image, word, and Flow
- The difference in choice structures between western and Japanese (example analysis)
- The First Page
- Refining a storyboard for different emotional impacts
- Clarity vs., Intensity in visual storytelling
- Speech bubbles and onomatopoeia (the art of representing sound)
- Splash pages and when to use them
- Analysis of different page layouts
- Anatomy of the First page
- Make them turn the page!! – Hikigoma
- How to set up your storyboard in Clip Studio Paint/Photoshop with panels and balloons
- If working Analogue, how to set up your page for Inking
- Use of different elements of Clip Studio
- Paint to produce readable storyboards
- Traditional and digital Inking techniques
- Contrast is King
- Analysis/contrasting manga and western comics/graphic novels
- “Colouring in Black and White” – Toning techniques
- Things to keep in mind when considering color
- More on Lettering, balloons, and fonts
- Emphasis lines and Kakemoji
- Analysis of the difference in finishing techniques between western and manga works.
- Considering vertical format visual storytelling mediums (Webtoonz and Tapas?)
- Adapting different techniques and how they differ from traditional layouts
- Making inroads into the industry competitions to challenge yourself to the next step
- How to create a proposal
- To agent or not?
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
- Prerequisites: Students should already have a moderate artistic level and have had experience creating their comics before.
- Materials: Access to either a scanner to scan in physical artwork created in response to the lessons and assignments given; or CLIP studio paint/photoshop
TUITION FEES
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